PETALING JAYA, June 23 — For a long time, I have been eyeing the food at Garden to Table. I liked their concept of using their own edible garden for their cafe food.
However with the lockdown, the cafe has been closed to the public but they still operate it on a delivery cum takeaway model.
You can also shop for fresh produce sourced from sustainable farms that use organic or chemical free farming methods. The cafe also uses the same produce in their food items.
Their petite menu covers hot meals, a selection of various snacks and sweets. The hot meals are in sets where you get to sample their bestselling snacks and coffee made using a drip bag.
I like that arrangement since you get to enjoy a lovely lunch followed by afternoon tea. I reckon that makes the weekend so much more pleasurable.
I had ordered last weekend's special sets that they had introduced for Father's Day. This was their nasi kerabu and nasi lemak, perennial favourites for all.
From this week onwards, they have put nasi kerabu on the menu. You also have their nasi ulam which uses brown rice mixed with herbs foraged from their garden. The main protein is a little different as this week's selection is a choice of grilled spiced chicken or potato eggplant sambal.
For my nasi kerabu set (RM38), I had this with their grilled chicken leg paired with percik sauce. Everything on my plate was tasty and nutritious.
Just mix the chopped herbs, shredded vegetables and the salted egg with the blue tinged rice. The salted egg is not too salty with a nice creamy centre as it is preserved by them. You also have lovely fish crackers.
I really enjoyed the grilled chicken. It's free range and it was incredibly fresh. The percik sauce added a nice mild, creaminess to the juicy meat.
For the nasi lemak set (RM35), I paired it with their deep rich tasting buah keluak lamb rendang. The tender meat stewed with coconut milk was decadent and went well with the rice and not overly spicy sambal, fried ikan bilis and peanuts.
For tea time, it was their curry puff, Hong Kong style egg tart and kuih angku. The handmade spiral curry puffs were pure happiness with each bite. The pastry didn't feel so guilty since it was made with butter and Australian organic flour. I also enjoyed the potato filling cooked with coconut oil, onions and curry powder. They use their own homegrown curry leaves. The curry puff also has a portion of hard boiled egg. You can also buy just the curry puffs, where three pieces are sold for RM10.
I also enjoyed the egg tarts that had lovely layers of buttery pastry. They use cultured butter with organic wheat flour while the egg filling is made from antibiotic free eggs. It's not too sweet while the crunchy layers give it a nice decadence. You can also pre-order these for RM15 which will give you four tarts to relish at home.
For the kuih angku I tried, I liked the mung bean filling but I felt the skin needed a little more elasticity. They also offer it in coconut and peanut fillings. You can buy these separately for two pieces for RM5.
From this week's menu, they also have various sourdough croissants, French apple turnovers, sardine roll, tuna puff, buttermilk scones and madeleine.
Pre-orders for the items are required to ensure no food wastage and gives them time to prepare the meals. You can pick up the items from the cafe or arrange for delivery via a third party where the charges are borne by you.
They are closed on June 24 and July 1 but will be open from Friday to Sunday for two weeks.
Garden to Table, 8, Lorong 14/37B, Section 14, Petaling Jaya. Open: 11am to 5pm (Thursday to Sunday). Closed Monday to Wednesday. You can WhatsApp 012-9369738 to pre-order your food. Instagram: @gardentotablepj Facebook: @gardentotablePJ
