Eating Victoria- Food Blog and Eating Guide

FOO Asian Street Food
250-383-3111
769 Yates St.
foofood.ca

Updated review:Nov 2010

Hi Folks, I went to Foo a few weeks ago, just wanted to update my experience from last time. It seemed busier than when I went in May, and they also finished the outside seating area( although with this weather it doesn’t look like many people will dare eat outside). I ordered the pork belly sandwich, and the vegetable pakoras. The pork belly was inside an interested steamed bread which had an orange-tinge to it. The taste of everything was good( the crispy pork belly, pickled veggies and flavour from the bread). The pakoras had good flavour too, but I found the tamarind sauce way too heavy on the vinegar for a dip. My main complaint about both of these was the oily nature of the food, and the dough-iness of both the bread and the pakoras. It had the consistency of raw bread, both could have been cooked for a bit longer. The taste was great, but I couldn’t finish either of them because I couldn’t get over the raw-dough gumminess.  I don’t think the grease from the pork belly sinking through the bread made it any easier to eat, just slippery.

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May 2010

I remember stumbling through this box when it was still chock-full of beer. Thankfully, the box is now serving endearing take-out boxes of delectable Asian delights. Living just around the corner from FOO, I have passed it by many times, and I always recall seeing Pork Belly in some way shape or form on their sandwich board exposed on Yates street. Having heard good things about this place, it was time to try it out for myself.

From first glance, the menu seemed like it had an egg in each basket( horrible metaphor for trying to have one dish on the menu for each country in the Asian region). Items ran the gamut across Asia, with highlights from Indonesia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam to name a few. My eye was drawn to the paneer dumplings with masala cream sauce and fry-bread($8) and green papaya salad with fresh herbs and a lime dressing( $6). As I approached the register to place my order, a kind-faced inked and smiling gentleman met me there, my assumption was that he’s the owner. I always like to ask what the staff in an establishment can recommend, or what they eat on their work-breaks. Without hesitation, he suggested the Beef and Broccoli chow mein($11), and for a beverage his preference was for the sparkling raspberry green tea($2.50) , done and done. The atmosphere is chill and urban hotspot without trying hard. Beastie Boys played with many patrons mouthing the words, the owner lovingly picked away at Thai basil just dropped off from his delivery man.

Served in a Noodle-box-ish style, this dish packs a lot of punch. The boneless beef short-ribs slapped me across the face with ” Hey, I’m beef”. The robust beefy flavour of the ribs braised long and slow in a sweet hoisin cooking liquor is what makes this  special. Green onions, sprouts, fresh chili pepper, and a subtle and sweet ginger tang still lingers on my tongue as I write this. The chow-mein noodles were cooked well, the broccoli florets were crunchy, and progressively got more cooked as they steamed under the noodles. FOO isn’t playing around with portions, it’s value for money. I like that they are offering a lot of fun culinary adventures, while not being pretentious in the least. The menu is small as it should be, and the specials change almost daily. So drop by for a casual lunch or dinner, grab a banh mi or an octopus salad. I don’t pity the FOO, but I will pity you if you don’t try it out for yourself. I also noticed they are building an outdoor eating porch which looks like it may be up and running for summer. The people here are friendly(even remembered my name and asked me how the food was), and the food is tasty with a tasty price.

Rating 4/5