Revisit: the food court @ Food Republic (Citygate), Hong Kong

Malaysian and Korean food - these are two of my favourite cuisines that I haven't eaten much of since we moved to Hong Kong. The last time we ate both was almost 4 months ago, and it wasn't even at a proper restaurant (but it was very good dolsot bibimbap!). On a recent rainy weekend morning, we decided to head into the Citygate Outlet again to endure some clothes shopping because the boy needed clothes for the hot season that actually fitted him. (Yes, we live above a very nice shopping mall with plenty of clothing stores, but unfortunately most of them are brand names and prohibitively priced, especially for a toddler who outgrows clothes and shoes every season!) I guess it's a good thing that we only need to do this once every 4 months, because clothes shopping isn't our favourite family pastimes for everyone involved, but even I have to admit that it is one way to productively spend a rainy morning.

Like the last time we were at Citygate, we opted for a quick lunch at the Food Republic food court, and once again we ate from the same stalls (only because those were the kind of food that we don't get much opportunity to eat). I really liked the Dolsot Bibimbap from the Korean stall, and after 4 months of going without Korean food, I had a serious hankering for a good hot bowl of dolsot bibimbap. And that bowl of bibimbap was pretty awesome - Rob and I were both fighting for the crispy burnt rice at the bottom. Wouldn't it be great if dolsot bibimbap was prepared on a hot plate to give a bigger surface area for more rice to be burnt? Perhaps not many people share my love for the crunchy burnt rice, but that would make me a happy gal.

Super hot Dolsot Bibimbap:

Rob ordered the Singaporean Laksa from the Singaporean stall, and he thought it was pretty decent except for the type of noodles used (thick rice vermicelli, which he also thought was a bit mushy and overcooked). He prefers his laksa with yellow mee or kuay teow. I thought that the laksa gravy tasted authentic enough (with tofu puff, prawns, egg and beansprouts), but perhaps not spicy enough (easily fixed with the additional chilli powder provided at the condiments section of the stall). I am with Rob on the noodles though - I personally prefer kuay teow or bee hoon (thin rice vermicelli) in my laksa.

Curry Laksa:

The boy had to settle for a packed meal from home because we couldn't take any chances with his multiple food allergies, especially more so at a food court that offers food of various Asian cuisines (we all know how much Asians love to use soy, sesame and peanuts in their food). We want our son joining in on the dining experience whenever we go out to eat, and that's why we have been purposely avoiding the Asian cuisine when we dine out. I really hope he will outgrow his food allergies so that he can enjoy the pleasure of eating all kinds of food without those sort of limitations.

Food Republic (Citygate)
2/F, Citygate Outlets
20 Tat Tung Road
Tung Chung, Hong Kong