The little green cup signifying the Shell Chuan Chim seal of approval, usually means good food, regardless of the ambience. So really, the fairly bland hi-end cafeteria feel of the place isn’t as irksome as the inconsistency of its food. You would expect some reliability from a place named The Foodie but no two visits have been the same. At times, you are floored by the quality of certain dishes; on other occasions, you’re appalled by how ridiculously similar everything tastes. They have an extensive menu, both Thai and Western, which also happens to include a long list of recommended dishes. Of course, trying to make your own combo meal based on this recommended list isn’t always the best way to go. For instance, when you order the well-textured phrik khing pla dook foo (crispy minced catfish with herbs), don’t also order Thai salads like yam dok kha-jorn or the plha nua ma khua paw (beef salad with eggplant). Though the phrik is nice and crispy, both salads, supposed to have their own distinctive flavors, were overpoweringly sweet and entirely lacking in sourness and spiciness. Another disappointing dish was the pha lo khai-khem, an item you wouldn’t normally find elsewhere. Unfortunately, it fails to live up to expectations as it was, once again, sweet, if not syrupy. The saving grace at Foodie is their kaeng liang: it’s peppery and they are definitely not stingy with the mushrooms and fresh veggies. Another great dish is the nua khem tom krathi, salted beef simmered in a coconut milk. Its straightforward home-style recipe will get your taste buds dancing. They also have three different types of rice to choose from: white, yellow (turmeric) or the very healthy brown. The key at Foodie is to get your mixing and matching correct. And when you’ve worked out what you like, don’t try and get fancy, just stick to the tried and tested. Corkage B200.