Shopping mall restaurants, the kind that are smack dab in the middle of pedestrian walkways, don’t always make sense. These little enclaves are supposed to be convenient sanctuaries for weary shoppers to refuel while enjoying ample people-watching opportunities. Instead, they often end up as annoying obstacles for passers-by, and the diners end up being the watched, like animals in a zoo, as opposed to the watchers. At first glance, the sprawling Siam Paragon branch of L’Espace de L’Oriental would seem like such a place: a fake plant-festooned block of tables set prominently in front of Chloe and Versace; faux-hip waitstaff in neon silk shirts; ambient temperatures that recall northern Germany in early April; and a busload-worth of tourists munching on pad Thai or club sandwiches. But this is the Oriental we’re talking about here, and they’ve learned a few tricks over the years, namely the fact that well-executed food and razor-sharp service makes anyone happy, even us, even with plastic trees overhead, even when we’re shivering, even when we’re on display. Yes, the club sandwich and the Caesar salad are, somewhat predictably, two of the most popular offerings at L’Espace; unpredictably, the salad is a generous helping of fresh, juicy romaine leaves with the creamy Caesar dressing and bacon bits on the side, an acknowledgement of all the salads that have been ruined in this town because of too much dressing. The club sandwich (even with its flimsy, paper-thin bread) comes with handmade mayonnaise flavored with specks of pepper and thick, meaty fries, plus ketchup and mustard on the side. (We really, really like things on the side.) The rest of the menu betrays similarly thoughtful touches. The avocado with crabmeat comes with a half lemon wrapped in cheesecloth to facilitate your squeezing pleasure. A “chef’s recommendation” of deep-fried calamari rings with black bean remoulade comes hot to the table and boasts well-seasoned breading and homemade sauce stuffed inside blanched zucchini “cups.” A decent range of refreshing smoothie offerings that includes the Ruby (beetroot, yogurt, orange juice, honey) and the Opera (strawberry, apple, raspberry and orange) is a nod to all the hard, hard work that goes into shopping. And the vaunted afternoon tea sets include a selection of Mariage Freres teas, genuinely crumbly scones and even Devonshire clotted cream. If there must be a quibble, it would be the desserts: a soft brownie with vanilla crème glacee (a.k.a. ice cream) and pink peppercorn sauce is marred by an overzealous dose of sesame seeds and unnecessarily complex presentation; a lemon tart with lemon sorbet and Melba coulis also suffers from over-thinking. But these quibbles are minor; all in all, this little espace makes sense.