Hostellers who do not want to punish themselves with mess food, go to the dhabas and restaurants to pacify their tummies in this campus. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) spread over hundreds of acres of land has numerous canteens and reasonable restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.
A walk towards Sabarmati Hostel and one finds the popular 24x7 Food Court or 24x7 dhaba as it is popularly known, rather easily. Serving both Indian and Chinese food, this dhaba’s USP is that it is open till midnight.
As for the availability of dishes in the canteen, Vishal Bhakuni, the owner, says, “We get the maximum crowd during the nights. We are open till late and for students it is the best place to get quality food at very nominal rates.” For instance, a full plate each of Chicken Seekh Kebab costs Rs 120, while Peshawari Chicken, the most expensive item on the menu is priced at Rs 220. The cheapest items on offer include Single Egg Roll for Rs 30, Veg momos (8 pieces) for Rs 40 and a full plate of Veg Chowmein Rs 35.
Chicken items like seekh kebab, Peshawari chicken, chicken rolls are hot favourites with the frequent visitors when it comes to ordering non-veg while chilly potatoes at Rs 45 top the vegetarian fare. The court serves also serves vegetarian items like Paneer tikka, Rajma chawal, Dal makhni, Paneer lababdar, mushroom masala, to name a few.
Girish Chandra, a PhD student, shares his fondness for the food court. “Although the quality here is average, this place is very economical and light on our pockets. If you don’t have enough money, you can always land up here.”
Another student, Mahima Jain, too seconds Girish. “The best part is that it is open late midnight and one can come here anytime. I come just to have seekh kebabs as they are the best and rate is nominal too. The other dish that I like is Roasted chicken.”
Students can be seen sharing meals too in twos and fours occupying tables scattered in the open courtyard of 24x7.
This court actually lives up to its name. Open 24 hours, seven days a week, except a day every month, the eatery serves a variety that is reasonably priced. Be it their rolls, chicken fried rice or tandoori dishes, all are highly recommended. So, for all those who are not part of JNU and do not know much about food joints and have tight pockets, can surely depend on 24x7 for anytime food service – be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
