Animo Biz: New food to look out for

Eating is obviously a very important part of Philippine life (or any life for that matter) and it is no different within the confines of the University. The start of a new school year come new places to eat.

Every so often, the student-run Animo Business and Innovation Zone, popularly known as Animo Biz, changes food concessionaires in order to bring variety to the food offered around campus, and to give other students, who may want to experiment with their own ideas, a chance as well.

So what exactly does Animo Biz have in store for students this term?

This school year, there are two kinds of tenants: long-term tenants and short-term tenants. Long-term tenants are those that will take an entire space for a term. On the other hand, short-term tenants will only take up a space for around two weeks, before being taken over by another concessionaire.

Long-term tenants

Feel Cool

Feel Cool specializes in authentic Chinese delicacies and desserts. From their name, one can guess that they serve food and drink that cool people off in the sweltering Manila heat. Supposedly, they use various organic ingredients in the preparation of their food, so look out for some of their specialties like the Bing Fen.

Shawarma Street

Shawarma Street prides itself in delivering a unique shawarma experience to the University. It serves the classic shawarma mainstays like lamb or beef shawarma, but they also have some of the more crazy combinations like shawarma cheese melt roles. Bringing the taste of the Middle East to the University and making it more accessible to students is something that Shawarma Street seeks to do by providing a cheap outlet for students to get acquainted with Middle Eastern food, particularly shawarma and its various experimentations.

The Fresh Pick

The Fresh Pick is geared to a more health conscious style of eating, which is a welcome change with all the fast food that surrounds school. The multitude of healthy options offered by Fresh Pick should be able to bring out the inner health nut of even the most vicious fast food addict.

BoGo

BoGo, or Bulgogi on the Go, is an attempt to combine various eastern and western flavors, including various combinations of Korean-Italian and Korean-American dishes that truly aim to keep the palate wanting more. There is an obvious Korean influence which should be exciting as it offers a unique dynamic to the dining landscape in the University.

Greek Eats

Bringing Greek cuisine to the university, Greek Eats aims to make the flavors of Greece more accessible to college students by making something a little simpler and a little easier on the wallet. Their specialty are their kebabs drizzled in their original garlic sauce. They also offer rice bowls for quick meals on the go, and pita wedges and fruit cups for quick snacks in between classes.

Marley’s Meals

Marley’s Meals is a chicken place that takes inspiration from various styles of cuisine to influence the way they cook their chicken. The original recipe is called Marley’s choice, which is noted for its sweet and salty notes as well as its use of various herbs, spices, and a secret ingredient. Then there is their Asian Marley, which is chicken in teriyaki sauce infused with various Asian herbs and spices. Backyard Marley is their barbeque inspired dish that uses a secret ingredient for added flavor and punch, while Flamin’ Marley is a hotter and spicier variation of their original recipe.

Short-term tenants

Nacho Box

Nacho Box specializes in quick and easy Mexican-style snacks. Their specialty is the Nachobox, which is literally nachos in a box filled with tortilla chips, classic Mexican salsa, melted cheese, lettuce, and beef. Another dish to look out for is the Pizzadilla, which is a delicious and cheesy marriage between a pizza and a quesadilla.

Wally’s Meals

Wally’s Meals signature offering is their fried chicken. Each of their dishes centers heavily around their fried chicken, which they have worked on tirelessly in order to hone and perfect the flavor. Their fried chicken comes in different flavors and can be paired up with unique rice alternatives.

Cookie Bomb

The Cookie Bomb serves unique and imaginative variations on the favorite snack/dessert staple. Combining their ever chewy cookies with various sweet infusions such as Toblerone, Oreos, and Reese peanut-butter cups, the Cookie Bomb will surely satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Watch out for their famous and highly addictive cookie shots that will surely have everyone wanting more.

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These concessionaires serve as a great litmus test for student entrepreneurs in the sense that they can get some experience and feeling when running a business, while at the same time helping the student body by providing a relatively cheap alternative to most other food options around the school. These various concessionaires are great as they are run by students, for students. There is a hope that the practice of student run enterprises proliferates even more in the coming years.