For this week’s inquiry blog, I decided to stop in at a Victoria takeout classic, Foo Asian Street Food. Found on the corner of Yates and Blanshard, Foo is a laidback eatery serving a range of Asian street food-inspired dishes. It’s a quaint little restaurant for sure, but this does not mean it doesn’t pack a punch. Does it have a big enough punch to top my list though? Let’s find out.
My Order: Red Coconut Curry
Appearance: 7/10
I’m going to be honest, when I first opened the takeout box, I was caught a little off guard. I mean look, it’s like everything was just tossed in there with no regard for appearance. Of course, I don’t expect them to make it look like a 5-star meal but still, some care is appreciated. I must admit, it still looks pretty good though. The assortment of vegetables gives it a nice pop of colour in contrast to a rather bland-looking assortment of chicken pieces. Overall, I wish a little more care was put into the appearance but still, it looks quite yummy, 7/10.
Taste: 6/10
Coconut curry is something my mom has made for dinner for years in my house. It has practically become a staple meal of our family. Thus, my exceptions were very high for this coconut curry. Not to mention, all I’ve heard about Foo in the past few years has been positive. So did it meet expectations? Well, sorta. I’ll start with the positives. The curry sauce was impeccably creamy, albeit a little too coconutty for my taste. Ok, that’s all for the positives, now time for the negatives. First off, non of the vegetables were cooked properly. Almost all, if not all, of the vegetables, were between this weird middle area of being cooked and being completely raw. Soft and crunchy at the same time, not exactly ideal. Next, the chicken just felt off. I don’t know how to explain it but something was weird there. It was rubbery but slimy and some pieces appeared undercooked. Finally, the rice was 100% overcooked and tasted like it had been left out for a while. Honestly, it probably was. So, to be honest, I’m very conflicted when it comes to this meal. It was delicious, I can’t lie about that, but so much just felt off with it. The taste was there but the texture wasn’t, 7/10.
Customer Service: 7/10
The customer service was fine. It was quick, I only waited about 10 minutes for my food. Although I have to admit, the person who was taking my order was a little rude. They seemed entirely distracted by their friend who happened to walk into the restaurant right after me. I was practically forced to speed up my order just so the server could chat with their friend. I understand that this was a specific circumstance with a specific person but nonetheless, it made my experience while in the restaurant less enjoyable, 7/10.
Bang for your Buck: 5/10
In total, my meal came out to 23.00, taxes included, with a two-dollar tip and a Phillips rootbeer. I’m not entirely pleased with this price. The portion size was above average, but nothing special. Plus, when you add in all the problems I had with the food, it just feels a bit pricey. I dont know, pretty average, 5/10.
Final score Breakdown
Appearance: 7/10
Taste 6/10
Customer Service: 7/10
Bang for your buck: 5/10
Final score: 25/40
Final Thoughts
To conclude, Foo left me conflicted. Nothing about the experience was inherently wrong. So much was just off. It may have just been the item I ordered, it may have been the restaurant’s wrongdoing or maybe the staff was having an off day. We will never know, but what I do know, is that my experience was tainted. I came in with high expectations and left disappointed. I wish it could have gone another way foo, but here we are.
Jaxon’s Top Takeout in Victoria List
- RedFish BlueFish, Inner Harbour – 29/40
- Foo Asian Street Food, Downtown -25/40
- Lee’s Chicken, Esquimalt – 20/40
