Time Out Kuala Lumpur Readers' Survey 2012

Events

il Lido Valentine's menu
Their five-course menu titillates with homemade smoked duck ravioli with porcini..
Zuan Yuan CNY special
The yee sang will make an appearance along with three special menus.
Chalet Rendezvous Valentine's..
Start off with the warm asparagus and truffle parfait with Morel Madiera jus.
Aria Valentine's menu
The Italian joint is stretching Valentine's for three days with a special menu.

The Loaf

Updated: 29 Apr 2009

By Rosheen Fatima

Known for their baked goods, The Loaf’s many main dishes and appetisers are often overlooked. Yet who can blame the customer when they step into the restaurant cum bakery, for heading straight for the breads and pastries when the freshly baked aroma wafting from the kitchen gives them little choice. I, however, did not succumb. I marched straight past their shelves of wheat delights and headed up the stairs, where thankfully the smell of baking did not follow.

Intrigued by the descriptions on the menu, my partner and I take our seats and scan the menu. Always a fan of Ceasar Salads, I order it as a starter. Not a time-consuming dish, the Ceasar Salad at the Loaf took a surprising 20 minutes to arrive at our table. And it wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken bacon was so minuscule and skimped on that I could barely taste it and had to search for it in my not-so-large serving of salad. And the overall taste was rather underwhelming.

Disappointed but still hopeful, we looked forward to our mains. I had the roast chicken breast with mushroom ragoût, and mashed potato. The moment I had the first bite, I forgot all about my salad. With its subtle flavours, the meal was a delicate balancing act between the chicken, the earthy mushroom and the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth potato. An act which it pulled off with a resounding success. At RM38, despite its small serving size, the meal is certainly worth it; you can taste the quality of the ingredients in each bite.

My partner chose the grain-fed beef tenderloin topped with wasabi herbed butter, accompanied by sautéed portabella mushrooms. A heartier meal, the dark, earthy flavours of the beef and the mushrooms were offset by the sharp taste of the wasabi butter.

A wonderful meal (if you forget the salad), the mains at the Loaf are meant to be savoured, maybe even reserved for special events. We didn’t leave feeling full, but we certainly left feeling satisfied. And we could always nip down to the bakery for dessert.