Nagpur collegians gorge on lip-smacking canteen delights

NAGPUR: As the exam season sets in, craving for food also sees a surge among the city collegians. So, get ready for large dollops of spices and flavours served hot from the canteen platter, as you prepare for your coming examinations. Read on...
Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering
What’s impressive: Spotless ambience
Star of the platter: Chola bhatura
Rocking summer special: Fresh lime juice with crushed ice and mint
This canteen is known for its hygienic and fresh food served in a huge dining area.The most popular dishes among the students here arc chola bhatura, dahi samosa and refreshing summer drinks including lemon juice. “This is a place where we love to hang out after the exams and dig into some amazing food. We also get vegetarian thali here. The best part is that high standards of hygiene are always maintained here,” says Harsh Chowdhary, a civil engineering student.
Guru Nanak Institute of Engineering and Management
What’s impressive: The a-la-carte menu
Star of the platter: Vegetable cutlets and chicken curry
Rocking summer Special: Midnight beauty – mocktail
This is a place where the students and faculty members allow their inner foodies to be unleashed. “The USP of our canteen is the use of fresh produce and no compromise on taste and quality. Right from veg cutlets to chicken curry and mutton biryani, we serve a wide variety. It gives us a high to see the happy faces of satisfied students who come and dine here. Each student and faculty member has his/her own favourite dish from the menu. They just tell me what they want to eat and it is made and served pronto,” says canteen head, Sunil Kakar.
LAD College, Seminary Hills
What’s impressive: Homely aura
Star of the platter: Aloo paratha served with mint and mango chutney
Rocking summer special: Aam panna, buttermilk
The moment you walk into the LAD canteen, you get the feel of a home and not so much of a college canteen. The staff are forever on their toes to ensure that everyone is satisfied with the quality of food. “The USP of our canteen is that order is served at the dining table by the staff. And the food served to us is as wholesome as ghar ka khana,” says Anuradha Tambe, a student of the college.
Canteen head Anita Kohli says, “Most of the students here order aloo paratha which we serve with mint and mango chutney. If a student wants to order something else, we have the entire menu planned for her in a jiffy.”
Jhulelal Institute of Technology
What’s impressive: A cozy feel
Star of the platter: Veg manchurian and fried rice
Rocking summer special: Mango juice
Tucked away in a corner of the college, this canteen has a cozy feel and there’s a lot of variety to choose from. “Students love the food here because we pay a lot of attention to getting the recipes right. The veg manchurian and fried rice combination, served with crispy fried noodles and mango juice is a hit among the students this summer,” says canteen head, Anirudh Pedekar.
Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology
What’s impressive: Open-air canteen
Star of the platter: Cheesy instant noodles
Rocking summer special: Cold coffee
Right from veg noodles to sambar vada and dosa, students of VNIT don’t compromise when it comes to savouring their favourite dishes, but cheesy instant noodles, tempered with oregano is voted as their favourite comfort food. Some of the students also vouch that dahi-samosa served with tamarind chutney is simply irresistible. The canteen area is situated right in the midst of lush green campus and there are a lot of students who discuss projects sitting here.”
G H Raisoni College
What’s impressive: Comfortable and spacious dining hall
Star of the platter: Chinese noodles and manchurian
Rocking summer special: Pineapple shake
Raisonians love to binge on anything that is Chinese, so the variants of noodles here are the speciality of this canteen. Students relish veg noodles served with stir-fried vegetables with a gusto at the spacious dining hall which is very clean. There is a juice and coffee counter outside the canteen as well and both faculty members and students enjoy their free time savouring gourmet delights.
Karmavir Dadasaheb Kannamwar College of Engineering
What’s impressive: Wide variety
Star of the platter: Chola bhatura
Rocking summer special: Chocolate shake
It is not easy to find this canteen when you enter the college for the first time. When we finally discovered it and approached the counter, we were surprised that the menu has an amazing variety for the foodies. There are many South Indian dishes, veg rolls, paneer rolls and samosas that are popular among the students, but the chola bhatura rules the roost here. Made to perfection, it is served with grated salad.