I chose Foreign Concept for a team lunch with folks from work because it’s not too far to walk and no one else had been there yet. I’d only been for dinner once before, so I was stoked to check out the lunch menu. The restaurant is large and very bright and open, so it was a comfortable lunch with a large group of 8. We were seated just off the kitchen and it was super neat to see the Chef’s at work!
I wanted to try as much as I could, but there’s only so much I can eat! I tried my boss’s Honey Butter Potato Chips served with preserved lemon aioli ($6). The potato chips were a little overcooked for my liking, but that honey butter coating was deliciously sticky and tasty. At first I didn’t know they were coated in something so I thought they were just super greasy because they were all shiny – ooops!
I ordered a salmon sushi like rolled appetizer that of course I didn’t write down and I don’t see them on the website. They were each a fair size and I popped each whole piece in my mouth (ensuring I couldn’t talk for a while…). These were fresh and tasty delights and beautifully plated. I would order them again for sure.
Someone else at the table ordered the Crispy Taro Root and Green Papaya Slaw with Asian mustard dressing ($11). I tried a bit of it. It was definitely light and fresh but it wasn’t something I would order (I don’t think I could ever be a vegetarian).
As my main I ordered the Spicy Pork Rice Bowl served with white kimchi, shiitake mushrooms and a sous vide 63.5 degree egg ($17). This dish was super tasty with all the right flavours and textures. I could probably eat this dish every day. The sous vide egg was soft and tender but not runny – a difference that is hard to explain. I think $17 for lunch may be a bit high, but it was a well executed, well flavoured dish that will stick in my memory.
A couple people ordered the Shaking Beef and Broccoli Crepes with spicy aioli ($22). They really liked the flavours and they each tried to make their own crepes as intended, but in the end they each found it too much effort and too messy to do so, so they both ended up eating their meals awkwardly.
In summary, I really like the idea of Foreign Concept. Creative, beautiful and tasty dishes come out of the kitchen at this restaurant. Don’t worry about what the menu description says about a dish – you probably won’t understand it anyways (I don’t!). Just pick something and look forward to being pleasantly surprised.
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