Jason King
AmyHuangWhat do you eat for work lunch?
April 11th 2011 00:51
I have been trying to write this article for months and it has been nagging at me constantly. It kind of all came to a head the other day after my article on McDonald's ripping me off on my french fries and then Amy (other Sydney Table writer) commenting in disbelief that myself being a food critic would ever walk into Mikey D's.
Ever since I was a kid I have loved McDonald's - my grandparents used to give me the weekend treat of driving through the drive through on the way to the holiday house at Gwandaland. Even from a young age I was obsessed with the Big Mac - screw the chesseburger - that was for wimps
I occasionally enjoyed the KFC although back then it wasn't an acronym - we actually called it Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was also real chicken and didn't drip with oil. But I preferred the Kentucky cold and out of the fridge the next day - so yummmmmmmmm.
Then I grew up and started fending for myself fairly early on - I had my own rental place at age 18 and was working full time from the week I finished school. My mum has always been a sensational cook and occasional chef and while I didn't mentally pay much attention to things growing up my stomach remembered a lot of things about food that she would cook. Plus, all that crap your parents spurt to you while growing up that you claim is going in one ear and out the other - believe it or not it gets genetically printed in your genes and you remember it when you mature. Heaven forbid - we do become our parents. Shoot me now
But there are times when you don't cook every night and do not have left overs for work, there is also the times when you couldn't be stuffed making your lunch to take with you or even more there are only so many spruced up sandwiches you can make for work before they all start tasting the same - this year I am not eating tuna out of a tin due to massive 2010 overkill - I swear I ate so much there must have been at least one tin with dolphin in it hahaha.
So it is these days at work we enjoy the takeaway - the guilty pleasure. After getting ourselves all worked up on what levels of carbs there are or how much protein that place has eventually you say screw that and go with what you want. I am a fad person - I fall in love with something and have to have it over and over again until I get bored of it and then it becomes an enjoyment for occasional times. So here is my take on what is good in my food court and what I enjoy - what do you have? What do you enjoy?
Enjoy the Sydney Table guide to all things junk food and in that food court - my advice is to keep it a variety and try everything because it is though suggestions from friends you may turn your nose at that you may just love.
The one thing I have kind of left off my list is Sushi - I am not a huge fan of the food court sushi or the salmonella specials after 3pm. Sushi should be from personal experience or taste. Sam always eats sushi from the food court - and more often that not is whinging about food poisoning and taking days off - I leave this one up to you. I am sure most sushi is absolutely fine but for me - it has to be fresh as humanly possible.
SUBWAY - boring as hell and they all taste the same - they look spectacular on the poster but all look like wet socks when it comes down to it. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 3
KFC - lard disguised as chicken - although not really disguised I do occaisonally enjoy their "Ultimate Burger Meal" when I am really hung over - thank god I have cut down on my drinking as not only am I losing weight from less alcohol but even more from post binge night KFC consumption. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 0
McDONALD'S - a once a fortnight must for me - it used to always be the Big Mac but it got smaller and smaller and someone skimped on the sauce, mmmmmmmmmm the sauce Then they released the delicious Grand Angus Burger - and this is my new fave - it actually is a real burger on a bun that doesn't look like wet foam. It even has real cheese and proper lettuce on it. I love it. Although if Maccas keeps ripping me off on the chips our love for one another will come to a quick ending YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 2
HUNGRY JACKS - I never eat this for lunch as not near any of my places of work but when I am heading into the city for a media screening of films then it is one of my preferred choices. If I don't have that hour free to go to Din Tai Fung (my god I love you) and I can no longer eat at the sushi train thanks to them poisoning me then the Stunner meal of a medium size with chicken burger (the rest are crap) with a chocolate sundae, frozone raspberry drink and chips for $6- is bloody good junk food value for money - and they don't skimp on the chips. On a side note - their Whoppers are a decent size and more burger like than the Maccas general range but they still bounce up and down like wet sponges under the finger. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 1
OPORTOS - I LOVE Portugese chicken - it is so damn tasty mixed with Chilli. And the Big Bondi is a sensational meal. But when the combo went above $10- and now sits at $12- it just became too much. I do not like to spend more than $10- for lunch - it is a nice even number and sits nice for me. Any more and it's a luxury. I rarely order the Big Bondi Meal now but when I occasionally do it never seems to fill me as much as much cheaper meals. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 2
NANDOS - when their combos got above $15- I laughed in their face - you are still a take away burger joint - get off your high horse and stop pretending the inflated prices makes your burgers appear more sumptuous. Elititst fail. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 2
OGALOS - very similar to OPORTOS and I love their mayo but they are a lot shorter on the meat than OPORTOS and the buns are too white and sugary. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 1
PIZZA HUT - you are kidding right? YUM Rating: 1 HEALTH Rating: 0
STACKS - this is a sandwich joint in my food court - it is so ridiculously priced I am surprised they stay in business - but they do have the market cornered - when they couldn't work out the difference between snow pea sprouts and alfalfa and were charging upwards of $10 for a sandwich I parted ways. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 4
Then there are the golden finds that only you have found with some work colleagues and are an absolute joy to eat...........
Katsu Don - from the local Japanese takeaway in the foodcourt. Divine steamed riced topped with cabbage salad then sliced up chicken schnitzel then scrambled eggs and covered in teriyaki sauce - I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! And it is huge for only $9.50 and wholesome. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 3 NO PIC SORRY
FOGO BRASILIA - an absolute golden find. I have to thank Jen, one of my work colleagues, for this place - when it first opened I tried one of their Brazillian styled chicken burgers and it was this massive thick nugget of chicken - although fresh chicken - in the middle of a big bun. I skipped them from that day forth. She told me to order the Margerita Chicken meal and I have never looked back. It is HUGE - is $10 and comes with 3 large pieces of chicken off the hot rock rotisserie and with a spicey chilli sauce. Then in another container your choice of two salads and a small piece of thick doughy bread. I always get the ceasar salad (biggest croutons you will ever see) and the potato and chorizo salad - heaven and massively filling. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 3 NO PIC SORRY
And my stapled favourite - salads from Fruit Ezy - the salad ladies all know me and my faves - she even tries to have them made for me by the time I arrive at quarter to nine and apologises if she isn't making the one I want on that day - it is not just the food - it is the service and friendliness of the place that gives me that all round enjoyment. They have this tiny little kitchen at the back of the fruit and veg place and make about 6 different take away salads each day and they mostly depend on the fresh fruit and veg they get each morning. A beautiful and healthy Chicken Ceasar Salad is close to the top of my faves but my all time fave takeaway meal is their Spinach and Pumpkin salad with sun dried tomatoes, mixed nuts (usually cashews and pistachios) and some shredded chicken breast - it is absolutely divine. And the massive salad is only $6-. I will occasionally buy the one salad and eat half each day with a cheeky microwave pie or eat the entire salad with an afternoon treat of a papaya from the same shop for only $3-. That is a feast for $9- and it is by far the healthiest and tastiest of the bunch. YUM Rating: 5 HEALTH Rating: 5 (minus the pie versions).
These are my work place takeaways - believe me - I do make a lot of left overs at home and do make sandwiches but sometimes you gotta go with your cravings. What do you love for your lunch??
Ever since I was a kid I have loved McDonald's - my grandparents used to give me the weekend treat of driving through the drive through on the way to the holiday house at Gwandaland. Even from a young age I was obsessed with the Big Mac - screw the chesseburger - that was for wimps
I occasionally enjoyed the KFC although back then it wasn't an acronym - we actually called it Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was also real chicken and didn't drip with oil. But I preferred the Kentucky cold and out of the fridge the next day - so yummmmmmmmm. Then I grew up and started fending for myself fairly early on - I had my own rental place at age 18 and was working full time from the week I finished school. My mum has always been a sensational cook and occasional chef and while I didn't mentally pay much attention to things growing up my stomach remembered a lot of things about food that she would cook. Plus, all that crap your parents spurt to you while growing up that you claim is going in one ear and out the other - believe it or not it gets genetically printed in your genes and you remember it when you mature. Heaven forbid - we do become our parents. Shoot me now
But there are times when you don't cook every night and do not have left overs for work, there is also the times when you couldn't be stuffed making your lunch to take with you or even more there are only so many spruced up sandwiches you can make for work before they all start tasting the same - this year I am not eating tuna out of a tin due to massive 2010 overkill - I swear I ate so much there must have been at least one tin with dolphin in it hahaha.
So it is these days at work we enjoy the takeaway - the guilty pleasure. After getting ourselves all worked up on what levels of carbs there are or how much protein that place has eventually you say screw that and go with what you want. I am a fad person - I fall in love with something and have to have it over and over again until I get bored of it and then it becomes an enjoyment for occasional times. So here is my take on what is good in my food court and what I enjoy - what do you have? What do you enjoy?
Enjoy the Sydney Table guide to all things junk food and in that food court - my advice is to keep it a variety and try everything because it is though suggestions from friends you may turn your nose at that you may just love.
The one thing I have kind of left off my list is Sushi - I am not a huge fan of the food court sushi or the salmonella specials after 3pm. Sushi should be from personal experience or taste. Sam always eats sushi from the food court - and more often that not is whinging about food poisoning and taking days off - I leave this one up to you. I am sure most sushi is absolutely fine but for me - it has to be fresh as humanly possible.
SUBWAY - boring as hell and they all taste the same - they look spectacular on the poster but all look like wet socks when it comes down to it. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 3
KFC - lard disguised as chicken - although not really disguised
I do occaisonally enjoy their "Ultimate Burger Meal" when I am really hung over - thank god I have cut down on my drinking as not only am I losing weight from less alcohol but even more from post binge night KFC consumption. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 0
McDONALD'S - a once a fortnight must for me - it used to always be the Big Mac but it got smaller and smaller and someone skimped on the sauce, mmmmmmmmmm the sauce
Then they released the delicious Grand Angus Burger - and this is my new fave - it actually is a real burger on a bun that doesn't look like wet foam. It even has real cheese and proper lettuce on it. I love it. Although if Maccas keeps ripping me off on the chips our love for one another will come to a quick ending YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 2
HUNGRY JACKS - I never eat this for lunch as not near any of my places of work but when I am heading into the city for a media screening of films then it is one of my preferred choices. If I don't have that hour free to go to Din Tai Fung (my god I love you) and I can no longer eat at the sushi train thanks to them poisoning me then the Stunner meal of a medium size with chicken burger (the rest are crap) with a chocolate sundae, frozone raspberry drink and chips for $6- is bloody good junk food value for money - and they don't skimp on the chips. On a side note - their Whoppers are a decent size and more burger like than the Maccas general range but they still bounce up and down like wet sponges under the finger. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 1
OPORTOS - I LOVE Portugese chicken - it is so damn tasty mixed with Chilli. And the Big Bondi is a sensational meal. But when the combo went above $10- and now sits at $12- it just became too much. I do not like to spend more than $10- for lunch - it is a nice even number and sits nice for me. Any more and it's a luxury. I rarely order the Big Bondi Meal now but when I occasionally do it never seems to fill me as much as much cheaper meals. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 2
NANDOS - when their combos got above $15- I laughed in their face - you are still a take away burger joint - get off your high horse and stop pretending the inflated prices makes your burgers appear more sumptuous. Elititst fail. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 2
OGALOS - very similar to OPORTOS and I love their mayo but they are a lot shorter on the meat than OPORTOS and the buns are too white and sugary. YUM Rating: 3 HEALTH Rating: 1
PIZZA HUT - you are kidding right? YUM Rating: 1 HEALTH Rating: 0
STACKS - this is a sandwich joint in my food court - it is so ridiculously priced I am surprised they stay in business - but they do have the market cornered - when they couldn't work out the difference between snow pea sprouts and alfalfa and were charging upwards of $10 for a sandwich I parted ways. YUM Rating: 2 HEALTH Rating: 4
Then there are the golden finds that only you have found with some work colleagues and are an absolute joy to eat...........
Katsu Don - from the local Japanese takeaway in the foodcourt. Divine steamed riced topped with cabbage salad then sliced up chicken schnitzel then scrambled eggs and covered in teriyaki sauce - I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! And it is huge for only $9.50 and wholesome. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 3 NO PIC SORRY
FOGO BRASILIA - an absolute golden find. I have to thank Jen, one of my work colleagues, for this place - when it first opened I tried one of their Brazillian styled chicken burgers and it was this massive thick nugget of chicken - although fresh chicken - in the middle of a big bun. I skipped them from that day forth. She told me to order the Margerita Chicken meal and I have never looked back. It is HUGE - is $10 and comes with 3 large pieces of chicken off the hot rock rotisserie and with a spicey chilli sauce. Then in another container your choice of two salads and a small piece of thick doughy bread. I always get the ceasar salad (biggest croutons you will ever see) and the potato and chorizo salad - heaven and massively filling. YUM Rating: 4 HEALTH Rating: 3 NO PIC SORRY
And my stapled favourite - salads from Fruit Ezy - the salad ladies all know me and my faves - she even tries to have them made for me by the time I arrive at quarter to nine and apologises if she isn't making the one I want on that day - it is not just the food - it is the service and friendliness of the place that gives me that all round enjoyment. They have this tiny little kitchen at the back of the fruit and veg place and make about 6 different take away salads each day and they mostly depend on the fresh fruit and veg they get each morning. A beautiful and healthy Chicken Ceasar Salad is close to the top of my faves but my all time fave takeaway meal is their Spinach and Pumpkin salad with sun dried tomatoes, mixed nuts (usually cashews and pistachios) and some shredded chicken breast - it is absolutely divine. And the massive salad is only $6-. I will occasionally buy the one salad and eat half each day with a cheeky microwave pie or eat the entire salad with an afternoon treat of a papaya from the same shop for only $3-. That is a feast for $9- and it is by far the healthiest and tastiest of the bunch. YUM Rating: 5 HEALTH Rating: 5 (minus the pie versions
).
All that was $9- in total
These are my work place takeaways - believe me - I do make a lot of left overs at home and do make sandwiches but sometimes you gotta go with your cravings. What do you love for your lunch??
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Comment by Jason King
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HERE
Comment by AmyHuang
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I have left overs most of the time (today's menu is Chicken Korma with rice) however I do love a good pie, occassionally when we can take long lunches we go to the pub and have a steak, or if I must - have fish and chips or Nandos.
If I really cannot afford it and have no left overs I go to Coles and get a small tub of salad and 2 slices of ham - all for $5.
Those salad pictures look fantastic though!
Comment by Jason King
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I am not a whale that eats these things daily - but I do like a cheap and nasty carbs hit made from pure junk hahaha
I sometimes do the Coles thing - I normally buy a BBQ chicken and the salad stuff and take the BBQ chicken home with me. I can have without skin to be healthy or eat all the skin and moan in ecstasy and feed the whole chicken skinless to the cat
Comment by AmyHuang
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Please watch out for the cat - they do have obesity issues even though they don't always admit to it!
Comment by Jason King
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Comment by Lara M
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Having said that, had a Big Mac over the weekend...best hangover cure ever...shhh...
That aside, lunch is usually leftovers. Today's lunch...homemade tuna sandwich with chopped tomatoes, capers and jalapenos!
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
Comment by Jason King
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