When you eat at a franchise restaurant what you’re paying for is consistency. You know that what you’re getting and paying will be the same no matter which particular franchise you’re eating at. So it was quite disappointing that when we made a pit stop at the Nunawading Pappa Rich (which is part of the Brandsmart shopping center) that the food here was definitely not as good as its counterparts.
Like most PRs, this PR in Nunawading was hectic – but this was different as the staff seemed way more harried. Also, the restaurant is more crowded and louder, as they’ve tried to put as many tables and chairs as they could get away with.
Arriving at the peak of lunchtime on a weekend, we had a five minute wait before we got a table. My assam laksa (fish laksa) was disappointing. A few flakes of fish (mackerel, I think) in this weak flavoured broth. A proper assam laksa broth is deep in flavour – it’s unapologetically fishy, sour and salty. This was a stock cube broth. A few token pieces of pineapple, a mound of cucumber and lots of noodles with no proper chunks of fish. It wasn’t tasty and I didn’t finish it (the Lawyer finished it as he was hungry, but not because it was particularly nice).
The Lawyer’s combination hor fun a smidge better, but still quite average. A moderate amount of noodles but the gravy was watery and tasted like stock cubes; while the slices of chicken and seafood were bland.
The Lawyer also got a red bean drink. This was the best item for the day, which isn’t saying much. Very icy, a moderate amount of red beans in sweetened milk slushie.
Verdict
Food – 5.5
Ambience – 6.5
Service – 6.5
Price – 6.5
Overall
Definitely not the best Pappa Rich restaurant. I’d avoid this one in the future.
Address
Pappa Rich
Brand Smart
288 Whitehorse Rd
Nunawading 3131
Telephone: 9878 8860
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