Dining at University College

By Larissa Brand

Residential college meals are more than just tasty and convenient, they provide a wholesome way to socialise and catch up with friends. At UC the kitchen staff provide breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday and on Sundays there is a much-loved brunch and dinner.

All college meals are served in our newly renovated dining hall, with beautiful modern arches and a glass ceiling that lets in the lovely light. There are also picnic benches set up outside, where you can enjoy your meals in the sunshine.

College meals are served by the staff in the kitchen in a buffet style, with fruit, toast, and cereal available throughout the day for a quick snack in between meals. Students also have access to a fridge, freezer, and microwave in each corridor, and to a student kitchen in one of our communal areas.

Mealtimes

Breakfast is served from 7:30am to 9:30am, and comprises of an array of cereals, muesli, fruits, yogurt, toast, and porridge. Hot breakfasts, served on Tuesday and Friday, consist of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns and more. We also have a very popular pancake machine on constant rotation every morning.

At breakfast there is also a sandwich bar for students who can’t attend lunch to prepare a meal to take on campus or to work.

Lunch is served from 11:30am to 1:30pm every day accept Sunday. Every week we have meat free Monday, taco Tuesday and fish on Friday. Students also have access to a toasty machine and salad bar if you don’t want the hot options on offer. Most dietaries are catered for as standard, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

Residential college students can grab dinner from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Dinner is a great time, as everyone can relax after their busy days and hang out with their friends whilst eating a yummy meal. Dinner usually includes an option of two different meat meals as well as an array of vegetarian food to cater for everyone’s dietary needs. The meal menu changes frequently, so you’re getting a good variety of options. The UC kitchen is also great at whipping up desserts, and students can enjoy many pavlovas, cakes, mousses, and puddings.

If you can’t make it to dinner during these times you can also order a late dinner on the student portal.

On Sundays, brunch is served from 11:30am to 1.00pm, where you can enjoy a continental or yum cha style meal. Students love brunch as this allows for a sleep in, and then a lovely warm meal to begin the day.

There is an array of breakfast options set up from 7:30am as well, for early risers to enjoy.

High Tables

High Tables are a long-held college tradition across the world, and that is also true for the University of Melbourne residential colleges. High Tables allow time for staff and students at the College to congregate for dinner together and discuss news and upcoming events. These occur at UC every Monday night, and students wear their academic gowns to signify the formality of the event.

All college students will be invited to attend a high table, however a select group of students are chosen each week to sit with the Head of College and Deans to celebrate their efforts and contributions. These are usually students who contribute to college life as O-Week leaders, members of sporting teams, student executive team leaders and more. The rest of the student body enjoys their meal in a more informal setting and have time to connect with friends.

Special Meals

More formal, three-course dinners take place at the start of the year (Commencement Dinner) and end of the year (Valedictory Dinner) to welcome and farewell our students. Once a year the College also holds a function for the donors of scholarships, where student scholarship recipients can meet their donors and network with other students and friends of the College.

UC also hosts an academic dinner to celebrate students who achieved a WAM score of over 80 in the previous year. This allows the College to show their appreciation for the hard-working residents. A Pathways Dinner is held at the end of the year to help students network with our alumni and ask any career-related questions they may have.

During the year the residential student executive team also arranges more informal food experiences, such as frozen yogurt trucks or morning teas. Our Resident Tutors also host wine and cheese evenings. Plus, of course, a coffee cart comes to college regularly to provide free coffee, tea and chai, and even sometimes home-made donuts, offering a welcome study break. There is certainly never a shortage of food at the Unimelb residential colleges!