Grill Republic has found a new home in Wellington after the closing of The Courtyard at Reading Cinemas. They have now moved to the Food Court in Johnsonville Mall, which is surprising to some. However, due to the large Filipino community there, I see it as very logical and some might say it could be a drawcard for people to actually eat at Johnsonville Mall. Some of the food that I have discussed below I did have when they were at The Courtyard, but also at their new premises.
Crispy Belly Pork
I loved the amount of pork with the ratio of rice. I also like that there is some musculin mixed into the dish. I know it is not much but presentation wise it makes it look like you are eating a more healthy dish. The pork was really nicely cooked and tender and I loved the coating over it. It was crisp and not too overpowering in flavour. The mayonnaise was really nice and I loved the “barbeque” sauce on top of the rice as well. Overall a great dish. Also, I had this at The Courtyard. However, it is on offer in J’ville.
Long Silog (Pork Sausage w Sunny Side-up Egg)
I didn’t know what I expected from this dish, but as it was different and I decided to give it a try. They use two different types of sausage one sweeter than the other. I was surprised to see how juicy the sausage was and not try and tough. The egg was alright but the yolk was pretty bright yellow and not the darker rich yolk you usually get from a free range egg. When you add the rice with all the different elements this was a bloody good dish. Also, had this at The Courtyard.
Pinoy Meal Combo
Pinoy Spaghetti, Fried Chicken and Pandesal
I had this at their new premises and is a new offering or limited offering. I ordered this purely because it said Fried Chicken. The Pandesal bread was really nice and was slightly sweet and was very similar to garlic bread. The Pinoy Spaghetti flavour wise really nice. It was a sweeter version of bolognese and also used pork mince I think. The pasta though was a bit too soft for my liking. The Fried Chicken was really good. It tasted as it had five spice in the coating and added a very nice twist to the more American version. Overall the dish was really good.
Overall some great food here and great that they have found a new home in Johnsonville. I would like to try their Boodle Feast which looks totally insane and so good. I also feel it has benefited Johnsonville mall which is looking really old and dated but does bring people to eat in their food court.
Address: Johnsonville Shopping Mall 34 Johnsonville Rd, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037
Facebook Page: Grill Republic
Trencherman's Travels 