serves ALL house made, healthy & hearty.

BY VANESSA R. SINGH

Opened January 28, The Pantry as its name represents, is a little ‘gourmet café’ that opened in the secluded Lorong Kurau, Bangsar. As Chef Lee (one of three partners) studied and was certified by Le Cordon Bleu in the UK, a lot of his dishes

have a British twist and were inspired from his days learning and exploring in England. In England, there are countless amounts of healthy and organic eateries – which are something that our country, Malaysia lacks. With this outlook, Chef Lee started the Pantry.

The pantry is completely pork and alcohol free – this was done to make sure that the café could cater to the entire neighbourhood. Chef Lee wanted the place to be accessible by people from all walks of life, which complements the name of his café and his neighbour concept.

Egg benedict fans, you are going to love the menu here. The range of different versions of Eggs Benedict will sweep you off your feet, from the traditional Eggs Benedict, to a healthy gluten-free version where Portobello mushroom replaces the bun. If you’re looking out for a healthier version of your favourite breakfast the “Portobello Florentine” is calling out to you. This vegan dish does not contain any meat at all; it is gluten-free with poached eggs, wilted spinach and melted cheddar with homemade hollandaise sauce.

If you’re a fan of salad, the duck salad is a must try. Despite it being a salad, the dish is hearty due to the generous amount of duck served on the plate. Some of you may not like salads especially ones with bitter ingredients such as the beetroot, walnuts and bitter vegetables in general. However, the watery rose apple fruit (also known as jambu air) accompanied by the orange slices and the homemade honey mustard – works in a way that makes the healthy dish taste yummy.

Avoiding rice has been a major tool in an individual’s weight loss regime these days and a lot have replaced it with quinoa. The Quinoa salad here is served on a bed of deliciously roasted vegetables and pomegranate molasses which complement the vinegary taste from the vegetables.

Burger fans, on the other hand, should try their Dynamite Soft-shelled Crab burger. The soft-shelled crab and its fillings can be

found wrapped between two supple handmade brioche buns. The Sourdough is made fresh every morning together with their cakes and house-made sauces as well as other pastries such as the Rose and Raspberry croissant – which is their signature pastry here. Although it’s a bit too sweet, eating it with the raspberry coulee will balance it all out.

However, they do serve other meals like the buttermilk chicken

and pastas (dishes Malaysians can’t live without), if you’re feeling

particularly more Malaysian.

Onto their desserts! The Passion fruit cheesecake

is to die for and the macaroons such as

the Maldon Sea-Salt Caramel

macaroon are specially

The Pantry Your friendly neighbourhood “gourmet cafe”

9, Lorong Kurau, Taman Bukit Pantai, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

made. The Maldon sea-salt used by for the macaroon comes all the way from Maldon in the UK. I’m not a fan of caramel due to its sweetness but the caramel filling in this is made with such attention to technicality that the caramel is cooked thoroughly to avoid it from being too sweet. The salt in its crust compliments the sweet caramel taste. Passion fruit with Milk Chocolate macaroon (passion fruit chocolate ganache) is a little on the sour side but it’s ideal for those who love things like chocolate oranges with a dash of sourness. The Vanilla Coconut macaroon with a hint of salt on the other hand, is made more interesting compared to the plain ol’ vanilla and coconut ice-cream-like taste.

For drinks, fruits are slow-juiced here so you get the preserved nutrients such as the Detoxifier. I am someone who’s not a fan of beetroot but the combination of flavours outweighs the bitter beetroot and makes it taste very refreshing as it counters the bitterness. The Immunity Booster basically tastes like orange juice and is your way to a healthy dose of vitamin C.

Not a coffee connoisseur? Fret not! The home brewed Flat White is ideal for those who aren’t that into coffee but would like some caffeine … I’m honestly not one for coffee, but this was the most delicate and smooth-sailing cup of coffee I’ve ever had (no joke). As Chef Lee said, it is so mild that you wouldn’t need to add sugar into it even if you’re not someone who likes coffee. Those of you who are always on the lookout for something new to try, the Rose Caffe Latte would be your interesting and wild new try - I was stunned

by the idea of rose plus coffee. Like who would drink something like that? My oh my was I wrong, with a sip of it you’ll start to get a slight hint of rose, take another sip and you’ll taste coffee. Surprisingly the rose content doesn’t seem to overpower the actual coffee taste at all. If you’re up for some tea then you’ll have a wide selection of fine teas from Harney & Sons.

The Pantry are collaborated with their neighbouring coffee-specialist, Pulp by Papa Palheta. Part of the proceeds from

their coffee will go to Kebajikan Suara Kanak-Kanak Malaysia (SUKA)

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Smoked Duck Salad Herbed Quinoa Salad

Rose Latte

KL LIFESTYLE l 39 38 l KL LIFESTYLE