University in between lectures and seminars, waiting for the hour or two to pass by is a strange, limbo place. What are you meant to do? Sit scrolling through Welcome Week emails? Stare holes into the campus map wondering where the next lecture is (praying it isn’t on the opposite end of campus)? For me, it was warming my hands with a fresh cappuccino and my heart with a warm, filling meal. As September rolls in, and the sun decides to retire a bit for these next few months, I’d like to take you through a whistlestop guide of some of my personal favourites of making the catch up session on speedy lecture slides a little more yummy. 

My go-to spot is the wonderful little Kimiko just past the Frankland building, with its lower-cased, black and white sign, and being met with the fridge stocked full of neatly packed onigiris and mochi. A hot bowl of sticky white rice drenched with katsu curry and topped with crispy, breaded chicken truly does the job for me to not think about food for the next couple hours. Maybe I’m a bit of a chicken katsu fiend, but for quicker lunches, I’d recommend their sushi. The chicken katsu rolls drizzled with soy sauce is just chef’s kiss, and finishing that off with a mouthful of chocolate mochi which is never too sweet – that’s enough to get the academic juices flowing. 

When we’re talking about food on campus, it’s impossible to not talk about the food trucks. They are almost always open in the afternoon, including the bright, very-hard-to-miss Greek food truck known for the gyros, and the sleek, black burger stand just a couple steps away from it. Sometimes there’ll be ice cream and waffle stands, and every couple of weeks, Green Heart fills up with stalls (not just food and drink), and you’d be disappointed to miss the hot potato-filled samosas, topples of cookies, glistening baklava, all winking at you in their glass displays. Dabble in a bit of everything, and you’ll become your own food expert of UoB. 

Caffeine. Your best friend, perhaps, in your university journey. Or your worst enemy, No matter which route you choose, or if you prefer to entirely avoid it, I’ll still enlighten you. Coffee is everything to me, especially to warm me up, and give me that little mid-afternoon boost. You can get hot and cold drinks all over campus, from the library café, to the Bramall Music Building, a look into the Guild, or at Costa next to Kimiko and the other Costa in Sport and Fitness. The outlets are endless, and you’ll be met with a rejuvenation station any way you look. A cappuccino generously sprinkled with chocolate powder at the library café does it for me: cheap, warm, and most importantly, delicious.

Venturing past outside the great, looming gates, we go into the rows of cafes and restaurants of our beloved Selly Oak. For a quick pick-me-up and a warm nook to study and chat, the baby blue corner of HeyBrew is a stellar choice. Sitting back with a sweet chai latte and a chocolatey Bueno brownie does wonders for the long afternoons. Café 55 with its cosy, wooden interior, and a variety of options of boba and juices, makes it into my guide as a comfort spot. They serve hot miso soup and sizzling, Chinese-inspired street food, too. You cannot go wrong with a matcha boba and a basket of salt and pepper chips on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. 

You will not be limited when arriving in Birmingham as a new student, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, wondering what to munch on and having to think about what to munch on amidst the introductory weeks of your university journey. The options are endless, the coffee streams into rivers, and the food is homely, filling, and fit for busy days and long weeks. I hope you’ll trust me on this one, and not be too overwhelmed with the options. Don’t be afraid to discover the eats and drinks on your own terms, because you will not be the only one on this venture. Watch as Old Joe’s bells ring out, sit with a cup of something, and a keen eye for more. 

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