Lunch Buffet @ Holiday Inn

Regular readers will know that we at LiS have a policy of not spending more than $10 per meal. This is a policy we waive under two specific circumstances 1) when someone else is paying, and 2) when we feel like it.

This week we found that both of those conditions were fulfilled by a corporate benefactor. With a list price of $36 per head, this was not an opportunity to be passed up. To Vikatoria's at the Holiday Inn we go:

The first thing we did was get stuck into the nigiri, mostly smoked salmon, tuna, and inside out roll. Competently done if not spectacular, but personally I can eat this sort of thing all day and every day.

Every buffet has a salad bar, and this one has all the usual elements. One thing they don't have that they should have is labels for the dressings, for instance I have no idea what that creamy paste on the right is, and that was the case with all of other dressings and vinegarettes offered. I have better things to do at lunch than play dressing lucky dip.

Unfortunately your intrepid reviewer is abstaining from the flesh of mammals and fowl at the moment, so I am unable to say much about these slices of roast pork except to say that they look like sexual napalm for the tastebuds. The main thing to worry about with roast meats is dryness, and this doesn't seem to have that problem at all.

This fish curry was simply rubbish, not at all spicy, dry, and tasteless. We attempted to rescue it by chilli-ing the living fuck out of it, but succeeded only in making it spicy, dry and tasteless. The fish is not fresh either.

Eating your vegetables is a must. These were just a tad overcooked, but I'm glad they've included ota in the steamed vegetables selection.

On the left we have the vegetarian pizza, which is pretty damn good. On the right is the fish pizza which was far too salty. The vegetarian pizza, with its mushrooms, olives, capsicum, cabbage, and excellent base might rival Dorothy's Kitchen as the best pizza the LiS crew has tried yet.

Now I'm sure you can get better cold soba with tempura vegetables at Ginza or Shinjuku station, but I put it to you that you are much less likely to be groped by エロマンガ crazed サラリーマン. Eat your soba at the Holiday Inn and avoid both the expense and the 痴漢.

This kokoda was simply awful. What makes kokoda work is the texture, good kokoda springs back against ones teeth and holds together. Crap kokoda like this one has the texture of cooked fish and offers no resistance to the chewer. I don't think the fish was particularly fresh either.

There are deserts as well. We were too full to sample them but our dining companions partook and we were with our shitty cellphone cameras to capture them. Given that we didn't actually eat any we don't really have much to say much about them.

This is the trifle. I hate trifle.

This is the sponge cake. I hate sponge cake.

There are too many flaws with this buffet to give this a thumbs up, and at $36 per head it is not good value either. On the plus side its a popular place for corporate events and lunches so you have many opportunities to namu ones bosses, suppliers, donors, and business partners.

In Summary

Lunch Buffet @ Holiday Inn

Vikatoria's Restaurant, Holiday Inn, Victoria Pde (http://osm.org/go/vrytAvrvY-)

Opening Hours:

Mon - Friday: 12:00pm - 2:30pm

Spend:

$36 per head

Hot Dog stand outside Ministry of Education

There has been a hot dog stand outside the Ministry of Education on the corner of Gorrie St and Thurston St for most of the past decade. While it is always good to see enterprising young men try and make their way in the world, the LiS crew will only ever judge you on the quality and cost effectiveness of your food, and never on the purity of your heart and honest intentions.
These guys have one item on the menu, at a single price ($4), and that item is the Hot Dog. In years past they used to have a burger which was tasty enough but seemed to give everyone acid reflux, and it is no longer on the menu.
The above is a hot dog, a sausage in a bun with sauce and mustard, with grated cheese. Not the sort of thing one has to study Julia Child to learn how to do. If they have relish you can get relish but they don't seem to have it that often.

There really isn't much to say about it - its a damn hot dog. It is what it is. If I had season tickets at Yankee Stadium I would have the requisite cultural software installed to determine where in the grand spectrum of hot dog quality this sits. Unfortunately I have neither tickets nor the inclination (nor for that matter the stomach lining) to become a hot dog connoisseur.

I am however fully qualified to comment on this meals place in the price performance curve. At $4 this is simply not a good deal. Scrounge around in your coin jar for $1.50 more and you can get a substantial feed at a place like the Handicraft centre. Most people with Pacific Island appetites will need two hot dogs to make a decent lunch - well for the $8 that will cost you can get yourself a bi bim bap at Shabu Shabu, an option that is both healthier, heftier, and tastier.

In Summary

Hot Dog Stand

Outside the Ministry Education, Corner of Gorrie St and Thurston St (http://osm.org/go/vrytA9Pi@-)

Opening Hours:

Mon - Friday: 12:00pm - 2:30pm

Spend:

$4 per hot dog

Rating:

Thumbs-down

And now for some user generated content - Fr in Nasese

Posting this drivel month in month out gets to be a drag. We have to go from filthy greasy spoon to disgusting dive, spending our own money and risking our own stomach linings. So its a relief when someone writes in and gives us content, as our friend Bill did last week. To whit:

If you haven't been to Fr (don't understand the stupid name) in the old "Point After" building down from Suva Grammar on Queen Elizabeth Drive, you're missing out. I don't know why that man (the owner of the former Cakodrove) has the magic recipe for fish & chips, but he does. I recommend the cod ($10), although they might recommend something else when you visit. Apparently they opened a couple weeks ago. I just hope they can overcome the curse on that building and build a good business. Don't think I could handle the emotional hit of having them close again. There's a lot of healthier food available for lunch in Suva, but none tastier.

Best regards, Bill

Thanks to Bill. Of course none of the Lunch in Suva team have actually been there so we can't stand by a word of the above - but who needs verification when you have someone doing your work for you.

Shabu Shabu at MHCC

Shabu Shabu looks a bit lonely in the MHCC food court. A lot of people don't seem to know what to make of it. Even during the busiest lunch rush, there are always empty seats at the counter.

To be fair, the place is a bit confusing: part teppanyaki joint, part sushi roll bar, part Korean food outlet ... and both Korean and Japanese food can be a little daunting for first-timers without a guide.


That said, allow me to point out a few things worth trying.

First up, bibimbap, a selection of vegetables (some pickled, some cooked, some raw), chili paste, and a fried egg on a large bowl of rice.


This Korean dish is usually served with kimchi and some soup (below).

At $8 a serve, this dish performs very well on the price-performance curve ... and how can any self-respecting Fiji resident say no to a dish featuring chili paste? This particular bibimbap is also vegetarian, so it's not going to get you in trouble with PETA.


On the Japanese side of the fence, teriyaki beef (or you can get chicken or tuna ... whatever the edicts of your god permit).



This one gets cooked on the teppan in front of you, and is served with a selection of veges and rice. Not as big, impressive or filling as the bibimbap, but still a good meal. $8.



The rice from Shabu Shabu always seems to be on the cold side ... this is a little puzzling for an Asian restaurant, but doesn't detract too much from the meals.

Everything on the menu seems to come in between $7 and $8, except the ebi prawns.

A variety of sushi and sashimi selections are available, or start with the California rolls if you need a gentle introduction. The Korean version, kimbap, is also on offer.

The Korean soups are also worth a try: the chicken kalguksu is a good starting place. Shabu Shabu actually has a bigger selection of soups than Joji's so play the field a little and find something you like.

We've no idea how long this Korean-owned, would-be-Japanese eatery will survive, so try it while it's still around ... or there's always its parent restaurant in Ra Marama House, but that is a couple of magnitudes up the price scale.

For good value, a large selection of soups, having the balls to install a teppan in a food court, and confusing us all with an eclectic mix of Korean and Japanese, a tentative thumbs-up.

In Summary

Shabu Shabu

MHCC Food Court, Level 2, MH City Centre, sandwiched between Thompson St, Renwick Rd, and Nabukalou Creek.

Opening Hours:

Mon - Sun: 9:00am - 9:00pm

Spend:

$7 - $15 per person

Rating:

Thumbs-up

The Defence Club on Fridays

All the private clubs in Suva have a kitchen, the last remaining holdout was the Defence Club. With the demise of "Khana Kao" that used to be in the basement (selling something called "Indo-fijian cuisine"), the Defence Club has been without food for a couple of years (cheese, tamarind chutney, and breakfast crackers don't count).

Now the club is getting back into the lunch scene with a Friday cafeteria style offering. Usually only one or two options are offered, and the price ranges from $10 to $12. A lady named Joanna is in charge and apparently you can call her for orders as well (call the club at 3305037 and ask for her - Friday only).

The day we investigated the Seafood lunch was on offer and this menu included:

• Dalo
• Fried Fish in Lolo
• Ota
• Baked Kai
• Lumi
• Nama
• Fruits ( watermelon / pineapple)

Overall a stunning success - slightly over our $10 per head policy, but we can justify it by saying that its a Friday only treat. Its a large meal, and when coupled with the $1.60 beers that one will be tempted to wash down the lolo with, your afternoon productivity will be severely impacted. You are probably better off telling the boss that you won't be "out in the field" for the rest of the day.
Make sure you eat your fruits. The fibre will help you shit later, and god knows that you'll be needing to shit after such a serve.

The menu changes every week. Typical offerings include Lovo (pork, chicken, palusami, wacipoki) and Curry (lamb, bhindi, pumpkin, chutney, rice). Ask them to put you on the mailing list and they will tell you whats for lunch via email.

In Summary

Defence Club Friday Lunch

57 Gordon St

Phone: 3305037

Opening Hours:

1200 - 1430 - Friday only

Spend:

$15 per person (assuming two beers)

Rating:

Thumbs-up