Fair French Fare
Chef Isadora Chai of Bistro à Table, caters for those with dining restrictions, or preferences, through two special diet degustation menus— for vegetarians, as well as those who are gluten-intolerant
Modern French cuisine at Bistro á Table, helmed by chef Isadora Chai, will be a culinary journey for special diets
While diet’ remains to be a four letter (and foul) word in my dictionary, there are various reasons one would avoid or only consume certain foods. Being a keto person herself, chef Isadora Chai understands the difficulties of eating out with prerequisites that aren’t commonly available, and aims to fill that gap for restaurant-goers who are vegetarian or gluten-intolerant, with two new menu options at Bistro à Table —located in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. The review begins with the gluten-free options; thankfully, this means that protein (meat) is still on the menu. First out is the French white asparagus with truffled sabayon. The asparagus on its own is merely crunchy, but the use of truffled sabayon adds to its taste profile. Had we had bread, we would have mopped up the entire sauce, once the asparagus was done. Next up was an excitement for both the eyes and the palate. The scallop ceviche with shaved salt-cured foie gras and white coconut ice cream arrives on the table dramatically; you’ll have to order it for yourself to find out. And surprisingly, the flavours from the saltcured foie gras and rather intriguing dairy-free white coconut curry ice cream that is served with it, mingle well together. Then I also sample the New Zealand lamb, with just the right trimmings. Having the right blush of pink to it, the meat was tender and toothsome. Another exciting factor of the dish were the crispy lamb bits, which
were a welcome crispy addition. Coupled with the smoked eggplant puree, it feels like a celebration of textures and flavours in your mouth—a must-try, for those who love lamb. While the menu does have a myriad of other tasty options, including rabbit done three ways, I shall now move on to highlight some from the vegetarian menu.
VIABLE VEGETABLES
Those who know me, will know that I’m more of a carnivore, so I was a bit sceptical about this part of the review. We start with truffled coddled egg with crouton dust and Fleur de Sel—a dish that Isadora is renowned for, and highly recommended, especially if you’ve not had a taste of it already. The crouton dust add a wonderful crunch to the already flavourful coddled egg, and leaves you wanting more. Following that is the zucchini flower fritters stuffed with housemade ricotta and salmorejo sauce. Let me stress again that I don’t usually like vegetables, but I still devoured these within seconds! The zucchini fritters were crunchy on the inside and crispy on the out, with the cheese as well as tomatoes supplementing the zucchini. Plus points too for the colourful and artistic presentation. Another dish that deserves special mention is the truffled mushroom and pistachio risotto. This risotto is yet another eye-pleaser, and even more so on the tongue. The mushrooms work the jaws, while the pistachio gives an added punch through its crunchy finish. The consistency, as expected, is also well done. I also thoroughly enjoyed the truffled egg linguine. You may have noticed that Isadora has a flair for the use of truffles, and this seemingly simple, mouthwatering dish further enhances that realisation. Though I do not usually opt for vegetarian meals nor have special dining requirements (other than the food needing to be tasty), I’ve to admit that I definitely savoured the delicious, well-presented dishes at Bistro à Table.