Food Foundry @ Happy Mansion Section 17 PJ - A Disappointment

Many have asked if I find this whole food blogging thing a hassle since it does look like much effort has been put into it. Frankly speaking - no, not at the moment and I hope, never. I've always enjoyed writing and taking pictures, I reckon this is going to be on going for awhile.

Food Foundry

I found myself circling around various parts of PJ on a sunny Saturday noon - in hunt for a late bite.

It was a mere coincidence that I ended up in section 17, making rounds at the parking lot of some low cost flats - as bizarre as the location could be, there were quite of number of eateries there with my elephant (Been to the one in Hartamas, read about it Here) and Food Foundry being part of the lots.

I have to reiterate, I find the location extremely bizarre - occupying the ground floor and spanning across three blocks of low cost flat are some pretty unique standalone restaurants. I mean - who would have known? Word of mouth is so powerful.

The modern café concept where everything seems dramatically white, made me reminisce a little about cafés along the beach, influenced by the garden concept. The minimalist look - wooden benches and murals, added a simple twist to a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

I liked the open-air idea - with sun light beaming in while devouring good food and people watching. What I didn't like about Food Foundry was the damp air and heat that made the fans no good. Perhaps I should've sat further inside, but I was attracted to the comfy couch. Maybe it's time to get an air conditioner in place to tackle the scorching heat and to get some cool air circulating.

Some nifty gritty stuff on display.

When I first heard about Food Foundry, it was because of the dreadful food - that was years back. Bypassing the new restaurant syndrome, time would tell eventually. Let's see.

Ice Peach Tea. Rm3.00.

Foundry Burger. Rm19.00.

The Foundry burger is essentially a very basic burger - grilled beef patty topped with caramelized onion, a slice of cheese and the usual salads.

Now, let's start with the good stuff. The burger buns were soft and lightly toasted - I liked that. The patty was dense, a little dry and a tinge too salty but I still managed to gobble it down. The slice of cheese - I don't even want to talk about the cheddar, isn't it obvious that it has been carelessly stacked on top of the patty with no intention to get it melted prior whatsoever? Also, the caramelized onions, practically tasteless and probably leftovers from yesterday's mixture. The fries - looked and tasted stale, like it has been sitting in the fryer for awhile. The coleslaw - no seasoning at all, as I only taste mayo.

Pardon the harsh words but Ramly does better.

Chicken Cordon Bleu. Rm18.00.

The chicken cordon bleu looked amazing when served and even better when I sliced through - oozing with piping hot melted cheese with a slice of ham in between - of course I was delighted.

First bite - I found the chicken breast to be extremely dry, to the point that I was frantically looking for extra gravy and chilli sauce for more substance and flavours. The gravy that came with it didn't do much justice to the combination either. Perhaps it was my confused taste buds for having this right after my savoury burger, as it was on the brim of tastelessness.

Vanilla Millie Crepe. Rm9.00.

How can one not love Mille crepes? I love mine, do you?

I was told that Food Foundry was one of the first few restaurants in town that came up with the Millie crepe idea. Naturally, I would assume it was a-awesome like that, not to mention my hopping around millie crepes outlets earlier during the year, I can't help but be a little biased.

This version was pretty decent, a little too creamy perhaps. Still, it was okay - I managed to finish it all up.

Overall Rating: 5/10 for the ambiance and maybe the cakes. Despite the scorching heat, we sat there, people watching while chilling over ice peach tea for a good 3 hours, just catching up and stuff. By the end of the day, food and friendly service speaks far more eloquently than ambiance to me - don't think I will be popping by anytime soon.

Food Foundry is located at:

BG8 Happy Mansion, Jalan 17/13, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

03-7955 3885

Located on the ground floor of Happy Garden flats.