Dine abroad with East Asian lunch specials

Between classes, there isn’t much time to satisfy those instinctive urges. You need to be able to devour things quickly and still maximize your satisfaction. No, not the kind of desires below your belt—the ones above it.

Every day at lunch, Columbia students face a culinary conundrum of quality and cost—where and what to eat? John Jay only serves brunch, and lunch pickings are often slim. Money is a constant concern, and with limited time between classes, convenience is also a priority.

With this in mind, here are three Asian restaurants around campus offering lunch specials ranging from mediocre to spectacular. I shop around for the best of the East so you don’t have to.
Thai Market on Amsterdam Avenue between 107th and 108th Streets offers an $8 lunch special from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. that includes an appetizer and a main course. While the lunch menu is more limited than their dinner menu, the portions are about the same size. Serving standard Thai cuisine, Thai Market rates as one of the better Asian restaurants in Columbia’s vicinity.

Saga Grill, a Japanese-Vietnamese restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue between 122nd and 123rd Streets has a lunch special from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that costs less than $9 for non-sushi dishes. The portions are a good size, but because the dish is comprised of heaps of limited ingredients, your food tends to lose its appeal before the plate is empty. It’s is decent, but not amazing, and the service leaves something to be desired. The typical Columbia student may not have much cash to spend on food, but he certainly doesn’t have 10 minutes to spend waiting for the check to arrive.

West Place is a Chinese restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue between 123rd and LaSalle Streets. This hole-in-the-wall offers a lunch special between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can choose between their selection of prepared dishes (three items with rice and either soup or soda) or a dish off the lunch menu, which comes with a drink and won’t exceed $6.

Seating is limited, so take-out is generally the best option. While the food is nothing extraordinary, it is your typical Chinese take-out for cheap, cheap, cheap.

If at lunchtime, Columbians find themselves wanting to travel a little bit in distance and a whole lot in terms of flavor, put down the John Jay container. Step beyond the gates and take a trip off campus for a culinary flight to the East.