Delhi University: Few seats but food aplenty

NEW DELHI: On the next trip to north campus, grab a plate of LOL (fancy name for specially-treated instant noodles) at a Kamala Nagar food joint. Or bite into mutton dosa at the canteen at Delhi School of Economics. North Campus, thankfully, is good for a lot more than lectures and degrees. The canteens and the closest market at Kamala Nagar offer a host of interesting eateries that cater to the young and impecunious.
There are the standard-issue coffee bars, of course, but in this part of town, they face stiff competition from such stalwarts as J P Tea Stall and Nandu ki Chai.
“Since summer is at its peak, we have added masala-coke and iced-tea to our menu,” says Jai Prakash, of the J P Tea Stall, who operates from just outside the DSE canteen. His is an immensely popular joint with students flitting about it all day.
Nandu of “Nandu ki Chai” quit long ago but he has evidently left his mark. This tea stall outside the Law Faculty canteen is a must-visit. Students from all colleges – seniors and juniors – gather here for chai and chinwag. They can spend hours at it; and the owner Bunni Lal doesn’t mind. “This place should be renamed “Talks over tea”,” says law-student Premanshu Kumar.
As far as food-cum-chat hubs go, few can match the DSE canteen, say students. Diwan Singh Rawat, working at the DSE canteen for over two decades says his clients love the mutton-dosa and jelly-cream best. Little has changed here except the prices, raised by a nominal amount every year, and the name – it was once Indian Coffee House.
“It’s reasonable and the egg-rice and cheese-omelette are fabulous,” says Law Faculty student, Mahesh Singh. A plate of egg-rice comes for Rs 20, mutton-dosa for Rs 18. The owner, Ambernath Gupta, is fondly called “dada.”
Another must-visit is “Chache di hatti”. The chhole-bhaturas of this 40-year-old eatery has delighted the palates of many generations of students. It gets very crowded and there are separate lines for men and women. “We open at 10 in the morning and everything is over by three,” says the owner Parveen Saluja. Visitors also swear by the kulfi-faluda at Vaishnav Chaat Bhandar at Kamala Nagar though it’s most famous for its golgappas and bhalle.
Kamala Nagar has several newer joints to offer. One of the funkier ones is FYI…It’s Maggii serving – you guessed it – Maggi. Its menu – including items such as Maggi-kebabs and Maggi rolls -- can double as a dictionary of SMS-slang. Dishes have name like LOL (“laugh out loud”) and TTYL (“Talk to You Later”). For a slurp of a cooling drink, one can go to Café Organia or Chill-m, both on Bungalow Road. They both specialize in shooters and mocktails and Chill-m allows you to play board games if your bill crosses Rs 300.
Close to north campus, the Tibetan market of Majnu ka Tila attracts students over the weekends. Its Hot Yak Café is open till late at night and students drop in for the many special offers. In summer, it has chicken cold noodles and cold coffee. At the 20-year-old Tee Dee Restaurant, chicken sausages and fruit beer are most popular.