By Priminelle De Leon and Mary Ann Suing
It’s lunchtime. What is more frightful than the thought of all thirty five thousand students all streaming out to have lunch? It is interesting to note that according to a survey conducted by Pacesetter, 68.5% of student respondents crowd the top food stops in and around our university everyday. What is more interesting to know is that your favorite food spot has become everybody’s favorite too, making it near impossible to secure seats for you and your other cost-cutting friends.
Don’t worry though, with students spilling from every direction of a reputable food stall/place, here is a list of possible alternatives to your usual Mcdonald’s or KFC. Might be less of a comfort, but equal or so much better in taste.
The Mother of all stalls
First of your alternative food spots is the official canteen of our university, which happens to be the oldest, too. Gaining the recommendation of 4.5% of student respondents and making it on the 10th spot on BulSuans’ list, BulSU Canteen holds the title of being the Mother of all food stalls in BulSU. Located beside Valencia Hall, this canteen has been the foundation of all food stalls and was the original dining hall since BulSU was established. According to Melanie Caballero, Manager of the said canteen, for over 100 years now BulSU canteen has already proven its excellence in cuisine.
“Ang BulSU Canteen ay legal na pagma-may-ari ng administration kaya naman hindi ito kabilang sa mga concessionaire sa loob ng university. Maraming nagkakamali na pagdating sa quality and nutritious food nahuhuli ang university Canteen. Sa katunayan, mabubusog ang estudyante sa 40 na halaga ng kanin, ulam with soup,” added Caballero.
However, most of the students whose buildings are far from this canteen prefer to eat on commercialized fast foods or other eateries that are nearer to them.
“Malayo kasi sa amin ‘yong canteen tapos no’ng unang pasok ko rito hindi ko naman alam kung saan, ‘yon pala dahil nakatago siya sa tabi ng Valencia Hall. Hindi naman kami madalas nakakarating do'n kaya mas pinipili namin na sa fast food na lang kumain,” said Raquel Milagro, an Education student.
Because of this, BulSU canteen’s staff offers a lot of promos to bring back the interest of the students. Also, the university canteen has been improved after a decade through the addition of air conditioners that provide good ventilation in the dining area. In terms of convenience, its management assures it can now compete with the other fast foods since its cleanliness and the quality of food that it serves is at its finest.
“Kung gusto nilang tangkilikin ‘yong sariling canteen ng ating unibersidad, unahin sana ng mga estudyante sa option nila ang BulSU canteen natin kasi ito naman talaga dapat ‘yong pina-patronize nila,” said Caballero.
Everyone loves a silog meal
Moving on, on the 9th place is Top Cee, which was derived from the food name, ‘tapsi’. This eatery was voted by 5% of the respondents though it is hidden beside the second gate of BulSU, where it occupies a small area. As one of the unusual food eateries inside the university it continues to uphold its historic servings of combined foods- tapsilog, chiksilog, hotsilog and other pinoy foods.
“No’ng isang beses namin natikman [food offerings at Top Cee] tapos ako na mismo ang nag-encourage sa mga ka-klase ko na do’n na kumain kasi hindi siya kilala kaya wala masyadong kumakain at solo mo ‘yong p’westo. Minsan nga nagugulat sila [Top Cee] kasi dinadayo pa ‘yong kainan nila kahit ‘di naman sila nagpo-promote pero sana lang talaga, malipat ‘yong pwesto nila sa harap ng Roxas Hall para mas makilala sila,” said Marie Santos of BS Psych.
If you happen to study around Roxas, Natividad and Carpio Hall area, then you might have already experienced this walking distance eatery’s meals. For all this amazing map’s existence knew, Top Cee might even be on the top of your choices. And just like those students who have also eaten there, you believe that it has a spice of adding magic on your ordinary meal, turning it into a special meal of fried rice and compound dishes which costs just the same with those in the fast foods.
“First year pa lang ako dito, nagsawa na ako sa chicken and rice ng fast food, kaya nang nadiskubre kong may kainan sa likod ng CoED, binabalik-balikan ko na talaga dahil kahit iba’t-ibang ulam ang i-ordermo, hindi ka magsasawa. Bukod sa masarap, malapit lang siya sa room namin,” said Lea Vergara, an Engineering student.
Top Cee stays kicking and alive even if many of the BulSU students don’t know this vintage stall due to its hidden location. According to Celia Bautista, owner of Top Cee, its over two decades of stay at the U may have attributed to their maintenance of quality service.
“1986 pa lang nakatayo na ‘yong Top Cee wala pang masyadong kainan no’n, BCAT pa lang noon at dahil na rin sa cleanliness ang number one na ine-ensure namin sa pagluluto ng mga putahe, ‘yon ang naging susi para magtagal kami ng ganito at balik-balikan kami ng mga estudyante,” said Bautista
Bautista added that, no matter how old she gets, she will still prefer to stay and serve their specialties here at BulSU which has been a home for her.
“’Yong pakiramdam na napapamahal ka na talaga sa mga suki mo na hindi mo na kailangang makipagsabayan pa sa ibang kainan dahil do’n pa lang, sulit na ‘yong hirap ko,” explained Bautista.
Since it’s really getting mushy in here, let’s get a move on shall we? I’m just a poor map made of parchment, and evading tears isn’t really my specialty. So where do we go next again? Ooh… from tapsi to classy!
Something Classy
Based on the way your hands tightened its hold on your wallet, I imagine you think about how on earth did you not know that there is such a food stop in BulSU. Well, you got the wrong idea, my friend, wrong about the ambiance at least. Ask our fellow BulSUans eating at Lea and Caren’s eatery located in front of Federizo Hall, the 8th on the list, having gained thumbs up from 6% of the student respondents.
“Gusto ko talaga ‘yong lasang special food nila kasi ramdam kong nasa restaurant talaga ako kahit hindi ‘yon ‘yong ambiance, nai-imagine ko talaga,” said Elaine Castro of BS-ECE.
This food stall also does caterings for seminars, field trips and meetings, showing how good their food is. Their customers are not only college students but also the high school students from the Laboratory High School and also the professors in our university who patronizes them for their high-class menus.
“Hindi ko na kailangang makipagsiksikan pa sa mga kainan do’n sa labas kasi dito pa lang (Lea and Caren’s) satisfied na ako sa bilis ng serving nila at sa masarap na pagkain. Tapos maaga kong nagagawa ‘yong mga assignment ko dahil p’wede muna akong tumambay dito habang wala pang kumakain,” said Karen Castillo of BAMC.
However, Lea Rivero, owner of Lea and Caren’s eatery, said that they are having problems because of the dripping air conditioners of the graduate school, which is right behind them. Somehow, this causes them disadvantages.
“Siyempre maapektuhan ‘yong mga kasangkapan dito sa loob ng kainan ko tapos pag magre- report naman kami sa admin matatagalan naman sila sa pag-ayos no’n,” explained Rivero.
Despite this problem, customers still flock this eatery, coming back for that taste that they seem to find there. Others, to some extent, buy foods to take home with them to share with their family members.
Federizo’s heart of unlimited rice
Meanwhile, second to the last and 7th on our list is BK (Bundok Kanin) at BJ (Buko Juice) Food to Go. Although new, 7% of the surveyed students have admitted they have fallen for the stall’s charisma.
“Ang Bundok Kanin (BK) at Buko Juice (BJ) Food to go ay nagbibigay ng hindi limitadong serbisyo. Ang ulam at unlimited rice dito ay paniguradong pasok sa badyet ng mga estudyante,” said Kuya Rolly, care taker of the eatery.
Attracting customers was just a piece of cake for this eatery for it seems to become one of the food wonders though it was only launched last March. Located between the Student Government Office and Federizo Hall, BK and BJ offers plates of different Filipino foods like Adobo, Menudo and Fried chicken.
However, this eatery also faces a huge problem when it comes to the convenience of their customers. And this hitch is greatly observed during the rainy season.
“Wala naman pong problema sa pagkain nila kaso minsan talaga kapag umuulan ng malakas nababasa ‘yong mga lamesa at upuan kaya hassle kapag gano’n, nawawalan tuloy kami ng gana kumain sa kanila,” said Micah of BS Biology.
Despite this, the place became a magnet to students who have a big appetite but don’t want to pay much for unlimited rice. Most of its patrons are BulSUans using the Federizo hall, who want to save themselves from walking too much when going out of the campus to visit fast foods that offer unlimited rice meals.
“Nakakatuwa kasi bukod sa masarap talaga ‘yong ulam at mabubusog ka sa unlimited rice nila, malapit lang sa room namin kaya imbes na mag- meryenda ako sa lunch, makakakain ako ng maayos and at the same time hindi pa ako male-late,” said Carlo Belmonte, COE-2D.
Tuhog Bonanza
Last but not the least is the row of stalls outside the second gate, which sells assorted kinds of street foods. Sounds cheap, eh?
Jologs, tuhog-tuhog or whatever you want to call it, certainly found its place in the stomachs of BulSuans who want to get out of their normal routine of eating the same kinds of food and try something different. With 9% popularity and ranked 6th on the daily food menu of BulSUans, these food stalls are very popular to those who love street foods and to those who wants to have snacks without spending too much.
“Do’n ako kumakain kapag nagtitipid kasi mura do’n. Since irreg ako, minsan kapag walang time o kaya one hour vacant doon ako kumakain,” said Emmanuel Saguiped, a Masscom student.
Aside from street foods, some stalls also serve burger, spaghetti, palabok and porridge for those who are really hungry.
So you see, uh wait, stop drooling first. Yes, that’s it, way to go. So you see, there’s a lot more to discover in BulSU, you just have to flare your nostrils big, and bingo!
Aside from the Burger stand in front of Federizo which ranked 5th, the Sizzling nest near third gate which landed 4th, Puregold food stalls on the 3rd spot, the 2nd which is nursing canteen, and of course those fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Mang Inasal, Karate Kid, Gerry’s Grill and the like topped the list. But if you’re really persistent, then who am I to reject? Free lunch would do, thank you.
There are still a lot of eateries out there to discover. Take time finding those which will best suite your taste and budget so that eating time will never be your dilemma again. However, still consider the maxim: You get what you pay for, when considering where to eat.
It’s lunchtime. What is more frightful than the thought of all thirty five thousand students all streaming out to have lunch? It is interesting to note that according to a survey conducted by Pacesetter, 68.5% of student respondents crowd the top food stops in and around our university everyday. What is more interesting to know is that your favorite food spot has become everybody’s favorite too, making it near impossible to secure seats for you and your other cost-cutting friends.
Don’t worry though, with students spilling from every direction of a reputable food stall/place, here is a list of possible alternatives to your usual Mcdonald’s or KFC. Might be less of a comfort, but equal or so much better in taste.
The Mother of all stalls
First of your alternative food spots is the official canteen of our university, which happens to be the oldest, too. Gaining the recommendation of 4.5% of student respondents and making it on the 10th spot on BulSuans’ list, BulSU Canteen holds the title of being the Mother of all food stalls in BulSU. Located beside Valencia Hall, this canteen has been the foundation of all food stalls and was the original dining hall since BulSU was established. According to Melanie Caballero, Manager of the said canteen, for over 100 years now BulSU canteen has already proven its excellence in cuisine.
“Ang BulSU Canteen ay legal na pagma-may-ari ng administration kaya naman hindi ito kabilang sa mga concessionaire sa loob ng university. Maraming nagkakamali na pagdating sa quality and nutritious food nahuhuli ang university Canteen. Sa katunayan, mabubusog ang estudyante sa 40 na halaga ng kanin, ulam with soup,” added Caballero.
However, most of the students whose buildings are far from this canteen prefer to eat on commercialized fast foods or other eateries that are nearer to them.
“Malayo kasi sa amin ‘yong canteen tapos no’ng unang pasok ko rito hindi ko naman alam kung saan, ‘yon pala dahil nakatago siya sa tabi ng Valencia Hall. Hindi naman kami madalas nakakarating do'n kaya mas pinipili namin na sa fast food na lang kumain,” said Raquel Milagro, an Education student.
Because of this, BulSU canteen’s staff offers a lot of promos to bring back the interest of the students. Also, the university canteen has been improved after a decade through the addition of air conditioners that provide good ventilation in the dining area. In terms of convenience, its management assures it can now compete with the other fast foods since its cleanliness and the quality of food that it serves is at its finest.
“Kung gusto nilang tangkilikin ‘yong sariling canteen ng ating unibersidad, unahin sana ng mga estudyante sa option nila ang BulSU canteen natin kasi ito naman talaga dapat ‘yong pina-patronize nila,” said Caballero.
Everyone loves a silog meal
Moving on, on the 9th place is Top Cee, which was derived from the food name, ‘tapsi’. This eatery was voted by 5% of the respondents though it is hidden beside the second gate of BulSU, where it occupies a small area. As one of the unusual food eateries inside the university it continues to uphold its historic servings of combined foods- tapsilog, chiksilog, hotsilog and other pinoy foods.
“No’ng isang beses namin natikman [food offerings at Top Cee] tapos ako na mismo ang nag-encourage sa mga ka-klase ko na do’n na kumain kasi hindi siya kilala kaya wala masyadong kumakain at solo mo ‘yong p’westo. Minsan nga nagugulat sila [Top Cee] kasi dinadayo pa ‘yong kainan nila kahit ‘di naman sila nagpo-promote pero sana lang talaga, malipat ‘yong pwesto nila sa harap ng Roxas Hall para mas makilala sila,” said Marie Santos of BS Psych.
If you happen to study around Roxas, Natividad and Carpio Hall area, then you might have already experienced this walking distance eatery’s meals. For all this amazing map’s existence knew, Top Cee might even be on the top of your choices. And just like those students who have also eaten there, you believe that it has a spice of adding magic on your ordinary meal, turning it into a special meal of fried rice and compound dishes which costs just the same with those in the fast foods.
“First year pa lang ako dito, nagsawa na ako sa chicken and rice ng fast food, kaya nang nadiskubre kong may kainan sa likod ng CoED, binabalik-balikan ko na talaga dahil kahit iba’t-ibang ulam ang i-ordermo, hindi ka magsasawa. Bukod sa masarap, malapit lang siya sa room namin,” said Lea Vergara, an Engineering student.
Top Cee stays kicking and alive even if many of the BulSU students don’t know this vintage stall due to its hidden location. According to Celia Bautista, owner of Top Cee, its over two decades of stay at the U may have attributed to their maintenance of quality service.
“1986 pa lang nakatayo na ‘yong Top Cee wala pang masyadong kainan no’n, BCAT pa lang noon at dahil na rin sa cleanliness ang number one na ine-ensure namin sa pagluluto ng mga putahe, ‘yon ang naging susi para magtagal kami ng ganito at balik-balikan kami ng mga estudyante,” said Bautista
Bautista added that, no matter how old she gets, she will still prefer to stay and serve their specialties here at BulSU which has been a home for her.
“’Yong pakiramdam na napapamahal ka na talaga sa mga suki mo na hindi mo na kailangang makipagsabayan pa sa ibang kainan dahil do’n pa lang, sulit na ‘yong hirap ko,” explained Bautista.
Since it’s really getting mushy in here, let’s get a move on shall we? I’m just a poor map made of parchment, and evading tears isn’t really my specialty. So where do we go next again? Ooh… from tapsi to classy!
Something Classy
Based on the way your hands tightened its hold on your wallet, I imagine you think about how on earth did you not know that there is such a food stop in BulSU. Well, you got the wrong idea, my friend, wrong about the ambiance at least. Ask our fellow BulSUans eating at Lea and Caren’s eatery located in front of Federizo Hall, the 8th on the list, having gained thumbs up from 6% of the student respondents.
“Gusto ko talaga ‘yong lasang special food nila kasi ramdam kong nasa restaurant talaga ako kahit hindi ‘yon ‘yong ambiance, nai-imagine ko talaga,” said Elaine Castro of BS-ECE.
This food stall also does caterings for seminars, field trips and meetings, showing how good their food is. Their customers are not only college students but also the high school students from the Laboratory High School and also the professors in our university who patronizes them for their high-class menus.
“Hindi ko na kailangang makipagsiksikan pa sa mga kainan do’n sa labas kasi dito pa lang (Lea and Caren’s) satisfied na ako sa bilis ng serving nila at sa masarap na pagkain. Tapos maaga kong nagagawa ‘yong mga assignment ko dahil p’wede muna akong tumambay dito habang wala pang kumakain,” said Karen Castillo of BAMC.
However, Lea Rivero, owner of Lea and Caren’s eatery, said that they are having problems because of the dripping air conditioners of the graduate school, which is right behind them. Somehow, this causes them disadvantages.
“Siyempre maapektuhan ‘yong mga kasangkapan dito sa loob ng kainan ko tapos pag magre- report naman kami sa admin matatagalan naman sila sa pag-ayos no’n,” explained Rivero.
Despite this problem, customers still flock this eatery, coming back for that taste that they seem to find there. Others, to some extent, buy foods to take home with them to share with their family members.
Federizo’s heart of unlimited rice
Meanwhile, second to the last and 7th on our list is BK (Bundok Kanin) at BJ (Buko Juice) Food to Go. Although new, 7% of the surveyed students have admitted they have fallen for the stall’s charisma.
“Ang Bundok Kanin (BK) at Buko Juice (BJ) Food to go ay nagbibigay ng hindi limitadong serbisyo. Ang ulam at unlimited rice dito ay paniguradong pasok sa badyet ng mga estudyante,” said Kuya Rolly, care taker of the eatery.
Attracting customers was just a piece of cake for this eatery for it seems to become one of the food wonders though it was only launched last March. Located between the Student Government Office and Federizo Hall, BK and BJ offers plates of different Filipino foods like Adobo, Menudo and Fried chicken.
However, this eatery also faces a huge problem when it comes to the convenience of their customers. And this hitch is greatly observed during the rainy season.
“Wala naman pong problema sa pagkain nila kaso minsan talaga kapag umuulan ng malakas nababasa ‘yong mga lamesa at upuan kaya hassle kapag gano’n, nawawalan tuloy kami ng gana kumain sa kanila,” said Micah of BS Biology.
Despite this, the place became a magnet to students who have a big appetite but don’t want to pay much for unlimited rice. Most of its patrons are BulSUans using the Federizo hall, who want to save themselves from walking too much when going out of the campus to visit fast foods that offer unlimited rice meals.
“Nakakatuwa kasi bukod sa masarap talaga ‘yong ulam at mabubusog ka sa unlimited rice nila, malapit lang sa room namin kaya imbes na mag- meryenda ako sa lunch, makakakain ako ng maayos and at the same time hindi pa ako male-late,” said Carlo Belmonte, COE-2D.
Tuhog Bonanza
Last but not the least is the row of stalls outside the second gate, which sells assorted kinds of street foods. Sounds cheap, eh?
Jologs, tuhog-tuhog or whatever you want to call it, certainly found its place in the stomachs of BulSuans who want to get out of their normal routine of eating the same kinds of food and try something different. With 9% popularity and ranked 6th on the daily food menu of BulSUans, these food stalls are very popular to those who love street foods and to those who wants to have snacks without spending too much.
“Do’n ako kumakain kapag nagtitipid kasi mura do’n. Since irreg ako, minsan kapag walang time o kaya one hour vacant doon ako kumakain,” said Emmanuel Saguiped, a Masscom student.
Aside from street foods, some stalls also serve burger, spaghetti, palabok and porridge for those who are really hungry.
So you see, uh wait, stop drooling first. Yes, that’s it, way to go. So you see, there’s a lot more to discover in BulSU, you just have to flare your nostrils big, and bingo!
Aside from the Burger stand in front of Federizo which ranked 5th, the Sizzling nest near third gate which landed 4th, Puregold food stalls on the 3rd spot, the 2nd which is nursing canteen, and of course those fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Mang Inasal, Karate Kid, Gerry’s Grill and the like topped the list. But if you’re really persistent, then who am I to reject? Free lunch would do, thank you.
There are still a lot of eateries out there to discover. Take time finding those which will best suite your taste and budget so that eating time will never be your dilemma again. However, still consider the maxim: You get what you pay for, when considering where to eat.