The Terrace canteen, located between School of Computing and NUS Business School, has been operating for more than 35 years, serving throngs of Bizaders, Computing students, previously Law School, Kent Ridge Hall and Sheares Hall, and even Faculty of Arts and Social Science. The older NUS alumni fondly remember The Terrace as The School of Management canteen. The Terrace is scheduled to close from 11 May to December 2020 for renovations.
Ahead of the two-year closure, Outside-In spoke to some of the stall operators, as well as alumnus Zatan Tan (BBA 2003) who recently held a class gathering at the canteen, on their memories of the canteen.
Edward and May of Western Food stall
Edward and May has been running the Western Food stall since 1995. A common sight at the canteen is the snaking queue of students and staff at the stall as Edward calls out the orders with his signature “Next please”. While some of the other operators are relocating their businesses, Edward says he plans to take a break first before deciding what to do. We would like to thank him for serving Business School all these years and wish him all the best!
Raymond, Christine and Candy
The husband and wife team Raymond and Christine have been selling fruits and juices for 25 years at The Terrace. According to Christine, the duo would each day start their day at around 5 am, preparing the fruits until 11 am. Raymond, who cuts the fruits, only wants the freshest fruits and would never sell products left overnight. Christine adds, “My oldest son is also an NUS alum, so I treat all the students here like my children.” Candy has also helped the couple for the last nine years.
Marah, Noorhayti and Ah Lanh of Muslim Food stall
Noorhayti has been serving Malay cuisine dishes for about 17 years.
Sanjeev and Lovepreet of North Indian Halal Food stall
Helmed by Moe Aripe (unpictured), the stall has been operating for about four years. Together with the Cool Spot Drinks & Snacks stall and Korean Food stall, the North Indian Halal Food stall will move over to the Prince George’s Park Residences (PGPR) canteen after The Terrace has closed.
Alumni memories
Zatan (bottom row, second from right) with his fellow alumni and their families
BBA alumnus Zatan found out about the upcoming closure of the canteen from his fellow alumnus on social media and decided to hold an alumni gathering there with their own families.
“It was great to return to a familiar place to catch up with one another on the latest and reminisce our times in Business School,” he said. “My batch mates and I would always go to the round tables for breaks, meals, projects discussions etc. It was our hang out area.”
Eager to visit The Terrace canteen one more time before it closes? The Office of Alumni Relations is organising an Indulge & Reminisce event to kick start the NUS Alumni Weekend series,on Saturday 4 May 2019, from 10am to 2pm. More details here.
