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Since last November, the Arts Canteen a.k.a. The Deck was closed down (or rather, torn down) for major renovations and upgrading.
FASS students were transformed into refugees overnight and had to voyage far and wide to other faculties in search of the best food deals. Students from other faculties had to content themselves with one less choice for lunch and dinner. On top of that, they had to share their canteens with the FASS refugees.
For so long, we have stared at the seemingly never-ending construction of The Deck, and gone without our beloved Yong Tao Fu Laksa. Finally, it’s all coming back!
One of the most welcoming sights that would greet the oldies when school reopens, apart from our cute and lovable freshmen juniors, is our beloved Deck. It was initially set to open on 1st August but due to issues with sand and cement supply, the date has been delayed.
However, the delay is not for long. The Deck is now set to open for business on 13th August and the management does not anticipate any more delays. So once school reopens, make a dash for Yong Tao Fu!
Now…let’s delve into everyone’s favourite topic: food.
Out of the original 17 stalls of the old Deck, 13 are coming back to set up stalls in the open air canteen. If you have been conscientiously reading the FAQs set up by OED, you’ll know that the 4 stalls that aren’t coming back are: Chicken Rice Stall, Fried Kway Teow Stall, Ross Muslim Noodles Stall and Olive Cove.
Fans of Olive Cove and Ross Muslim Noodles Stall can still patronize them at Blk E2A of Engineering Faculty and at the Frontier of FOS respectively.
Muslim students do not have to worry about having fewer choices of food on campus, since stall operators like Western Food Stall at The Deck and Indonesian Panggang Food at Techno Edge will be applying for Halal Certification. Sadly though, the Chicken Rice Stall and Fried Kway Teow Stall will cease to operate.
To satisfy your
craving for fried Kway Teow, you can still get it from the Snacks Stall, since
the Aunties have kindly agreed to sell it. Take a short walk over to The
Terrace if you wanna have some chicken rice.
Yes, we're sad that some of the old stalls are
going...but as the Chinese saying goes, ‘if the old doesn’t leave, the new doesn’t come’. The good news is that there will be 3 new stalls operating on the second floor air-conditioned cafeteria.
We’ll be seeing a fast food war right at our door step, because Burger King’s here to wrestle the stronghold of Macdonald’s! Students can also get a ‘taste of Siam’ at “Lerk Thai”. Don’t forget to grab some steaming gourmet coffee, sandwiches and salad from “Olio Bites” if you’re running late for class!
The privilege of being students is that we get to enjoy discounts off the usual retail prices of the stalls. Good food, good prices and air-conditioning. Sounds like a great deal to me!
According to OED’s FAQ, food prices will not increase in the ‘near future’. However, due to rising raw material and labour costs over the recent years, some adjustments could still be expected.
The new Deck will only have ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ with an open air canteen on the first storey and air-conditioned cafeteria on the second level. In other words, it’s a two-in-one canteen.
On top of having a choice of 2 different dining experiences in a single location, The Deck patrons can expect to enjoy their meals in a pleasant environment with improved ventilation and hygiene, high ceiling and comfortable seating areas. As of old, laptop users will be able to access wireless internet and find power points around the new canteen.
It all sounds good, doesn’t it? We do have to give credit to OED for painstakingly gathering feedback from the canteen users, consulting NUSSU, FASS and the University Dining Committee throughout the whole project, and providing temporary dining alternatives during the renovation.
On OED’s side, they would like to thank the canteen users for being understanding and all parties for making this project possible.
My only misgiving is whether the new Deck would have a unique character like the old Deck’s ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Hell’ (for the uninitiated - this is due to the 3 different levels of seating areas).
Age had given the old Deck its very own namesakes; the affection of its customers; and had conferred the old Deck an irreplaceable position in the campus lives of NUS students. In a way, the new Deck would never really be able to take over the place of the old Deck. I can’t help but have mixed feelings about this.
Still, the old has to go, so that the new can come. Change is inevitable in our lives. Let’s brush aside our sense of loss for the old Deck, and welcome our spanking new Deck. We ought to brace ourselves for a whole semester’s onslaught of assignments, projects, tests and exams.
So people, make sure you eat well! HOOKED
Special thanks to Miss Ong Sock Hwee of OED for her patience in answering our queries.
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Great
Written by qjp1985 on 2007-08-06 02:25:26
This is defiinitely good news for me, a SOCian. It would be terrible if the deck is not opened when the new SOC building is functioning at our new place! (at AS6 & old law)  | Written by snailheng on 2007-08-06 22:25:03
do they have vegetarian food at the deck?? | Written by amanda.faith on 2007-08-06 23:42:57
^_- as the saying goes: "Change is the only constant" Besides, change is fun haha; Sure, you can't predict where it'll go, but at least it's going somewhere ^_- |
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