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FJ's relatively new "MEDZS" Mediterranean-styled foodcourt located in the basement of Orchard Central is featured in an article (re-produced below) in today's BT.....
"Published July 9, 2011
Theme work
An all-Mediterranean food court, a contest that pits six ramen shops against each other - F&B operators are raising the stakes with creatively packaged dining concepts. By Tan Teck Heng
MEDZS
181 Orchard Road
Orchard Central
#B2-01/03
IF YOU'RE a food court operator and you're tired of the run-of-the-mill fluorescent lights screaming 'Chicken Rice', 'Yong Tau Foo' and 'Mixed Economy Rice', what do you do?
You up the stakes - and your prices - by creating a vibrant new eating concept that bridges the gap between common food court fare and gourmet restaurants. With that in mind, Food Junction launched MEDZS, a sprawling Mediterranean dining concept in the basement of Orchard Central.
Open since March, the almost 8,000 sq ft space is decked out with powder blue cafe dining chairs, textured stone counter tops, and intricate pendant lamps made from stained glass and bronze. The interiors, incidentally, were created by high-flying DP Architects - known for landmark projects like the Esplanade and Resorts World Sentosa.
'Our vision is for MEDZS to be a food haven for connoisseurs of all things Mediterranean and it is important to provide an authentic setting in the restaurant to enhance that experience,' says customer relations manager Claudine Tay.
The self-service, multi-store restaurant utilises a cashless-card payment system where patrons only foot the bill at the end of their visit. Ms Tay elaborates that the concept best replicates the feel of a bazaar, by providing a 'complete sensory experience' where customers get to 'smell (the food) as it's being cooked' and 'see it freshly prepared before them', she says.
While the similarity with Marche is unavoidable, MEDZS prides itself on sourcing its chefs from the Mediterranean countries or nearby to ensure the authenticity of its cuisine. One example is the Lamb Pastilla ($7), a typical Moroccan dish which is unusual in that it has a light dusting of icing sugar.
Overseeing the kitchens is executive chef Mus Anesrif, a Moroccan who has been in Singapore for over 10 years.
Pricing is definitely the attraction, with most dishes priced at $10 or under, such as a nicely done roast pork belly and the hot-selling duck confit (both $10). No wonder, then, that the restaurant attracts hordes of both expatriates and heartlanders on a typical weekday evening.
Does this mean that Food Junction - which also owns the Japanese restaurant Tetsu - is eschewing its humble business model in favour of going upmarket?
'Food courts are still our main core business, but we're moving with the trend,' says Ms Tay. 'We are going into lifestyle concepts, and we expect to do more of them.'"
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Went there last week for lunch with my colleagues, as it was a weekday there were little customers @ around 30% capacity. I noticed it took quite a bit of time for each order despite them spread out over the counters. I'm thinking the wait should be quite unbearable during peak hours? That said the food is quite value for money I think.
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