Food Paradise

15 minutes out the way, no problem. I will happily drive that to get to this joint. It shares space with gongcha which might confuse some folks which it did me. I walked around the side door to see if I can enter a building I had already been in. Embarrassing on me. I know. Regardless, they have a pretty cool menu of food that I can't sort of figure out. It's Asian fusion but delicious. Either way. That fruit sandwich is a first for me and I think that might be the hit and hidden thing here. Definitely recommend getting it. I don't think I could eat one in one sitting. Maybe half for lunch and then half of breakfast. Very happy with pork belly, roast pork and dry noodles. Definitely something I would come back for again and explore the rest of the menu. Well the interior of this place is really nice too. Got some anime on the TV and a whole lot of space to sit down and.

Arrived a little before 7:30 pm on a Saturday and it was pretty slow, but I wasn't complaining because we had the place all to ourselves.Upon arrival, I noticed the decor was gorgeous. Pretty in pink all the bed wall flowers and beautiful tables, chairs, and couches. Perfect picture ops! We were a little confused at first because certain menu items were not on the kiosk menus including the waffle eggs and Vietnamese coffee. Out of everything we ordered my fave was the pork belly banh mi, loved the bread! Little disappointed in the Philly egg rolls, and the fruit sandwich needed a more dense bread like what they have in Japan.

Such a cute and cozy little spot.It shares a location with "Gong Cha". The ordering stations are right next to each other.It's a cute space to come hang out with your friends and eat, study, or even play some board games.They had shelves full of games to use. The young lady who took my order was very nice and she recommended the sandwich for me to try. I ordered the Korean Beef Bulgogi sandwich with fries. The sandwich was packed with flavor and very filling. It's a little sweet but balanced with eggs, lettuce, and tomatoes. The fries were so yummy! They were crispy and fluffy on the side and seasoned. I really enjoyed stopping by here for lunch.I will definitely return.

Food Paradise is located near ODU and shares the same space as Gong Cha. From what I could see, it seems like they serve Asian fusion in the form of sandwiches, bowls, bao buns and noodles.I wasn't too hungry at the time of visit so I decided to get the following:- 2 steamed buns (pandan and meat: I found the baos to be on the smaller side. To be honest, I didn't know baos were made this small. I liked both the pandan (it's entirely green) and the meat one, I just wish there was more of it!- Fruit sandwich - as the name suggest, this sandwich consists of a very thick bun (kind of like an eggy Kings' Hawaiian-like bun) with a sweet cream and fruits in between (strawberries, tangerines, and green grapes). I have never had anything like this, but I saw a pic and was just intrigued. I ordered this because of that. Loved the sweet cream, the fruits were fresh and super colorful. Next time, I want to try their banh mis!Go out and support and enjoy, Friends!

The foodie scene around ODU has come a long way with new restaurants galore since the days I last attended long ago.One of them is Food Paradise, an Asian inspired food spot that opened in May of this year on Monarch Way.It occupies a shared space with Gong Cha, an international beverage franchise specializing in boba teas and other drinks.Food Paradise is not owned by Gong Cha. Instead, it is a separate independently owned business that the owner of the building decided to add on to the Gong Cha space.If you order a beverage from Gong Cha and a food item from Food Paradise, you have to order them from separate kiosks or from separate registers behind their counter.The staff members work for both businesses. During one visit, I ordered a beverage from Gong Cha at one register, and then ordered a food item from Food Paradise at another register, both from the same counter person.Parking can be scarce if you don't want to use one of the parking meters. Two hour parking spots are available around the block on 43rd Street, 45th Street, and Killam Avenue if you can find one and don't mind a short walk.The interior is very spacious and attractively decorated with floral pink tones that I found to be very soothing to the eyes.After four lunch time visits, I tried the following:TARO MELTING BUN: This one was priced at only $3.99 and was listed with no description. The flavor of its taro custard filling came through well enough, but the bun itself was extremely tough and dry, so much so that I was unable to finish it. The one I got was probably an accident. My Rating: 2 Stars.GRILLED PORK BANH MI: Marinated BBQ Pork, Pickled Onions & Carrots, Cucumbers, Cilantro, House-Made Sauce, and Butter. They also added some pate at my request.Their house-made sauce was described to me as a fish based sauce with no mayonnaise, which came as a relief, as mayo has never agreed with me.The bun was nice and crispy, and the marinated BBQ pork and other fillings were filling and tasty. I would have liked just a little more cilantro and a spicier kick. Otherwise, I found this Banh Mi sandwich to be pretty solid. My Rating: 4 Stars.KOREAN BEEF BULGOGI SANDWICH: Beef Marinated with Black Belt Korean BBQ Sauce, Tomato, and Lettuce with Toasted Bread. It also came with Scrambled Eggs, which were not listed on the menu description.I ordered it as a dine-in customer, but it came in a bag stuffed in a square shaped cardboard box, closed shut with a flap on each edge. It took steady hands to remove it from the box without making a mess. It also came wrapped with brown paper, and removing it was another tedious task. As a dine-in customer, I would have preferred its presentation to come unwrapped and unboxed on a plain paper plate, photo ready and ready to eat. The overall flavor of the sandwich was pleasant with a mildly spicy kick. The Black Belt Korean BBQ Sauce is made by the Nashville Spice Company and is described as "The Sensei Of Sauces." Its ingredients include Cayenne Red Peppers and Gochugura Chili Flakes.The flavors of the beef, bread, and veggies came through well. The scrambled eggs tasted a bit out of place. My Rating: 4 Stars.RICE BOWLS; Your Choice of Chicken, BBQ Pork, or Marinated Beef Ribeye with a Spring Salad Mix, Pickled Onion, Cucumber, and a Special House Sauce. I chose the Chicken.The Special House Sauce turned out to a fish based sauce once again. The chicken came served in the form of large fried chicken nuggets, which were dry and devoid of much flavor. It also came with a fried egg, which was not listed in its menu description. This one managed to be filling enough, but its combination of flavors fell short for me. My Rating: 3 Stars.FRUITY SANDWICH: House-Made Whipped Cream, Grape, and Strawberry with Toasted Bread. Orange slices were also included, which were not mentioned on the menu.The Japanese Fruit Sandwich is believed to have originated from Japanese coffee shops and cafes back in the 1920s. It is usually made with Japanese milk bread, known as Shokupan in Japan, and a variety of seasonal fruits.This one was boxed up in much the same way as my Korean Beef Bulgogi Sandwich. I did not bother to remove the brown paper wrapping, as it would have made too much of a mess. Once again, I would have preferred a plated presentation.Otherwise, this sandwich hit me with a terrific taste experience. I loved the fruits imbedded in the soft and spongy texture of the bread, soaked up by a house-made whipped cream that was truly divine. My Rating: 5 Stars.When I averaged their food numbers, I came up with a composite score of 3.6 stars. This enabled me to round up to a final rating of 4 stars by a razor thin margin, thanks largely to their Fruity Sandwich. I will come back to enjoy their Fruity Sandwich again and try another one of their Banh Mi sandwiches. In closing, I want to wish this new restaurant by my old alma mater the best of success moving forward.

I was driving down Monarch Way and noticed this restaurant took over the space of my beloved Den. I decided to stop in and check out what replaced my favorite college spot. The menu was extensive, and it took me a minute to decide but I went with a beef bulgogi sandwich and got an iced tea from Gong Cha. The sandwich was sooo good. It was hot packed with fresh and crisp lettuce and tomatoes and a savory fried egg. I will definitely be having that again. I also tried a couple of buns which were soft with a hint sweetness. The staff was friendly and passionate about the food stating they had many favorites. Even though I'll miss the Den dearly, I approve of this replacement for the variety. The inside is also very pink and aesthetic as well if that's your kind of thing. Overall, think it's worth a try for sure.

This place was so cute! It's located right by ODU which is convenient if you're in between classes, and need a quick meal. The inside is very well decorated, and there is plenty of places for a photo opportunity.I ordered the fruity sandwich, and the pork bun with salty egg bun. I was being adventurous today, because I'm not familiar with this style of food, and I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like. I will say that I wasn't disappointed with my experience. The food was good, and came out quick.

I was really excited to visit this spot and didn't experience what I expected! LOCATION: Located near ODU, Food Paradise is a spot that's trying really hard to be a kawaii-like foodie spot. We went on a Saturday night in early December. It was humid out, and for some reason, it felt more humid inside. The tables and chairs felt a little worn out even though this place wasn't very old. SERVICE: We order on a screen and wait for the food to come out. The screen we ordered was lopsided and a bit dirty when we used it. FOOD: I had the fruit sandwich which was yummy but I feel like it had more of the cream cheese stuff. The bread was also very sweet. The entire sandwich was all too sweet for my taste. Will I return? Probably not.

These reviews are obviously paid reviews and it shows once you actually go here. The food is extremely bland and is almost all microwave or quick heat up food. The drink are the only thing that actually is made fresh here. Even the bread here is chewy. I'm not sure how they are getting away with this but the entire place is just one big social media post that's it. The real thing is entirely different to what you see online.

First time I had a fruity sandwich and it was delicious. I will be coming back and try other food on the menu.