ALL THE DEETS ON CHEAP MULTICULTI EATS
Here’s a little tip: if you’re hungry for some well-priced food from various cuisines, hunt down the closest uni and search its surrounding streets. Chances are you’ll find cheap-and-cheerful, multicultural food joints that have sprung up to service the ever-hungry, cash-challenged international (and local) student population. Take Mayfair Plaza, for instance. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the University of Tasmania’s Sandy Bay campus, its cluster of cheap eats keeps customers – enrolled or not – in great food at friendly prices.
Right on busy Sandy Bay Road, Written on Tea serves a mix of traditional and contemporary Mandarin meals. Its delicious dumplings are steamy treats and the Peking duck is to die for. All dishes here are extremely good value, and vegetarians don’t miss out (try the stir-fried sliced potato). Just around the corner, Vina Yummy Kitchen serves Vietnamese food that’s fast, fresh and affordable. It’s all about the pho here, which is bursting with flavours that’ll well and truly tickle your tastebuds.
Vina gets packed during lunchtime, so get in early or enjoy an afternoon (or evening) delight. You can’t come to the Mayfair and leave without a sweet treat from the German bakery Brezel Backerei. Everything here is made to tempt, from the amazing coconut meringues and nutty namesake brezel, to sticky pastries, slices and tarts. And then there’s the Berliner: a deepfried, sugar-covered, fruit- or custard-filled doughnut that leaves your common Australian doughnut for dead. While the totally ’80s Mayfair complex is looking a little faded these days, nobody cares when stellar eateries like these are on the (studentfriendly) menu.
