One of the most well-themed food courts that we have come across, Food Republic City Square Mall at Basement 3 will take you back in time with nostalgic vibes and retro photo spots.
Retro Decor at Food Republic City Square Mall
As you approach the City Square Mall food court, you will be drawn in by interesting decor that looks like it is straight out of the past.
In fact, the City Square Mall Food Republic food court conjures up the feels of stepping into an open air hawker centre of old – but with all the modern perks of an air conditioned environment and a variety of food options.
The food court will make you feel as if the various stalls have been set up in an open air car park. All around, there are signs and transport-related decor. Old bicycles stand propped up against the walls while traffic signs point towards “More Lots Ahead”. This is particularly apt since the Food Republic food court occupies what used to be a portion of City Square Mall’s car park.
The fairy lights strung out on the ceiling above makes it feel a festive temporary market of old. We also liked how the dining tables were rather nostalgic looking too, with some having pseudo-marble veneer tops.
Nostalgic Photo Spots
There are also Instagrammable corners around the food court. For example, there is a barber shop corner, complete with posters of different styles of haircuts that customers can choose from plastered on the wall.
Another corner has a “Food Republic Taxi Services” kiosk, complete with wooden panelling and a stone bench. This is a throw back to the days when there used to “radio taxi” kiosks around the island that coordinated the booking of the taxis.
If you wish to pop by to take pictures at these corners, it would be best to do so when the food court has just opened. If not, you may attract the curious looks of the hungry diners at the food court.
Food at Food Republic City Square Mall
There are a total of 12 stalls at Food Republic City Square Mall. These are:
- HJH Maimunah Restaurant
- Shock Japanese
- Halim’s Fish Soup
- Brisket King Beef Noodles
- Sumber Ayam Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodle
- Fan Fan Claypot Rice & Herbal Bak Kut Teh
- Formosa Delight Handmade Noodles
- Jia Jia Le Cuisine
- Thye Hong Fried Prawn Noodles
- Gaga Roasted Delights
- Quench!
Even the stalls’ frontages are designed to look like pushcarts to blend in with the theme of the food court.
The stall with the longest queue at the food court is HJH Maimunah Restaurant. Established in the 1990s, the well known stall serves traditional kampong-style Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Signature dishes include Sundanese Grilled Chicken, Lemak Siput and barbecued fish.
We ordered a plate filled with delectable dishes and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the yellow curry.
Another dish that we ordered from HJH Maimunah Restaurant was the tahu telur, which was a generous heap of tofu with a lovely crisp from being fried.
We also tried the curry chicken noodles from Sumber Ayam Hainanese Chicken Rice. The curry was luscious and chicken was tender, even though we would have preferred it to be deboned.
We also hear that there are ice balls sold at the food court. Ice balls are a nostalgic throwback to the past and would have been a sweet treat for kids. In the past, they would have been held in the hand but they get served in bowls (for hygiene reasons obviously) at the food court.
We think that the Basement 3 food court is a nice place to grab a meal in a retro looking setting. If you are intending to try the nasi padang from the HJH Maimunah Restaurant stall, we recommend coming early as the queues can get rather long.
If you are looking for more food stories, you may be interested in this affordable dim sum spot close by.
