Foo Asian Street Food — Restaurant in Victoria

I really wanted to like this place. It's a great conceit, a pan-Asian street food joint. Thing is, I know Asian street food. Over a decade in Hong Kong and more years in Thailand, Indonesia and China. Foodie and former cook. I know my stuff. I rolled in mid-evening, hungry and cold and chose my dish from the board. "Sorry - we ran out. I forgot to change the sign". OK - standard fallback dish - Pad Thai, with a side of chilli green beans. Dear lord - if disappointment was a dish, it would be this. A large bowl of claggy noodles and gigantic pieces of weird chicken that seemed like they had been carved from a shawarma spindle that had been drying out all day. The chunks were huge and unappetising. The noodles were glutinous, heavy and had one dominant flavour note: lemongrass. Lots of lemongrass. Which is weird, because Pad Thai does not contain lemongrass - and now I know why. There was no other discernable flavour. It was just a soggy, heavy, starchy mess. What an insult to a great dish - possibly the quintessential Asian street food dish. As for the beans - deep fried and tossed in a sambal. Nothing to it really, but at least edible. The pad thai was left bereft - nothing could save it. I hope this was not indicative of the rest of the menu, but I suspect that if you can so comprehensively butcher an established classic, then it probably was. You can make your own mind up, of course - but I'd suggest you save your money and go to Fishhook a short walk away and see how great Asian fusion can be in the right hands. This was just...

I have a great deal of respect for a location that's tiny, but packs a punch in its little kitchen. Foo Asian Street Food is a beautiful little corner stop for lunch or dinner; I've already visited half a dozen times in three months, and for good reason!

It's a pleasure to walk down Yates, spot this place, and make the decision that lunch is afoot. The menu is always changing to feature something special, (the banh mi is exquisite!) with some delicious staples that keep you coming back. Plenty of options when it comes to protein, and each dish is the perfect portion size. Also featuring soft drinks from local companies, Foo really strikes a chord with folks looking to stop in at a local business!

Service on their little patio is wonderful – it's nice to people-watch on the corner in their sitting area, and the wait times even with a line are rarely over 20 minutes. I did have a fun connection with one staff member about our favorite band, which I swear made the food taste that much sweeter. The only downfall is the outdoor seating area could use a little facelift (the awning tends to soak the bar seating when it's raining), but this is incredibly minor, and they more than make up for it in food and service.

In general, Foo Asian Street Food is a beautiful blend of cuisines, and has become one of my go-to locations when heading to the theatre or just passing through. Fully recommended for that...

"Street food"! Sounds like a quick meal that's easy on your wallet, doesn't it? Well, in literal sense, it should. But I'm sure you can guess otherwise from one lonely star I've given here.

Just a warning which you'll thank me later: NEVER, EVER order the albacore tuna bowl ($15). It came in a pretty small, humble looking takeout box, usually found in Chinese restaurants (3.5"x4.5"). Sure, in terms of food presentation, it's lovely and colorful. Perhaps that is where $15 is only worth. Topping includes sliced cucumbers, pickled radish, over-abundant jalapeño(?!), green onion, sesame seeds and, finally, just a SINGLE table spoonful of tuna, on bed of long grain rice (raw fish is always better paired with short grain). Most of the flavors just conflicted with one another, with absolute no balance. I just felt cheated paying $15 plus for such...I don't even know what I should call it.

To be fair, it was my first ever visit at this eatery, and I had only tried the aforementioned menu along with some bites from my wife's curry noodle stir fry (that's another story), Staffs were nice and cheerily, working hard to service customer's orders during this difficult times. However, the management should REALLY consider revamping the concept behind their flavoring, customer satisfaction...