Foo Dog Curry Traders — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I really hate that I’m giving this place 2 stars for the food. This was my favorite place 4 years ago. Tried nearly every dish here and wasn’t one I didn’t like. However, this impromptu visit I got the Japanese Curry and it was so unbelievably concentrated it was downright salty. It was almost as if the chef/cooks reduced the sauce too much whilst heating it in the pan. I told the person working the counter and they stated that the dish “has been really popular all day today” and then offered a different sauce to put OVER the dish I already had. I explained to them that this would only make the dish completely inedible. I was going to get something different as we had just paid $67 for a couple of appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 sodas but instead was going to be charged. I would’ve even settled for a remake. It was just really not the hour for the Japanese curry. I ended up eating the tofu and the rice since it wasn’t drenched in the curry and I wasn’t going to pay $20 more which would have meant spending $87 in hopes of the next dish being edible. Super disappointed in the experience.

Editing to add a comment to the owners response- I’ve been working in the service industry many years and I’m in in the mindset that “the customer is always right”, however, there are certain battles not worth fighting as a restaurant owner. As I stated, I used to Come here all the time a few years ago and have tried nearly everything on the menu with the exception of some new items and never have I ever had the Japanese curry as bad as it was this visit. The 3 employees working and tasting the curry and stating “it was fine” is irrelevant as I’m the paying customer. I was offered a different sauce to put over what I already had, which again, weird. I was not offered a remake so I asked if I could order something different, which would’ve been the buddhas korma, which I would’ve been charged for so I said Nevermind. I ate the rice and the tofu that wasn’t drenched in the sauce. Maybe the cook reduced the sauce down too much leaving it far more concentrated than he had anticipated. Either way, it was pretty crappy service for a trip we drove out of our way for. I appreciate the refund, however I really just wanted to eat some good curry as this place brought us much joy in the past. Anyway,...

Howdy,

This place is a cool addition to Riverside. I don't even know what was in that building before them but thank you guys for being in there. I brought my Non-curry eating grandma to Foo Dog and she loved everything she tried. It was a whole new world of flavors for her. My grandma was slightly terrified of the mask on the wall. She kept saying they were devil worshipping mask so I pulled out my phone to convince her that they were nice mask. The portions seemed smaller when they first opened. I remember feeling hungry when I left and lately the portions seemed like they've increased. I don't think my stomach got smaller which probably means they increased the portions. I wasn't upset about the price of the meal anymore I remember feeling fancy because I was spending about $45 for two people. Its cool now, I usually have leftovers for the next workday now! Definitely get the curry chips. I've had them about 10 times. 9 out of 10 times they were good. There was only one time the chips seemed like they were a bit older and they weren't crispy like they usually were. I didn't say anything because it was later in the night but 9 out of 10 is still pretty darn good! The staff is pretty friendly too. The place is small and cozy. The temperature of the room is pretty moderate. They have a lot of vegan options which is cool because I'm vegan. The tofu is very crispy. I can't think of anything else but definitely try this place out guys!

That's about...

Let me begin by saying that I'm leaving this review out of love and belief that this place can be truly amazing! The last time I ordered take-out from Foo Dog, I ordered two vegan curries and the jackfruit nuggets and was blown away by the texture and flavor, especially of the nuggets. I am gluten intolerant and vegan and finding satisfying appetizers like this can be a challenge. Those nuggets alone were enough to bring me back to explore the rest of what Foo Dog's menu had to offer. I'm sad to report that our experience this evening was beyond disappointing. We reordered the jackfruit nuggets, along with vegan popcorn chicken, vegan Autumn spring rolls, and the lime curry with tofu.

This time, the texture of the curry was gelatinous and thick, and the flavor was unappetizing. The entire serving was congealed and ultimately inedible. Both the nuggets and popcorn chicken were spongey and oil-logged, the opposite of the crisp, juicy and tender nuggets I remembered. The spring rolls were just OK-- the filling seemed fresh but lacking. There was a disproportionate amount of lettuce and very little filling.

While those nuggets before were wonderful, consistency is so important in a business like this. My experience tonight makes me reluctant to come back, especially because I spent about $40 before tip and couldn't even enjoy much of it.

I hope you can take this constructive criticism. I would love to be able to have another enjoyable meal there...