L-Table @ Lavender, 1-Utama Petaling Jaya

Lavender Bakery was established in 2000 in Johor and even before they made their way to the Klang Valley shore, I have heard much about this bakery in the south. Their mooncakes have always been well received and friends from Johor would always bring back these delightful pastries in the lovely Lavender cake boxes. With a few bakery outlets established in some Klang Valley shopping malls in the last few years, their latest outlet in 1-Utama showcases a bistro as well. The bistro is located behind the bakery and not really visible from the entrance. Lately they have placed a standee menu at the bakery entrance, so I guess now more people are aware that there is a dining premise inside.

I like the clean simple deco of the bistro, chic with a contemporary feel. There is a semi-open kitchen to one side and you can see the chefs bustling about inside. Their dinner menu spots a rather limited range at the moment. Under the “Starters” category, there are only 4 items presently. Invigorated by the smells of baking bread as I entered, I just had to have some bread and their Three Dips with Toasted Garlic Baguette (RM16) was an obvious choice for me. The 3 dips were House-made Tomato Salsa, Olive Tapenade and Mashed Cannellini Beans and they went well with the thick toasted garlic baguettes.

I love the Summer Salad with Mustard Dressing (RM12) – this is one of the most refreshing salads I have had! A huge bowl of the freshest greens (yes, they tasted like they’ve just been plucked!), topped with slices of juicy oranges, sweet plump strawberries and sprinkled generously with pine nuts… we dug in with great relish! I enjoyed the sourish tang of the dressing which really perked up my appetite.

LL had the Squid Ink Seafood Linguine (RM25). I stole a forkfull of this… hmmm… while it didn’t disappoint – the clams and squid were fresh and succulent, it wasn’t spectacular. The linguine was a bit overcooked as I prefer my pasta to be on the al dente side.

My Miso Black Cod with Sauteed Mushrooms (RM45) scored much better. It was served with organic black pearl quinoa and a stalk of asparagus. I love the chewy grainy quinoa with its fluffy texture and nutty flavour. The generous-sized chunk of codfish was sweetly fresh and flaky… the fresh mushrooms were excellent accompaniment too. Yes, I would order this again, definitely.

There are only 4 Entrees in their menu and I will definitely be going back to try their French Lamb Rack and Mediterranean Seafood. I think I will also give their pasta another go … I want to try their Lobster Fettuccine with Lobster Bisque and Tagliatelle with Truffle Tartar. I didn’t get to taste their soups this time and next time round, I should make tummy space for their Chilled Cucumber Soup with Gin Jelly…sounds intriguing eh! Prices are pretty decent too.

In addition to their western repertoire, they do serve some local dishes for lunch like chicken rice, nasi lemak, fried noodles etc.  It’s located in the “new” Old Wing of 1-Utama, it’s in the same row as Putien, Carl’s Jr and Pasta Zanmai.

L-Table @ Lavender Bakery
G-213 Ground Floor
1-Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7728-6933