Spring & Summer Appetizers: Food Republic Selects 4 Themed Gourmet Meals

The popular food brand “Food Republic,” under Singapore-listed group BreadTalk, has specially selected signature seasonal dishes from its 28 outlets at its world-exclusive flagship store—the Dazhi branch—to recommend for Taiwan’s spring and summer seasons in April. Moreover, it is pioneering among Taiwan’s food courts by introducing cultural and creative events within its dining space. In April, the first wave featured master calligrapher Li Qinghe, director of the Cross-Straits China Calligraphy Museum, and 85-year-old crystal bead painting artist Zhang Jintian, who gave live demonstrations at the Dazhi flagship store. Their large artworks were also exhibited. Additionally, the Dazhi flagship store, along with two other branches—Taichung and Banqiao—jointly held a children’s art competition, attracting nearly 20,000 elementary school students to sign up!

Though spring has arrived, Taiwanese weather already hints at summer heat. In response to the sudden temperature shift from the cooler winter, the Dazhi flagship store has carefully picked 4 themed gourmet meals focusing on “sour” and “spicy” flavors to whet appetites, chosen from hundreds of international dishes across its 28 restaurants. The first flagship store is “Toast Workshop,” where the chef recommends the authentic and perfectly reproduced “Spicy Shrimp Yong Tau Foo Instant Noodles” from Singapore. Food Republic General Manager Tsai Chen-shi said that Toast Workshop’s Yong Tau Foo noodles import all ingredients and seasonings directly from Singapore, retaining the original taste entirely. The richly aromatic broth combines sour-spicy notes with soft, chewy instant noodles. The sourness is balanced by spiciness, paired with crispy yet tender fish slices and fresh, sweet shrimp. A final touch of imported condensed milk before serving enhances the dish, ensuring customers find it appetizing from the first to the last bite—no difficulty handling the sour or spice.

 

The second is the exotic creative restaurant “Thai Yummi.” The owners’ background is quite interesting—they are two idealistic women who opened this Thai eatery. Originally non-cooks, the owners won third place in Taipei’s fried rice competition with their “Wang Wang Fried Rice.” Its refreshing taste makes it an ideal lunch choice for office workers. Additionally, the authentic Thai-style dry mixed MAMA noodles taste just like those from Thai street stalls—a guaranteed must-try for a flavorful spring or summer lunch.

Tsai Chen-shi highly recommends “Tamari Nepalese Curry,” whose signature set meal features authentic Nepalese curry blended with Indian spices and coconut milk, poured over turmeric rice and served with appetizing side dishes. It delivers an unforgettable layered flavor in the mouth, an intoxicating taste that is rare to find in Taiwan. The last recommendation is “Dovas Vietnamese-Style Pho,” which uses unique creativity and diverse thinking to create a variety of new pho dishes. Vietnamese pho alone can be transformed into 30 exquisite combinations, allowing you to freely choose your main dish to pair with the light and refreshing Vietnamese pho when appetite wanes during seasonal transitions.

Tsai Chen-shi said, “Alongside our April spotlight on spring and summer dishes, Food Republic customers can also enjoy a unique cultural feast in this creative space. The first special exhibition invites calligraphy master Li Qinghe, director of the China Calligraphy Museum, to kick things off. Teacher Li Qinghe breaks through traditional calligraphy styles with his uniquely innovative fonts. His calligraphy blends traditional Chinese writing techniques with painting methods, allowing both adults and children who love calligraphy to easily create their own imaginative spaces. Another featured figure is crystal bead painting artist Zhang Jintian, an 85-year-old woman known as the ‘Bead Granny.’ She transforms flat paintings into unique 3D works by attaching glass beads that reflect and refract light from various angles.”

 

Additionally, Tsai Chen-shi noted that besides inviting the two masters for cultural exhibitions at the Dazhi flagship store, continuing from the drawing competition held after the flagship store’s opening late last year, April also expanded the event to the Taichung and Banqiao branches, jointly launching a graphic and text creativity competition. Text-based creativity was added as a competition element, connecting with Food Republic’s “foodie” culture. The goal is to provide children with a stage for boundless creative expression, with award ceremonies to be held at all branches on Mother’s Day, May 12.