Techno Edge
By Cherlyn Ding

     Now the only reasons I ever have for heading towards the engineering faculty are:

     1) Class
     2) McDonalds
     3) Hand up assignments.

     I think most people in NUS would have you know the same thing too.

     This being a food review, you would’ve guessed by now that my point of contention is that I’ve almost never stepped into the engineering canteen. This is on again, three hackneyed grounds:

     1) The science canteen’s way too convenient for me

     2) The sheltered way along AS7 to the now-defunct arts canteen is a lot more welcoming (with the occasional eye candy brushing past you in the narrow walkway *fondles shoulder*)

     3) The way up to the engineering canteen resembles the Great Wall of China from the Central Library bus stop I get down at. (Blazing sun included)

     So really, there was never any real incentive for me to go there. No one really gushes about the food in the engineering faculty, and boy, are there many schools of thought on this one. My personal hypothesis is that, with the heavily skewed gender distribution in the engineering faculty, Techno Edge is just like some random canteen in some obscure army camp in Singapore. You go there, pump your petrol and head out in a jiffy. Guys (who comprise most of my engineering faculty friends), I’ve come to realize, are generally not picky about their food, judging by the way they pile their grub on their chai png plates in the most unappetizing fashion. So no one ever talks about it. No one ever complains, or compliments. It’s just food.

     Or not?

     This writer was about to find out that the blazing sun could be worth braving through after all.

     What a sight to behold!

     Obviously I was impressed. The stunning array of grub got me salivating as I preened up the food for the photo shoot. Maybe that’s why no one COMPLAINS about the variety of food served here. By heartiest recommendation of Mr Lai, the canteen representative, my fork headed straight for the Indonesian platter from stall number 12, which he said was the stall with the most bustling activity with its famed ayam panggang set, which boasts a hearty portion of spiced yellow rice and grilled sambal chicken.

     What was presented to us though was a medley of fried dory, grilled chicken, kebabs and fried egg with white rice topped with curry. The fried dory was not oily, and to our delight, enduringly crispy till the last bite. The grilled chicken thigh was spiced with a light amount of turmeric, cumin and coriander to tingle the taste buds. My only grouse was that the chicken could’ve looked more appetizing, and it was quite apparent that frozen chicken was used. But hey, we’re not talking Les Amis here; we’re talking mass produced chow for thousands of famished undergraduates. And at $5 or so a plate, I’m definitely not complaining. The grilled chicken kebabs were deliciously savoury with hints of chinese soy, and the grilled green peppers provided a refreshing bittersweet contrast to every bite.