Foolok - Small Combination

For a change today, I went to Foolok. Purchasing the small combination $7.70 (I didn't want to slide down into a Chinese food coma during the afternoon at work), gives you the chance to fit as much food as you can on a small plate, with about the area of 3750mm squared.

Starting with a base of fried rice and egg noodles, I added chicken curry, BBQ pork, seafood things, sweet and sour pork balls, and satay vegetables.

Presentation: I am unable to judge this on presentation due to the self serve nature of the establishment. (N/A)

Size: The size of this was good, I probably piled the plate a little higher than I should have in my attempts to see what would and wouldn't stay on top of my food hill. Due to purchasing the small, the repeat factor throughout the afternoon (as bain-marie Chinese is want to do) was minimal, and I didn't feel bloated. I had enough so I was full, but it didn't sit too heavy in my stomach as it would have it I had eaten any more. (7/10)

Value for Money: At $7.70, this was a little more expensive than I feel a small plate of Chinese is worth. (5/10)

Quality: The egg noodles and BBQ pork are some of the best I've had from a food court Chinese shop. The fried rice and chicken curry were standard. Of interest were the seafood things, more of interest because I wasn't sure what was in them and I'm still not. (7/10)

Overall: Overall this was a good lunch for what I was in the mood for. The self serve nature means that you can't complain about the amount that you eat, or the lack of choice (unless there's nothing left to serve yourself with). For the price I paid the Iced Tea I got to wash all the food down with should have been included. (6.5/10)

Winner: KEBAB! beats Foolok

Foolok - Large Combination

After running in to work at 6:30 in the morning and skipping morning tea, I was ravenous by lunch time. As can happen in such circumstances, my stomach and brain conspired to over-compensate for the low calorie start to the day, and I ended up getting a mountain of food from Foolok Cuisine.

Foolok has about 12 dishes available, and selection is a self-serve affair. I crammed some of most dishes on my plate, giving me a good taste of the variety. The food is slightly above average Chinese foodcourt fare. The vermicelli was delicious, and the meat dishes had a large meat to fat ratio. The veges still had some crispness left, the sauces did not have that 'all tastes the same' feel, and the deep-fried dishes were crisp without dripping with oil. Having said that, the food was a bit greasier than what you'd expect from a normal lunch dish, although about the expected level of greasiness for foodcourt Chinese.

Particulary good was the satay, the barbeque duck and the honey chicken.

At the end of the bain marie near the cash register is a selection of chilli sauces and some fresh corriander. The chilli was very hot and tasty, and the corriander added some much needed greenery to my plate.

After consuming a large amount of high-carb greasy food I felt fairly Foolok'd for the rest of the afternoon. But that's exactly what I was after.

Presentation I can't give a score for this category. The self-service nature takes the responsibility of presentation away from the restauranteur.

Size At first glance the plates supplied for a large combination do not look that big. However, with a bit of forward planning you can stack up a good deal of food. One mark off for inticing me to eat too much. 9/10

Value for money Large quantity of decent-enough food for only $9.00. But it leaves you aching for some fresh fruit or something to cleanse the pallet. 7/10

Quality About what you would expect. No surprises, good or bad. 7/10

Overall If you're after a grease fix and don't mind suffering the after affects, this is just what you need. 7/10

Who wins - kebab or large combination? Iron Chef Kebab