Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Food Republic @ Pavilion

Foodcourts are great for a quick meal. Or even an elaborated brunch with friends. Be it the al fresco ones at wet markets or the upscaled version at megamalls, one is never deprived of choices. If the 80’s saw children getting excited over the infamous sizzling hotplate yee mee, these days, colourful arrays of sushi, bibimbap and kebab are the orders of the day. Quality is another matter, of course.

And when it comes to extensiveness, Food Republic (part of the Singaporean-owned BreadTalk group) definitely impressed. Well, me at least. From Vietnamese to Korean to local favourites, the choices are endless. The modernistic interior was spacious and at lunchtime on weekends, one is still able to secure a seat without having to prey for leaving patrons. A treat, I’d say, especially if you’ve visited Wisma Atria’s or VivoCity’s.

Thye Hong’s Fried Prawn Mee (RM7) is synonymous with Food Republic. It is always at this stall that you’ll find the longest queue. Served on a scoop-shaped opei leaf, it was visually appetizing. With ingredients such as prawns and squids, a sweet/savoury broth was ensured. A squeeze of lime juice added zest to the dish while the chili sauce enhanced the flavour of the rich broth. However, I still prefer Singapore’s version as rice noodle was used instead of the starch type and the broth was richer.

The Assam Laksa (RM7.20) from the Pan Mee stall was colourful and fragrant as well, thanks to the generous amount of chopped bunga kantan (torch ginger). For the price, the serving was commendable. Chopped pieces of pineapple and onion added flavour and crunch while the mint leaves provided a touch of freshness. The shrimp paste infused soup was flavourful and sourness was well controlled. The score would have been higher if it was served hot with a few significant pieces of fish meat thrown in.

Another dish served cold was the Mee Jawa (RM8.50) from the Penang Street Food stall. The portion was generous and the sauce was sweet. Ground peanuts and crackers added crunch to the dish while the chili paste gave a touch of heat. For better texture and flavour, go for the bee hoon (rice vermicelli) and yellow noodle combination. A flavourful ensemble which was disappointingly cold.

Judging from the queue, the very DIY toasts from Toast Box seemed to be a great hit with the patrons as well although some did complain of the price versus the simplicity of the snacks. The thick toast with peanut butter (RM2.80) was rather enjoyable as the peanut butter sauce was rich while the bread was soft with a crispy skin. Similarly, the Traditional Toast (RM2.80) consisted of well-textured slices of white bread sandwiching a slab of butter and generous amount of kaya. Though simple, I believe KLites prefer to pay for convenience these days, which is a pity, actually.

It will take more than a few visits to actually declare that one has done Food Republic at Pavilion. And it doesn’t get any easier when Yo!, Crystal Jade, Madam Kwan, Ichiban Boshi, Tony Roma’s, Dragon-I, etc are situated adjacent to the foodcourt.

Can we emulate BreadTalk’s fantastic vision and create a buzz in the Lion City as well? Perhaps with our inimitable style of Hokkien Mee?

I’m optimistic.

Food Republic
1.41.00 – 1.51.00 & K1.18.00 – K1.25.00
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Website: http://www.pavilion-kl.com

21 comments:

Kenny Mah said...

I might just take you up on your challenge. I eat at Pavilion at least twice a week now, it being close to my home and the parking is SOOOO easy. I always find parking within a few steps away from a lift entrance.

Tried Kampachi, Sakae Sushi and a Japanese place at the Food Republic already. That's just Japanese which honestly isn't my fave food. (Sacrilege, I know.) Crystal Jade seems to be my permanent home though for its multi-grain hotstone rice dish.

Yeah, the shopping may be for Datins and the rich folks, but the eating's good here... :)

sc said...

guess working in S'pore dont deter you from trying a S'pore chain in M'sia eh? :p

Ciki said...

shop-eat-shop-eat... i like!!! :)

Xiu Long Bao said...

i tried the fried prawn mee @ the outlet in Atria, priced @ $4 for a tiny serving. It seems to be cheaper in msia.

ling239 said...

Oops... assam laksa with no fish ? o.O

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

the prawn mee..was tasteless with abit of lime at best lorr..but didnt capture a pic of that..carrot cake got picture..wanted to blog abt it soon..but why oh why..do u blog abt things ahead of me..wat more set so high writing stds ar?

choi yen said...

I tried the Taiwanese food & Ramen there, not bad, especially the Taiwanese food, always long Q...

Christine said...

i felt the asam laksa is slightly mild for me..and urs seems so much bigger then what i had previosuly..

Sugar Bean said...

We've been to this food court twice. We had Korean food twice. It was quite good but we noticed that the serving of food were getting smaller. Haha!

Tummythoz said...

Kenny Mah, your home near Pavillion? Wow.
Oops sorry hairyberry. Hairyberry = beri bulu. A bit geli, no?

Camemberu said...

Wow Food Republic in KL!? That's quite something. I'm always amazed to see Singapore food chains in Malaysia because I still think KL has so much better food!

Interesting the hokkien mee uses the translucent tanghoon rather than white beehoon.

fatboybakes said...

yerr, its a singapore food chain ah? making an expectorating sound.

Michelle said...

hmm.. worth a try. =P

backStreetGluttons said...

this place is good ! we rate it as the best modern mall food centre in KL !

we have tried 2wice, the vietnamese and the laksa in pan mee. both score above 7 of 10.

what a latest food court should be ( thats a mighty + for singapore...again)

HairyBerry said...

kenny, wah, you stay near pavilion. WOW! are we talking about one of those nearby super expensive studios? WOW! yupe, i agree on the parking. even at 1 pm on a sunday....so much difference compared to One-U...haha!

not sacrilege lah...i must admit that Japanese food is not my fave as well. really. nothing beats a plate of (as cliche as it sounds) hokkien mee...then again, i enjoy variety too. sigh, life as a foodie.

wah, i like your last line lar. and it's so true! eating's really good here. ;)

sc, yupe, yupe. especially when it's good! somehow, i think they did malaysianise the food already. didnt find assam laksa at the singapore branches... ;>

cumi & ciki, woah, shopping at pavilion can really burn pockets (especially if the pocket's not from Boss or Armani)...haha! so, for me, it's eat-eat-eat-eat...i like!!! hehehe...

xiu long bao, yupe, slightly cheaper than singapore but i guess the taste is also different. too bad there's no dim sum stall lar. the one at wisma's kinda good! check it out! ;)

ling239, got fish, me thinks. but they come mashed. no solid pieces one. for that kinda price, i was hoping for some luxury but too bad lor. the soup was cold as well. luckily it was flavourful! ;)

joe, sowry ar bro! i was updating my flickr account yesterday, saw your food republic pics and went, "s@#$! joe's gonna kill me yet again"..haha! dun worry, the next few posts will be very very different, i'm sure. wah, where got high std...me still learning lar ;)

mimi, ohhh, taiwan food eh? ok, ok will check it out. and that ramen shop seems interesting. but i suppose it's halal one lar. hmmm, i wonder what they substitute the char siew with?? hehehe....

HairyBerry said...

christine, really? i thought the portion was kinda huge, even for a glutton like me. when it comes to assam laksa, nothing beats the original penang version, eh? *drooling already*

sugar bean, serving getting smaller? hmm, maybe got something to do with RM2.78 hor? hehehe...the korean food's good? ok, am adding it to my list. i'm glad i uploaded this post! ;)

tummythoz, ya lor, kenny's home near pavilion...WOW! i'm guessing it's that mark's residence or somewhere near jalan nagasari...WOW! beri bulu? memang geli lar..hehe...rambutan jer la... ;)

camemberu, exactly my thoughts! haha! when will some visionary company ever take that wise step of opening a kl foodcourt in singapore, eh? sigh. you know, when i lepak at pavilion, i feel like i'm in singapore..haha! tangs, food republic, breadtalk...hehehe...

i though the tanghoon's too bland compared to the white bee hoon. that's why i still prefer wisma's version ;)

fatboybakes, haha! not that bad lar..haha! and the best part about this foodcourt is the fact that it's clean...and spacious. well, for the price we pay, it ought to be lar. the food's good lar. ok, some. hehehe...

michelle, yupe, do check it out. try thye hong's prawn noodle! the soya bean milk is kinda good as well, but a but ordinary, right? hehehe...

backstreetgluttons, i agree! better than the one with everything under the sun! definitely.
oh, the vietnamese good as well? cool! seems like my list is getting longer and longer.
i like the design of this foodcourt, from the spacing to the chairs. for that, it deserves another ++ ....

Shell (貝殼) said...

i like the 1st photo~~good shot^^

boo_licious said...

sadly, food quality here seems kinda inconsistent. BUT then, I suspect with increasing prices, everything will change soon. When I first ate the prawn noodles, it was so good, the recent time we tried, it wasn't. Sad!

wmw said...

I don't like going to Pavilion...cos that's where my old school used to be. I feel sad! :(

HairyBerry said...

Shell (貝殼), thanks for the compliment. glad you liked it! i have the bright lights at the foodcourt to thanks! ;)

boo_licious, yeah, i think everyone's anticipating the changes associated with the hike...sigh. and yeah, i felt the taste of the prawn noodle changed a bit as well. i still prefer singapore's version ;)

wmw, oh, so you are a bbgs girl lar, is it! a prestigious school turned into a shopping mall...i share your pain...had so much fond memories there as well...sigh

Unknown said...

food republic found its way to pavilion malaysia already? i didn't know that. is it open anywhere else in malaysia?

ladyironchef