MELINA MELETAKOS
It’s the end of the month, you’re starving and the sum total of your cooking repertoire starts and ends at being able to make toast. Welcome to student life. Perdeby has hunted down the tastiest chow in town that will make both your stomach and your wallet happy.
Surviving the morning after and a full day of class
You’ve never been very good at prioritising, even in your uniform-wearing days. You know you shouldn’t have gone out last night but it was Joe Soap’s birthday and what would he say if you didn’t pitch? Plus, you really couldn’t help being seduced by the Square. Now you’re writing a semester test in a few hours and it feels as if a truck just offloaded ten tonnes of bricks on your head. Your stomach feels as if it has a gaping hole in it and your brain is screaming for you to make it stop. You need to get a lip-smacking meal down your oesophagus pronto but it also has to give you the oomph you need to get through the day.
For the cash-strapped:
Oxford’s Budget Breakfast: two slices of toast, two eggs, three rashers of bacon and tomato for R14,50.
Wimpy’s Streaky Bacon Breakfast: two eggs, two rashers of bacon, grilled tomato, toast and a small portion of chips for R19,95.
Spur’s Unreal Breakfast: two eggs, two rashers of bacon, fried tomato, chips and two slices of toast for R19,95.
On campus:
Piazza Foods: a pie and a can of Pepsi for R13,95.
Pie City: a pie and a 500ml bottle of juice for R19.
Oom Gert’s Gertie Breakfast: two slices of toast, two scrambled eggs and filter coffee for R18,50, or their small chips for R15,50.
For the slightly more indulgent:
Rhapsody’s Rise and Shine Breakfast: one egg, bacon, grilled cherry tomatoes and toast for R29.
Oom Gert’s Breakfast: two slices toast, two rashers bacon, two eggs, tomato, a slice of cheese, a russian and filter coffee for R32,50.
Wimpy’s Mega Breakfast: two eggs, three rashers bacon, 90g beef patty, relish, grilled onion, grilled tomato, a half portion chips and a slice of toast for R48,95.
Comfort food for the studious
You’re really trying to be the studious type but after toiling over study guides the symptoms of cabin fever are starting to set in. To top it all off, you’re famished and if you eat another packet of two-minute noodles, you risk turning into one. What you need is a breath of fresh air to get those brain juices flowing again as well as something that will satisfy your hunger pangs.
For the cash-strapped:
McDonalds: a hamburger, small fries and a small soft drink for R19,95. Also try their double cheeseburger, medium fries and medium soft drink for R24,95.
Aandklas: a cheese dog for R25 or their chicken strips for R30.
Wimpy: a BLT toasted sandwich, full portion chips and a regular soda for R29,95. Also look out for their Three Tenners Deal: a burger, full portion chips and a regular soda for R30.
On campus:
Piazza Foods: a hot dog for R18,50.
Oom Gert’s: a toasted cheese sandwich with chips for R16,50.
Torpedos: smelters (filled baked potato) for R18.
For the slightly more indulgent:
Wimpy’s Champ Burger: bacon, a fried egg, a slice of cheese, a 90g beef patty, grilled onion, relish, gherkins, lettuce, creamy mayo, full portion chips and a regular soda for R49,95.
Rhapsody’s Mediterranean Beef Rhap: beef strips with tzatziki, lettuce, tomato and carrots in a wrap, served with chips or a side salad for R57.
Arcade Empire on a Wednesday: free entrance (unless there is a band playing), T-bone and draught special.
Flair: Fine Moroccan Cuisine Buffet on Sundays for R75.
The after-exam-before-debauchery meal
Those wretched exams have finally come to an end. Over the last few weeks, you’ve morphed into a ball of stress and now the time has come to celebrate. Go wild, in fact. We all know the after-effects of letting loose in the name of celebrating the end of exams. To prevent the ensuing headache, you need to get your paws on some greasy food. Your bank balance, however, is nearing the point where the ATM screen will flash “insufficient funds”. You need to indulge in a considerably large, grease-laden meal that will prevent the threatening hangover and not break the bank.
For the cash strapped:
McDonald’s: a junior cheeseburger for R10.
Aandklas: a Budget Burger for R28.
Oxford’s Double Deluxe Burger: two beef patties or two chicken fillets, bacon, egg and cheese for R39,50. Also ideal is their foot long with chips and a coke for R25.
Cheeky Monkey: 500g T-bone steak with chips or pap and sauce and a free draught for R55.
If you’re in the mood for some live music, Thursday is student night at Arcade Empire. Buy two pizzas and only pay for the higher priced one.
On campus:
Big Al’s Standard Burger costs R9,50 or try their bacon and cheese sub with a 340ml can for R29.
Chips Café’s Chip Chow: a bunny chow with chips and a sauce for R13,50.
Spaghetti: a slice of pizza for R17,95.
Oom Gert’s hamburger costs R28,50 and their chicken burger costs R30.
For the slightly more indulgent:
Flair’s Moroccan Club Steak for R45 or their chicken kebab for R42.
Aandklas’s Bob Dylan Burger: a 200g patty and double cheese sauce with feta and bacon for R55.
Cheeky Monkey: a 30cm pizza and a two-litre draught for R70.
Photo: Marius Veldhuyzen van Zaten
