Friday, June 6, 2008

the Yogitree

Faking it. A phrase we hear once too often. From silicone implants to ethics to etiquettes to orgasm, the list goes on forever. So, what's real anymore?

When it comes to food, real food, to me is a plate of arousing, smoke-scented hokkien mee by the roadside with a glass of sweet sugarcane juice. And a dog or cat standing next to you, patiently, hoping for a piece of that heaven. Never had I thought, in a more logical context, that organic food is real food. Well, it is. Then again....well, nevermind. The fuel issue has already consumed both the sensible and emotional sides of my brains today.

Let's just chill and enjoy the meditative taste of Yogitree, shall we?

Flaky Salmon & Crab Fishcake With Tomato Relish & Homemade Tartare Sauce (RM15). Though smaller than expected, the cakes were perfectly browned and packed with a generous amount of minced salmon and crab meat. Visually appetising, yes. The tartare sauce complemented the rich taste of salmon and crab well. I didn't enjoy the relish as it was too bland, I thought. I should also mention that the cakes were not oily at all.

Anyone For A Dip? No, it's not what you think. That's the name of the RM12 platter. The best part about it (besides the fact that it's rich in calcium and folic acid) is the bread. Served bite-sized (how ingenious!), both the multigrain and white types were soft with a crispy skin. The organic hummus (chickpea paste) was smooth and mild in taste. On the other hand, the moutabbel (roasted eggplant paste) had a burnt taste, which was rather confusing. The platter also came with some green and black olives.

Crispy Duck Salad With Pears And Toasted Black Sesame (RM22). Good choice, exclaimed the staff when we ordered the dish. The mixed mesclun leaves and sweet/sour pear strips provided a nice crunch while the duck meat (though slightly tough) gave a touch of savouriness. Dressing came in form of sesame oil. It very much resembled yee sang (raw fish salad) sans the artificial colourings and flavours, of course. Very DIY as well.

Spaghetti Carbonara With Bacon, Mushroom & Egg (RM21). What attracted me was the no-cream feature. Which means the sauce consisted solely of egg (not egg white, as posted earlier). Roman style, they claimed. An interesting (and healthier) alternative to the usual cream (fat) laden carbonara sauce. Light and easy, I walloped it in a breezy. However, the beef bacon, I thought, was rather bland. Smaller cuts would have been appreciated as well. Add another RM4 for the smoked salmon version.

With a cooking manifesto including the use of freshest ingredients possible and slow cooking methods as well as to bring out its natural taste, what's there not to like about this real food cafe and yoga boutique? Ok, the above-average pricetag is a turn off, I agree. It's hard keeping it real, isn't it?

And why does that voulez-vous coucher avec moi song keeps ringing in my head?

the Yogitree
Lot F-237B, 1st Floor (Isetan Side)
Gardens Mid Valley
59200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (+603) 2282 6163
Website: http://www.yogitree.com

The meditated others:
KL People KL Food
Masak-Masak

23 comments:

backStreetGluttons said...

your pretty little expensive babe is doing very fine here, enough to send nikkorly iced cold shivers down the Canony and Lumixy lenses on the other nervously disquieted tables...
so its well worth every single gm you are cuddling near your heart

HairyBerry said...

team bsg, this sunshine babe is absolutely stunning under radiation of the source of life. but once the night falls, i need to hold her hand tightly, for both of us will fall with our bad vision and lens.

perhaps it's fate or perhaps it love, we are together now and i have to make us work. and yes, it's very near my heart.

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

yes i must agree with the relish..

but someone enlighten me that day..carbonara original style is no cream but EGG YOLK wor!

Kenny Mah said...

You know what? Them pikchers of them food... Both the pix and the makan are so clean and crisp and healthy-looking, it makes me wanna clean up my act and become all healthy-gymrat-yogic-newageish.

Almost. Heh.

But you know what? Methinks I can't give up them Hokkien Mee just yet... LOL.

fatboybakes said...

maybe that french phrase reverberates in your mind coz the proprietess spent an inordinate amount of time in france in her hey day. happens to be a class mate of mine.

oh, you mean the food's meant to be healthy ah? hmmm, wont be visiting in the near future me thinks.

J2Kfm said...

hmm, most who visited had the crab cakes and relish, for RM15, worth the 2 pcs of beauties?
the price may be above average, but does the quality/taste justify the $$$ paid?

Ciki said...

now THAT sounds like my kinda carbonara! enjoying the sin less sinfully ! lol

LianneK said...

me vote hokkien mee still lol

Big Boys Oven said...

heheheheh my saliva is dripping now! "meleleh"

sc said...

food dont seem too impressive eh? i wanted to try a few months back, but after seeing it being rather quiet, decided to give it a miss.

Kenny Mah said...

Btw, love your new header design... clean and crisp and farney... You might need to crop the width a lil though... it spills over the border ever so slightly. I think P.Pea and Joe had the same prob with their blog headers initially... a Blogger issue?

ling239 said...

Carbonara... without cream
not easy to find hor ?

Alexander said...

Nice display of bread... :D

Alex
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

HairyBerry said...

joe, yupe, read about it in your post...but the menu said roman style wor...nvm, i took a pic of the menu..let me go back tonight and check again..hehehe...

kenny, ya, now that you mentioned it, those dishes do look shiny, happy and wholesame. like jessica simpson before that cowgirl movie with that 3 inches skirt. hehe...

and yes, me can never give up on my hokkien mee as well! who can? hehehe...

fatboybakes, wow, thanks for the info, man! i didnt know the proprietess stayed in france before. well, actually, i was trying to say that the food resembled those of Marmalade Kafe's. and that phrase came from a song called Lady Marmalade... :)

the funny thing about this place is, they are not stingy with the flavours. the only turn off, i thought was the price.

j2kfm, well, the texture's good and it tasted rich as well. and since it's a signature dish, i thought it would be interesting to give it a try. definitely worth the quality. taste-wise, it good. ;)

cumi & ciki, i'm actually surprised that no cream was used. not really my kinda carbonara (i like em fat ;) ), but it was quite a good substitute to the typical cream laden ones.

lianne, yes, yes, yes! hokkien mee fans united! oh, let's not forget the sambal! i think there are countless out there! we should call for a hokkien mee meeting...hahaha!

bigboysoven, hehehe, like how i dripped looking at a place of hokkien mee, right? do check it out if you are in the gardens' area :)

sc, yupe, i've been there twice and on both occassions, it was not packed. well, maybe my timing's wrong. do give it a try cos there are some rather interesting dishes ;)

kenny, thanks for the compliment. a blogger issue? really? looks like i've got to re-edit the width a bit....thanks for advise, dude!

ling239, ya lor, ya lor...i only saw that on tv before...hehehe...well, if it's only egg white, then it would be very healthy. yummy!

alexander, thanks for the compliment...i love that shot of the bread as well. too bad i was not able to focus on the dippings too..then again, the bread was the winner..heeheehee

Shell (貝殼) said...

i like the Spaghetti Carbonara ~~look simply but taste good

choi yen said...

those light light colour food cannot arouse my appetite... =.=

ai wei said...

hmmmm... i see so much HEALTHY here!

i feel there is a big 'Organic'-feel whenever i passed by this place

♥ ♡ Alvin ♡ ♥ said...

Oh saw it at The gardens but nv try for it yet! :D

wmw said...

Why is that song ringing in your head? With that reputation, surely you know why ;p

HairyBerry said...

shell (貝殼), yes, i agree. the food do look simple but the taste is good! ohh...and healthy as well..hehehehe

mimi, i must thank the sunlight lar that day. when the waiter asked where we wanna sit, i went for the window seat right away...hehe

ai wei, yupe, the food looks healthy, right? i guess the sunlight plays a part.

organic feel? hmmm, i thought it was rather dark and scary...heheheh....

alvin, wah, bro, apa macam? long time no hear from you already...hehehe...yupe, it's at the isetan side, i think. check it out! ;)

wmw, oohhhh tidakkkkk! i have been misunderstood..hahahaha! actually, it reminded me of marmalade kafe lar, hence the phrase. sing me that song the next time we go K, ok? ;)

Xiu Long Bao said...

This place reminds me of the farnie waiter & waitress. Kena scared by her when she yelled: Good Choice!

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Have yet to sample the food here, despite all the recommendations by bloggers. Must go there soon on one of my lunches for a healthy change (meaning I gotta sacrifice my siew yuk...). Hmmmmmmm.

HairyBerry said...

xiu long bao, ya lor, maybe we were looking at the menu too long already. hehe...you know, the star featured this place on the same day of our visit. wow!

lyrical lemongrass, forget about the healthy part...go for the taste lar...you know how to reach the weekend b$%ch, right? hehehehe...followed by the matcha latte...or siew yoke also can la...hehehe