By S Davey
There’s a cosy little Asian street-food place called Foxy Luu’s, in the Woolies carpark, that does tasty eat-in or takeaway. The decor is fun and funky Asian and the food is freshly made from an across-Asia menu.
Still relatively new on the Byron scene, owner Utku, also known as Max, says he has listened to the locals, adopted more Byron values, and has made some positive changes at Foxy Luu’s. ‘Byron has a well-established community with a strong and distinct voice, which we love hearing and responding to. There is a high consciousness here that teaches us to be and think more ethically and sustainably, both in our personal and business lives. We love interacting with the locals and opening our ears to new ideas about food, and environmental awareness. Thanks to suggestions from our regulars we are now recycling as much as possible, we’ve reduced waste, replaced plastic with biodegradable options, and also we are offering more vegan choices just to name a few.’ Doing a favourite Byron experience of grabbing some food and watching the sunset from the beach can now be done with a clear conscience, a satisfied belly and a happy palate.
The food at Foxy Luu’s has always had a focus on nutritious and healthy offerings, another Byron convention. Max expands: ‘My partner Leilani, also the head chef at Foxy Luu’s, studies Nutritional Medicine. She was adamant about making as much as possible from scratch, and bringing in nutritious broths and fresh bao buns… We also love finding ourselves in conversations with customers about healing practices, local and global ecological matters, art and music; this happens much more than elsewhere! We definitely love becoming a part of the furniture here.’
Because the dishes are freshly made from scratch, using fresh herbs and produce, they have plenty of crunch, juice and flavour. If you meet Utku you will find a warm, friendly guy who is up for a chat. He says, ‘We want to communicate with and understand locals… food is what we do and we also want to offer something to the fabric of the town.’ Foxy’s also sponsors a couple of local community organisations.
Another request from locals was for more vegan options, so Foxy’s now has a vegan version of their Bento Box called Byron Bento Bites, which is a tasty selection of bites from different Asian countries. One of the most popular dishes at Foxy’s is the nourishing Chicken Bone Broth. There is now a vegan ramen soup as well as other different vegan dishes. As well, the soups come in a generous bowl size or cup size and, owing to customer demand, Foxy Luu’s offers reusable soup cups.
At Foxy Luu’s you can take your taste buds on a journey across Asia. The menu options include Vietnamese rice-paper rolls, Taiwanese Bao buns, Japanese edemame, Indonesian gado gado, just to name a few… and you can finish with a French fusion of coconut and passionfruit panna cotta. Additionally, the menu is always changing (this isn’t just restaurant rhetoric – it actually does), so there’s always something new around the corner. The Yum Cha Hawkers Degustation has been so popular that it has moved from a weekly menu option to a daily one; Utku teases that it the cheapest degustation in Australia!
The food is reason enough to visit Foxy Luu’s, but their focus on community and sustainability makes you feel good about supporting this business, who, as Utku says, ‘want to be in tune with what Byron stands for and positively contribute’. As well, when you have had enough vegan-vego-gluten-free-everything-friendly fare you can get a tonic for the soul by ordering a dumpling and a dessert, and a drink because the BYO-friendly Foxy Luu’s is right next door to The Cellar bottle shop.
Foxy Luu’s. Open seven days for lunch, dinner and takeaway
90/96 Jonson St (Woolies carpark next to The Cellar Bottle shop), Byron Bay.
Photos by Ingrid Pullen Photography
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