NTU say that they are the foodiest campus in the world with 150 food outlets and 177 vending machines. I have not counted them, but with so many different canteens it is probably true.
The food at campus is great! Really great! And cheap! Eating out in Singapore (now we are talking about Hawker Centers and not the fancy restaurants) is almost so cheap it is of no use to actually cook your own food. This is especially true when you are only renting for 5 months. This was one of the strangest things about leaving Sweden, since both me and my partner usually cook most food back home, both for lunch and dinner. Over here, we eat out or buy take-away. However, it was probably the easiest thing to accept 🙂 . The very first day we set a mission: To visit and eat at every canteen on campus (every food outlet was a bit to big of a challenge to master. Two days ago, at the end of our term here, we succeeded (or at least we think we have 🙂 ). That’s why the food have to have a special mention.
There are many different food courts on campus and generally the great tasting and, at least more, healthy Asian food is cheaper then the western, which is a relief when escaping Sweden is also about escaping the food back home. Chicken and Rice is something that I can eat often, I would say very often, so eating our way through the food courts on campus was not really a problem. The cuisines come from China (of course), but also Vietnam, Thailand, India and Korea are well represented on campus.
Most nights we ended up in either Canteen 2, Canteen 13 or North Hill Foodcourt due to the proximity of our apartment. lunch for me was mostly at North Spine Food court or down by South Spine and one of the apartment-close food courts for Sofia.
Fun fact: One of the fun things that you start to notice after a while is for example that at some of the food courts at campus (and other Hawkers) are playing different sounds to keep birds away, at first you don’t notice it but after a while you realise that the sounds around you are artificial. However, nice to eat outside without having uninvited guests, but I’m not sure which one is the most annoying…
Our Top Recommendations:
- Mala Hot Pot @ North Hill Foodcourt. This is amazingly good! This is so good that you can easily have craving for this. Mix your own bowl with meat, fish, prawns and veggies. However go easy on the spice level… Best mala at NTU and maybe in Singapore! (update 2019: This place have moved to the other end of the foodcourt, but same nice taste!)
- Indian food @ Canteen 13. Butter chicken, Bryani rice and Garlic Naan! Great Naan and great staff!
- Thai food @ Pioneer Foodcourt. Their Mango Fish is to die for!
- Ayam Penyet @ Canteen 2. Their steamed chicken set is great, don’t forget to say ‘Yes, please’ to both curry and chili!
- Roasted Duck @ North Spine Foodcourt. Probably the best Rosted Duck and Rice on campus. One of the best chili in town!
- Noodles @ NIE Canteen. Really nice Prawn Mee! He’s a little strict, but the food is great! 🙂
- Waffles @ Canteen 2. Creamy Duck, best waffles ever!
- Chicken Rice @ South Spine Foodcourt. Simple and cheap Rosted (or steamed) Chicken Rice.
- Chinese food @ Canteen 1. Really good Chinese food, the Sweet and Sour Fish is very nice and the spicy fish too. However, the last time we passed by they change the staff, and the food was not as good 🙁
Then some honorable mentions that are not located on campus…
- Freshly squeezed juice @ Boon Lay MRT. Best juice stand in the city, they have a wide range of simple, cheap and really tasty juices!
- BBQ Chicken or Fish set @ Food Opera, ION Orchard Foodcourt (B4). The Indonesian BBQ Stall has the best curry in town!
- Satay @ Satay by the Bay. Head down to Gardens by the Bay and have Satay at City Satay. The guy is a legend!
- Handmade noodles @ Food Junction. Close to Bugis. Try the Seafood noodles at the foodcourt in Bugis Junction.
- Freshly squeezed juice vending machine @ Anywhere. They are all around the city, the prices vary, but the nice refreshing taste is the same 🙂
- Duck and Meat @ Maxwell Food Center. Great Mixed Duck and Meat, this guy is another legend 🙂
- Vietnamese food @ VivoCity. Great healthy and tasty Vietnamese food at Kopitiam in the Basement of VivoCity. Go for the Grilled Chicken Noodle!
- Indian food @ Nalan Restaurant. Not really a Hawker, a bit pricy, but amazing vegetarian food!
- Hong Kong Egg Puff Waffle @ Jurong Point. Try the Pizza Waffle at Hong Kong Egglet (they have many other outlets too besides JP).
2 thoughts on “Campus food”
hi Thomas, thank you very much to mention our name (and out our stall’s picture). We will always try our best to serve authentic Vietnamese cuisine with high quality.
We always come back to eat at your place when i Singapore, last time was a year ago!