Check out our new video! Filmed on the North Ryde campus of Macquarie University, it showcases some of the great places to eat that we've mentioned previously in our blog, plus more...Enjoy!
Friday, 28 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
Noodles and variety!
Can’t make up your mind? And want to satisfy that hungry stomach and tastebuds as well? How about you try a variety of outlets all at once. Start with some fresh bread at Taste Baguette & Grill which serves up fresh bread baked every 15 mins. You can’t get any fresher than that! Fantastic. Now I bet that tasty fresh bread has awakened your appetite. How about moving onto the Wicked Mexican for some spicy burritos, which are produced with the freshest ingredients to maximise the flavour. Ok so we’re done with the appetisers, time for the main course. You can’t go wrong with a big bowl of noodle soup at Little Asia. Fresh soft noodles served in a hot broth will surely put a smile on your dial and make the munchies go away. There are so many options at the Macquarie university food court. I bet there is something for everyone. Try it out and tell us about it!
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Ubar @ Macquarie University
UBAR @ MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
If you are a student at macquarie university and you haven't had time to check out the Ubar yet - then do it! The Ubar at Macquarie University is located above the food court in C10A. It is a great bar with a friendly and relaxed environment. It was recently renovated and looks wonderful! You can choose to chill out inside with your mates in one of the lounge-areas with comfy and relaxed seating, or you can pop in for a beer and sit either inside on one of the tall tables, or maybe if it's a sunny day - find a table in the huge outside area. A great night to check out the Ubar with friends is the "Thursday night parties"! If you are hungry, there are food options on the same level. Prices at the ubar are no more than your average bar-menu, and the selection of drinks is great.
The Ubar constantly has performers to entertain, there is always something going on. Be sure to keep your eyes open for bands that are playing, or other special events. The parties are always full of energy but at the same time you can always find an area to sit down and relax with your friends.This semester has an impressive line-up of performers, so be sure to check out the web page to RSVP for Thursday night parties (official start time is 8 pm)!
The ubar is restricted to students and staff at the University (you are allowed one guest per person). They are passionate about creating a friendly environment for the students and staff, and an environment with a sensible approach to alcohol consumption on-campus. Check out the Ubar alcohol policy for more information.
So be sure to check out the ubar, and remember to drink responsibly :)
Check out this video of a performance at the Ubar:
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Coffee at the Macquarie Centre
COFFEE AT THE MACQUARIE CENTRE
In the previous post we discussed our coffee options as students and coffee lovers at Macquarie university. We found out that there are many places to conveniently get a coffee on-the-go (which is great) but we also found out that there are limited good-quality coffee places at our uni. Now, if you felt a bit discouraged by this then FRET NOT - for it is only a short walk down to the Macquarie Centre where you can get a great coffee! I will show you how and where to go.
I spent a few hours and tried quite a few of the coffee-options down at the macquarie centre, at least the ones worth trying. By that I mean that I didn't go to Gloria Jeans, as their coffee tastes the same wherever you go (not a bad thing..). I initially had a bit of video footage to show you, but in fear of going to jail for infringement, I will not put the footage up here. I actually almost got kicked out of one of the places I went to as I was filming my coffee and my food and talking to the camera. They didn't like that.
Now as I said, there are a LOT of coffee places at the macquarie centre, and I couldn't possibly cover them all. So I will tell you which places I think you should check out!
- Great Bagel % Coffee company
- The Coffee Club
The coffee club offers coffee made from fresh beans, grown according to the UTZ CERTIFIED code of conduct for responsible coffee production.
Their baristas are trained extremely well under strict criteria (which is good for the consumer!). The best part of the coffee club: you can buy a bag (200g) of beans from their signature blend and take home for only $8.90!
- Jamaica Blue
- Coffee Fest
- Chantilly's coffee lounge
- Gloria Jeans
These are the main places to check out, now go get a coffee!
Thursday, 6 October 2011
:: COFFEE AT MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY
Coffee is something that most university students love, and maybe even need. I know what you’re thinking, that this is “bad”, saying that we need it that is, but hey - who are we kidding? I need my coffee and you probably do too!
I love coffee. I really do. Back in the days when I lived in Norway, I worked as a barista for two years at a great coffee bar. We were passionate about making coffees - I mean, we had our own roasting machine.. They actually look like a giant popcorn machine, he he. But I digress.. So being a student at Macquarie University - what are your coffee-options, where can you get them and how is the quality?
As you probably know, we are so lucky to have little coffee-carts all over the place at uni. There’s the much loved coffee-station outside the macquarie theatre, and there’s usually a couple of portable one’s (yes, it’s like a bicycle with a coffee machine mounted on it) which change location. I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that you stay away from them UNLESS you are in a hurry. The coffee is usually tasteless and bitter, resulting from bad-quality beans, or just a barista who doesn’t have a clue, and the milk is usually burnt which kind of makes it taste like porridge. One porridge-
flavoured flat white coming’ up!
Next there’s a new cafe in our new amazing library. The coffee up there is nothing special but at least the baristas know what they’re doing, so it’s okay. I tried to find out what blend they use but they wouldn’t tell me (most likely because they don’t know). You’d be surprised how many coffee places just go to wollies and buy some bag of horrible old beans from ‘Vittoria’ or similar. However, even with an amazing fresh blend of great beans (like single origin or Campos) - your coffee can taste horrible if the barista doesn’t know how to make coffee.
There’s also Globe cafe, located in E3A. I don’t go there.
Lastly we’re left with the main food court. The two best coffee options here are ‘The sandwich stop’ or ‘Taste baguette & grill’. I know many people like the coffee at the sandwich stop, but personally I prefer Taste. They use beans from a roasting company called ‘umami’, and they are always fresh (with fresh I mean a couple of weeks after roasting process. Beans need a couple of weeks to mature their oils and flavours. Using beans that are roasted the same day or a couple of days after will taste incredibly bitter!). The baristas at Taste really know how to make great coffee, and they seem very passionate about it too. As far as an on-campus coffee experience goes, I always go to taste. And if you find yourself hungry, Taste also bake fresh baguettes every 15 minutes, priced between $5.50 and $10.50. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!
Boost Juice is coming to Macquarie University soon!!
With the heat coming in and summer just around the corner, what could be a better way to cool down than with a nice fresh and nutritious juice or smoothie which taste great! Everyone should be familiar with the great flavoured delectable juices offered by this franchise. With so many wonderful options it’s so difficult to decide, the menu consist of low-fat smoothies, super smoothies, skinny smoothies, crushes, juices, boosters and wheatgrass, with limitless options for each. For those with really fussy tastebuds, I recommend that you put your own touch into your boost by customising your very own flavour!! There really is something for every tastebud and craving.
With a fresh range of fruits and vegetables whipped up right in front of your eyes, there’s no denying the freshness and goodness. So make sure you stop by Boost for a healthy, mouth-watering and refreshing beverage on the go.
So keep an eye out for the opening!
With a fresh range of fruits and vegetables whipped up right in front of your eyes, there’s no denying the freshness and goodness. So make sure you stop by Boost for a healthy, mouth-watering and refreshing beverage on the go.
So keep an eye out for the opening!
Big Mac!
Ok so I changed my mind tonight. I went for some MacDonald’s instead. It shares some of the things I like about KFC (see previous post), mostly things related to convenience. But the stuff that really sets MacDonald’s apart from other fast food outlets at Mac centre is that it has its own reserved seating, a very friendly manager (wow what a refreshing attitude), dedicated news and sports channels serving their customers and BIG MACS! (with lots of pickles mmmmm)
To give a fair picture I will provide some downsides to eating at MacDonald’s at Mac centre. Hmmmm ... guess I can’t think of any because I was enjoying my big mac wayyyy too much and forgot about everything else. I love my junk food, don’t be fooled by my skinny appearance, I eat a lot! I’m an eating-procrastinating-food-wasting machine. Maybe my next trip to MacDonald’s will yield some thoughts about its downsides. (If I prevent myself getting too excited about Big Macs)
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