Flavour Lab

This the AMS's test kitchen, which opened in the space formerly occupied by another AMS outlet, Iwana Taco. Because the Iwana Taco business on Google just became Flavour Lab, the Iwana Taco ratings are still affecting Flavour Lab even though they're effectively completely different besides being operated by the same student union. Which is a shame because I think Flavour Lab is a big improvement. I've never been disappointed with anything here. It's a cool outlet because the menu is always varied and you can get restaurant-quality meals at counter-serve prices and speed. Because it's a test kitchen, sometimes there are small things that are a little wonky, like portions being skewed (like the carb-heavy paneer korma that came with naan, pappadum, AND a heavy serving of rice, or the aloo tiki burger, which had a potato patty, coming with a side of fries - more potato - by default) or stuff that is physically challenging to eat (rice burger bun falling apart and tofu rolls being overfilled). But the little things don't bother me too much because it's always tasty and flavourful and creative. I am a big kombucha drinker and the house made kombucha they have right now blows anything you can get bottled at the store out of the water. The only real negative thing I have to say it's that most everything I've tried here has been way salty and left me with a dry mouth for the rest of the afternoon. I actually haven’t had this problem with the current menu (summer 2023), but with all of the past menus. Other notes: You can bring your own container and save $.25! And they participate in an affordable meal program where 1-2 select entrees on the menu are only $5. The prices on the other menu items are significantly higher ($10-$14) but still reasonable for what it is.

Very delicious yet affordable warm food on campus. The $13 chicken sandwich was juicy, well-marinated, and tasted like double its price. It took ~10 min after ordering for me to get the food, but everything was made fresh and crispy. Will come back again.

Test kitchen in the UBC Nest. A lot of the one-star reviews seem to be for Iwana, which was a taco place that used to be here. I’d recommend giving them a try! I’ll be back to try their different dishes.

A test kitchen at UBC in the Nest, with some pretty reasonable prices and great menu! It's a great place to go for some quick bites, though the line can be long during rush hours. I highly recommend at least checking this place out, especially if you're a UBC student :)

My personal favourite spot to eat lunch on campus. The menu is diverse and healthy. The prices are fair relative to the rest of the city ($9.99 for a hearty and healthy dish...can't be beat). They also have special sweet treats every time I visit. I have not tried them yet but they always look so appealing. The only downside is having to find spots around the Nest to eat, but that's a general struggle.

Came two months ago and the food was good quality, prices were reasonable and portions were normal. Now their Korean Fried Chicken had a big price increase (costs $10 now). They might try to justify this by saying they now add rice but they replace the chicken with rice (which should decrease your expenses). Food itself tastes fine, bad but the value for money is horrible given the new changes. Today my plate had a four nugget sized pieces of chicken and rice, not worth $10.

Menus changes from time to time. Good for quick eat on campus

I ordered Korean Fried Chicken and Rice. The chicken was salty because of the soy sauce it was cooked in. The chicken was spicy and not sweet at all, ulike the fried chicken at Chiko chicken. It wasn't flavourful at all. I don't feel like going back to try a different dish. I think that this a good place for students because it is fast, cheap and healthy.

The homemade kombucha they have right now is so good. I tried both flavours (raspberry and mango) and it completely blows the stuff you buy at the store out of the water. All the points from my last review still apply (except I feel that the current summer 2023 menu has less of a salt problem than previous menus) but I feel so strongly about the kombucha that I have to write this update to bring attention to it.