By Wei Ruyu, Interview & Report
With an investment of NT$200 million and designed in the retro style of Taiwan's old streets from the 1950s, "Food Republic" has made a dazzling debut at Banqiao Mega City (Mega City) and Taichung Mega City (Top City), bringing together over 20 food vendors offering Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Singaporean, and Southeast Asian cuisines. Many stalls allow visitors to watch the cooking process up close, and there are also spontaneous street vendors during holidays, making you feel as if you've stepped back into the classic flavors of old Taiwan.
"Food Republic" is designed in the style of old Taiwan and offers dining experiences distinct from typical food courts; pictured here is the dining area at Taichung Mega City. (Photo provided by Jizhi PR)
At "Food Republic," you’ll find many delicious offerings not available in typical department store food courts, such as Toast Workshop, Pretty Hotpot, and South Asian Lodi making their Taiwan debuts, along with newly introduced Taiko Pan Oden, Invincible House Thai-Japanese Cuisine, Jinmanyuan Pork Ribs, Guangcheng Vegetarian, Hanji Tiger Noodles, PaPaEgg Japanese Egg Sandwich Workshop, Chengdu Impression Spicy Hotpot... Among them, "Toast Workshop" has received unanimous praise from food critic Hu Tianlan and foodie Xu Tianlin. The "Kaya Toast" perfectly balances its crispy outside and soft inside, with the sweet-salty kaya spread. Also recommended is the combination of Taiwan’s rice vermicelli and authentic Singaporean-flavored laksa.
Additionally, Hu Tianlan is a fan of the oden from "Taiko Pan," a specialty stall that brings authentic Japanese oden to Taiwan, featuring 30–40 representative ingredients from across Japan—including high-quality cheese balls from Tokyo, grilled chikuwa from Tsukiji, the classic codfish tofu, Tokyo’s trendy apple simmered dish, and Fukuoka-style stewed tomatoes... Hu Tianlan said, "The fried burdock tempura here is also delicious, with just the right ratio of fish paste."
Kaya toast (top left), rice vermicelli laksa (top right), rice ball (bottom left), and oden (bottom right) are all delicious picks recommended by food experts!) (Photo by Wei Ruyu, Spotopia)
Xu Tianlin also recommends "Lin Yuan Rice Balls" and "Invincible House Thai-Japanese Cuisine." He feels that Lin Yuan Rice Balls have a well-balanced filling-to-wrapper ratio, making them not greasy, and the sauce enhances the flavor nicely. The pho and handmade squid balls at "Invincible House Thai-Japanese Cuisine" have good texture and taste.
"Food Republic" is part of the Singapore-listed BreadTalk® Group, which has expanded from its founding in Singapore to include over 34 outlets in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand. The group’s chairman, Mr. Kwek Beng Choon, opened his first dragon beard candy stall on Taipei’s Baoqing Road at Far Eastern Department Store in 1982, later developing the Saint-Jean Nanyang Snacks chain in various department store food courts before returning to Singapore to establish BreadTalk®. On returning to the Taiwan market, Kwek, who considers Taiwan his second home, said, "It feels great to be back home!" He plans to continue expanding, providing a multi-sensory experience through themed spaces and continually introducing international food brands to change the public’s perception of food courts and allow consumers to continuously enjoy new culinary trends.
You can watch chefs prepare food up close; pictured here is the freshly made roti from "South Asian Lodi." (Photo by Wei Ruyu, Spotopia)
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