Where To Eat?
That’s the main question that pops up every single day in the minds of TCSH students. Due to the fact that TCSH is a campus without a cafeteria, students have to find places to eat outside campus for lunch unless they’re fine with eating Maggi cup noodles from the vending machines every day. Fortunately, the Hartamas Shopping Centre and Plaza Damas are located right next to campus allowing students to choose from a variety of different establishments to have lunch. However, it’s not as easy as picking a restaurant at random with your friends and eating there. There are many different factors that have to be taken in consideration such as affordability, taste, quality of food, and of course, its distance from campus. I’ve surveyed and narrowed down the options into this list of my top 5 eateries for lunch.
1. Kanteen
Kanteen offers a considerably wide array of fusion cuisine at an affordable price. Considering its price, both the taste and quality of dishes served are excellent. One of my favourite dishes from this restaurant is the fried pan mee. This particular dish has a rather unique and wholesome taste and it only costs RM7.90. Popular dishes include rice sets and western food such as chicken chop and lamb chop. Kanteen takes a spot in this list because of its great food and good customer service. Therefore, I strongly recommend this place whether you are just looking for affordable food or sharing dishes with your friends.
2. Subway
Plaza Damas may not have fast food restaurants that we have all come to love suchlike McDonalds and KFC. What it has though, is good ol’ Subway. Although not as 'healthy' as their marketing division would like the general public to believe, Subway serves tasty and wholesome sandwiches, for a reasonable price. Their 'Sub of The Day' promotion cuts the price of a particular sandwich by 40% which is quite a good deal. In terms of taste and value for money, I personally think Monday's sandwich - the Italian B.M.T., is the best. Moreover, you get to choose which vegetables go into your sandwich, be it onions, cucumbers, lettuce, olives, pickles, capsicums or tomatoes. One could even ask for all as it does not add on to the overall cost. Let’s not forget Subway’s delicious cookies for students to snack on in between classes. All in all, Subway with its efficient service, convenience and tasty sandwiches makes it one of the best places for us to indulge in without worrying about burning a hole in our pockets.
3. Mahkota Curry House
Everyone likes to eat at a *mamak stall. The cheap prices of drinks and food coupled with the mouth-watering variety of food available are very appealing to us college students on a tight budget. When thinking of mamak joints, most students think of Bestari as it is big and strategically placed. Nevertheless, the food there is not only more expensive than most mamak stalls, the quality of food is also inconsistent. If you are craving for mamak food, I highly recommend Mahkota Curry House. This small, hidden mamak is actually right in the middle of Plaza Damas opposite the entrance to Hartamas Shopping Centre. The food here is cheap, delicious and consistently good unlike their larger and more well-known counterparts. Their *nasi campur can be quite pricy if you order a lot of meat but the taste beats Bestari’s nasi campur hands down. The only downside to this particular stall is that it is much too small for a huge crowd. During breakfast, there is no way you can get a table there if you have more than 5-6 friends. In comparison, Mahkota Curry House, in my opinion, is any time a better mamak than Bestari.
4. Ping Chuan Kopitiam
Next up on the list is Ping Chuan Kopitiam. This small coffee shop is located in Plaza Damas (somewhere in between Ah Pek coffee shop and the Tray). I would say that this is one of the best places to eat for students as their mixed rice or cap fan is not only reasonably priced, the variety of dishes is also very appealing to students who are looking for a wholesome lunch. Another main attraction of this particular eatery is that it serves pork. It always has a few big chunks of *siew yok and *char siew ready to be chopped up and served for your eating pleasure. Besides that, they also serve chicken rice and wanton mee. Unfortunately, this establishment is non-halal and therefore does not cater to Muslim students.
5. Blue Cow Cafe
Last but not the least there’s The Blue Cow Cafe. Most students would never find this peculiarly named cafe as it is located on the upper level of Plaza Damas where most students would not go to. The main attraction of this place is their reasonably priced student set meals. These set meals range from around RM9.00 to RM12.00 depending on your choice of meal. Students can choose from a variety of burgers, pastas, sausages and sandwiches in their set meal. What's better, it even comes with a free drink! So far, their pork and beef burgers lunch sets really impressed me. Their patties are juicy and mouth watering and their wholegrain burger buns have a nicer texture than most burgers. If you come with a big group of friends (more than 10 people), I suggest you only come to this place when you have at least a 2 hour break as the food here can take a while to arrive. The overall ambience of this cafe is rather pleasant and the good service here only makes it better. I highly recommend The Blue Cow Cafe if you’re in the mood for a satisfyingly juicy burger.
Written by Chiang Kah Chun
1. Kanteen
Kanteen offers a considerably wide array of fusion cuisine at an affordable price. Considering its price, both the taste and quality of dishes served are excellent. One of my favourite dishes from this restaurant is the fried pan mee. This particular dish has a rather unique and wholesome taste and it only costs RM7.90. Popular dishes include rice sets and western food such as chicken chop and lamb chop. Kanteen takes a spot in this list because of its great food and good customer service. Therefore, I strongly recommend this place whether you are just looking for affordable food or sharing dishes with your friends.
2. Subway
Plaza Damas may not have fast food restaurants that we have all come to love suchlike McDonalds and KFC. What it has though, is good ol’ Subway. Although not as 'healthy' as their marketing division would like the general public to believe, Subway serves tasty and wholesome sandwiches, for a reasonable price. Their 'Sub of The Day' promotion cuts the price of a particular sandwich by 40% which is quite a good deal. In terms of taste and value for money, I personally think Monday's sandwich - the Italian B.M.T., is the best. Moreover, you get to choose which vegetables go into your sandwich, be it onions, cucumbers, lettuce, olives, pickles, capsicums or tomatoes. One could even ask for all as it does not add on to the overall cost. Let’s not forget Subway’s delicious cookies for students to snack on in between classes. All in all, Subway with its efficient service, convenience and tasty sandwiches makes it one of the best places for us to indulge in without worrying about burning a hole in our pockets.
3. Mahkota Curry House
Everyone likes to eat at a *mamak stall. The cheap prices of drinks and food coupled with the mouth-watering variety of food available are very appealing to us college students on a tight budget. When thinking of mamak joints, most students think of Bestari as it is big and strategically placed. Nevertheless, the food there is not only more expensive than most mamak stalls, the quality of food is also inconsistent. If you are craving for mamak food, I highly recommend Mahkota Curry House. This small, hidden mamak is actually right in the middle of Plaza Damas opposite the entrance to Hartamas Shopping Centre. The food here is cheap, delicious and consistently good unlike their larger and more well-known counterparts. Their *nasi campur can be quite pricy if you order a lot of meat but the taste beats Bestari’s nasi campur hands down. The only downside to this particular stall is that it is much too small for a huge crowd. During breakfast, there is no way you can get a table there if you have more than 5-6 friends. In comparison, Mahkota Curry House, in my opinion, is any time a better mamak than Bestari.
4. Ping Chuan Kopitiam
Next up on the list is Ping Chuan Kopitiam. This small coffee shop is located in Plaza Damas (somewhere in between Ah Pek coffee shop and the Tray). I would say that this is one of the best places to eat for students as their mixed rice or cap fan is not only reasonably priced, the variety of dishes is also very appealing to students who are looking for a wholesome lunch. Another main attraction of this particular eatery is that it serves pork. It always has a few big chunks of *siew yok and *char siew ready to be chopped up and served for your eating pleasure. Besides that, they also serve chicken rice and wanton mee. Unfortunately, this establishment is non-halal and therefore does not cater to Muslim students.
5. Blue Cow Cafe
Last but not the least there’s The Blue Cow Cafe. Most students would never find this peculiarly named cafe as it is located on the upper level of Plaza Damas where most students would not go to. The main attraction of this place is their reasonably priced student set meals. These set meals range from around RM9.00 to RM12.00 depending on your choice of meal. Students can choose from a variety of burgers, pastas, sausages and sandwiches in their set meal. What's better, it even comes with a free drink! So far, their pork and beef burgers lunch sets really impressed me. Their patties are juicy and mouth watering and their wholegrain burger buns have a nicer texture than most burgers. If you come with a big group of friends (more than 10 people), I suggest you only come to this place when you have at least a 2 hour break as the food here can take a while to arrive. The overall ambience of this cafe is rather pleasant and the good service here only makes it better. I highly recommend The Blue Cow Cafe if you’re in the mood for a satisfyingly juicy burger.
Written by Chiang Kah Chun
