Sunday’s Best for Brunch – Ben’s General Food Store @ Publika
December 11, 2011 | 17,199 views
Slowly, but surely …. I would have written more food posts filed under Publika than any other food experiences from shopping malls in the Klang Valley.
Not to indicate that the choices are of splendid varieties, or the food being exceptionally noteworthy. But the lack of human traffic (depending on the time of visit, okay … don’t say I did not warn you. Go on weekend mornings, if possible), the artsy-fartsy atmosphere coupled by the sheer delight in finding street foods … wait, make that AFFORDABLE street foods under one roof (Eat Food Village), and you have a winning combination.
Oh, what if you crave for something slightly upmarket than the yam rice, chili pan mee and Hokkien mee? Then try Ben’s General Food Store @ Ben’s Independent Grocer. A deli-cum-restaurant serving all day meals; but staggered selections for different meals.
And I tell you, the human’s mind react amazingly to the slightest stimulus to the senses. And the sheer volume of delectable information streaming through the mind from the open display counter assaulted the mind into a gluttony overdrive. Almost seamlessly. And before you know it, your table’s packed with food you can barely finish.
If you can stomach a whole lamb shank for brunch, then by all means …. go crazy. Or share this, if it’s not an off-day. You would not want to be burping gamey lamb aroma and slipping into a doze after lunch, would you?
Mushroom Lasagna (RM19.90/USD7) coupled with a salad of choice. This one being Roasted Cod Fish with Pineapples; a tangy mix of sweet pineapples with tomatoes, cubed cucumber and lavish mayo-based dressing; and speckles of pepper.
Tucking in into the Mushroom Lasagna; a safe choice and a damn good one at that. Hearty portions good for two if you’re having other sides. Not as rich as imagined, with melted layers of slightly burnt cheese over earthy combination of mushrooms (of loaded proportions) in a creamy sauce. Highly recommended even if you’re not a vegetarian. Like me.
Notice the wicked choice of enamel-coated plates reminiscing the good old days when our elder generations used to tuck in from theirs? And this pasta-salad is termed Orecchiette Pasta; a chewy pasta shaped like half a sphere with sweet baby peas (of good quality, without the un-thawed sensation), rocket leaves and shavings of parmesan. (RM11.90/USD4 for a separate portion). However, this pasta was not impressive probably owing to the rather bland flavours and the chilled temperature.
On a salad overdose; we also picked the Panzanella Bread Salad (RM9.90/USD3.30) that came with capers, capsicum, tomatoes, rocket, basil and garlic with anchovies. The dressing for this was of a slight acerbic tinge; with the bread soaked with vinegar and olive oil lending a substantial touch to the otherwise light starter.
Cottage Pie (RM19.90/USD7); no doubt the heaviest dish of the lot (bear in mind this was just brunch), the lavish amount of potatoes with plentiful of delicious minced beef in a tomato-based gravy underneath got us polishing this off slower than expected. Don’t underestimate the satiating power of potatoes, I tell you.
There were also spit-roasted chicken (RM39.90 whole bird, RM25.90 for half), tempting pizzas (about 20 varieties of delights with thinner crust and of lighter texture from what we observed), creamy gratins, etc that we could not help but put off for another visit. Oh … did I mention DESSERTS?
The usual cake selection from Ben’s, and I set my sights upon the Red Velvet. Okay …. next round then.
I would not say that everything tasted fabulous from that one meal alone. But the deli-like ambience coupled with a very laid-back nature of tucking in into platefuls of shared salads, pastas, mains and such ….. it’s definitely a communal affair. Bring families, friends and even strangers if you want.
“There’s something deeply therapeutic about sharing meals and sipping on latte on a lazy, lazy Sunday morning.“
“So, what are you eating today?”
BEN’S GENERAL FOOD STORE (pork-free)
@ Ben’s Independent Grocer,
UG1 – 1A, Level UG1,
Publika, Solaris Dutamas.
Official website of Publika
*Read my previous Eat Food Village + Chatime review, and another piece on Ben’s @ KLCC.
No pizzas?? Next time must try their pizzas.. very good! I love their truffle funghi pizza 🙂
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 12th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Sure! A bit heavy for us this time around, and we were also tempted to try the lamb meatballs too. Next time then.
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Have read tonnes of post regarding this place.. Food there look really nice!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 12th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Indeed, you’d tend to order more than what you can eat. Seriously.
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I find it best to visit Publika after 4 (weekend) and weekdays after 6, parking will be a breeze. 😉
The BIG Group recently opened another outlet of Ben’s there too (on top of EAT Food Village, at the corner), and Plan B soon, domination :/
And bro mind sharing what camera are you using? I’m impressed with the quality!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 12th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Hi Ed, I am using a D7000 (DSLR). Thanks, still a lost sheep when it comes to the functions and such.
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I still haven’t been to Publika yet! Looks like a food haven with so much nice stalls.. I’m particularly eying the Chili pan mee actually, but the Ben’s general food store looks good too! Gotta head over there one weekend!
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 12:01 am
Yeah .. please do. Before they become too crowded and having a meal there is like war. Now’s still okay.
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Is that RM 94.50 a kilo for the grilled terung and labu and RM103.60 for the cendawan ?! Eye-watering, spoken as someone who cooks this stuff at home a couple of times a week.
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J2Kfm Reply:
December 13th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Haha … I guess it boils down to the price you’re willing to fork out for take away from Ben’s, of all places.
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I’ve been interning here in Publika for the past 3 months and was lucky enough to have enjoyed all the food that comes with it. There also a VinegPlus vinegar bar just outside BIG and you just have got to try it! I suggest you try the Jackfruit Joy, or nutri if you can’t take the strong flavour.
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went to the one at publika.
had a terrible time there – have never experienced such poor service level in any restaurant. we had a reservation earlier, but the store manager made us wait for half hour. this is understandable as the customers have not left yet, but he didn’t do anything until we request to be seated at the outside first, while waiting for our reserved place to be available. next, the store manager didn’t allow us to make our order. we requested for plain water to be served, but it didn’t come. this happened many times, when we ordered for refill or requested for utensils. at one point a wait staff even purposefully ignored us when we were gesturing for him right under his nose!
terrible service not worth going at all
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