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

Food Republic @ VivoCity

Final installation of the exaggerated Mum visit saga.

We were at VivoCity. One of the latest, biggest shopping malls on the island.

I insisted on an extravagant lunch as the girls will be leaving in a few hours. But they were more interested in shopping. Thank you, Chrismas Sale. And you too, Daiso, for the super long queue and the very affordable S$2.00 items. So, the quickest fix for the hunger pang was doing lunch at Food Republic, a neo-classic food court on the third floor of VivoCity.

Well, I wouldn't call that a quick fix as finding seats during lunchtime can prove to be a game of chess, not with me but Garry Kasparov, that is. Once you've conquered a table, you proudly (and slowly) sit on your victory throne, sympathising those still in search of a seat (complete with the 8-beat tsk, tsk, tsk sound effect that would make any beatboxer proud).

Didn't want to revisit the famous stalls, I went for the rather low-profile Beef Hor Fun (stir-fried flat, broad rice noodles with beef). I must apologise for not remembering the price. But it should be in the S$5-6 range. And it did not take me long to realise why people flock to the Hokkien Prawn Noodle stall instead. The whole dish was bland, with just a minimum hint of soya sauce.The amount of sauce was also overwhelming. As you can see, I had to resort to lots of pickled green chilies to perk up the tastebuds. There weren't much ingredients in the noodles too, except for some beansprouts and pieces of beef. But if you are really hungry and taste is not of a concern, the generous portion should attract you. To be fair, I thought the pieces of beef were fresh and smooth (not from the starch coating).

As stated earlier, Mum really knows best. Not just about their children, but also food. Look at what she ordered. The infamous Depot Road's Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa (around S$6-7) that was worth queueing up for.

Served piping hot, the curry was rich and aromatic, thanks to the generous amount of coconut milk. Spiciness was kept minimum, just the way I like it. The al dente thick bee hoon (vermicelli) was the perfect choice as it was rather bland au contraire to the flavourful curry. Other ingredients in the curry included slices of fishcake, hard-boiled egg, beansprouts and dried beancurd. As with any typical Singapore-style laksa, chopped kafir lime leaves were added to provide a touch of freshness to the dish. Thoughtful, I reckoned. Heck, the aroma was so invigorating, the family next to us couldn't resist but to queue up for a pot of magic.

The girls also bought some fried fritters and soya bean milk. The fritters were huge and soft, with crispy skin to boost.The soya milk was dense and flavourful too.

I'll definitely be back to savour the rest of the hawker delights. Ok, higher-priced hawker delights. And brush up my chess skills too, in the meantime.

My initial plan to wrap up their visit with a light dinner at Golden Mile Food Centre was scrapped as the girls continued their cardio workout until the last hour before boarding the bus back to KL.

Food Republic
#03-01,
1 HarbourFront Walk
Singapore 098585
Tel: (+65) 6276 0521