FantAsia is basically the answer to the prominence of Asian cuisine in the modern Australian palate, with numerous types of cuisines and dishes become a choice of snack in daily life. Whereas the United States has several Mexican places, Australia has pan-Asian influences. Enter FantAsia, which does surprisingly well.

It was after work, and I was meeting a friend for the first time in a while for lunch. As always with her, it had to be quick and she was in the mood for some Asian. She knew of this being in the MacArthur Centre, and off to there it was. This is one place that is often in a food court so we all know how it goes down - walk up to counter, place your order, then pay and wait for the call. Nothing unique to critique, little different to other fast food outlets.

FantAsia is not for those who like it authentic, I will just say that much. Its menu is a melting pot of various East Asia cuisines - such as Hong Kong, Thai and Japanese - collecting some signature dishes and offering them on display. A few other street stall snacks are there was well for a bit extra. Even if the cuisines are not similar, at least the recipes can be representative of their region. For the most part, they play it a bit safe - and in honesty that does attract a particular clientele; not everyone will be an extreme omnivore.

If it is spicy, somehow by instinct - I definitely know that it is not luck considering the streak I have had - I will spot it out and order it. This was another case that way, getting an order of their "Beijing Zha Jiang Noodles": a spicy pork mince and chili bean mixture served on a bed of noodles. When the cashier was telling me about it being spicy, I simply stated my preference for things to have some heat on them. On the side, I got a couple of pork buns. The portion size was pretty generous, and the proportions of the noodles and mince were in the right balance trending towards having more mince than noodle. It had a fairly thick, and somewhat soupy texture, and the noodles were thick and slippery. As for the pork buns, just as good as always. Light and fluffy texture on the outside that is like a cloud, really thick with a good, dense and flavoursome taste of pork getting into the middle. I have always like these suckers, and still do - there is a good reason they often pop up at yum cha places.

In addition to that, I also got a drink. That was not the initial idea, but when they offered a free sample of it (and they often display them for clientele to try - a good marketing practice, by the by) I tried one of their iced teas and liked it enough to consider getting it on the side. Whatever it was, I just went with the mystery of it and it turned out to be a honey-lychee flavour of iced tea. It was not just flavour, but it also had a real lychee in it as a bonus. It is not really possible to describe how a lychee tastes since it has its own distinct flavour - and the texture is like something different as well. If you like them, well this was a huge one and it was a good extra to have in the drink (healthier than anything bubble tea could give).

When it comes to the crunch, FantAsia is what it is and that is another fast food place. Compared to a lot of other, familiar choices as such, much worse could be being done. The portion sizes are reasonable, and it is quite quick. It is not bad or awful by any stretch of the imagination, and I can see why it is popular; I can tell it also might vary on what you order from here (simpler is better). For me, it is a bit of a fallback as opposed to actively going there - but in the long run, the quality is fairly consistent, the food is often hot and I was satisfied - there is at least that to say.