The first restaurant has opened at Mont Kiara's Verve Suites - B-Lab, run by master baker Yukichi Matsubara & his wife Zenn.
B-Lab is a bakery, bistro & bar - ideal for a casual, leisurely meal, blessed with lots of sunshine & warm, welcoming colours. Parking's a breeze - free basement lots are bountiful, even on weekdays; it's easier to park here compared to Publika nearby.
Alfresco seating with a verdant suburban streetside view is available; for cafe lovers, note that Solaris Dutamas' La Casa will be launching a new branch at the Verve shops row very soon too, right beside B-Lab.
Meals at B-Lab kick off with a complimentary bread basket served with Lescure butter; the restaurant's business hours are conveniently extensive, running 7am-midnight daily (except Mondays), though the kitchen is closed in between lunch & dinner.
B-Lab is meant to reflect the experimental endeavours of the Kobe-born, Paris-polished Matsubara; if his name rings a bell, it might be because of his previous bread-making stints that earned him recognition in Malaysia at The Loaf & Bonjour Garden.
Signature creations include a reinterpretation of the club sandwich (RM22) that comprises this striking-green spinach toast with avocado spread, stuffed with streaky bacon, honey-baked ham, sunny side-up, house-made tartar sauce & butterhead lettuce.
Cider-braised pork belly with herb gnocchi (RM35), a succulent sight for sore, starving eyes. B-Lab's kitchen is still getting its act together, so maybe the gnocchi didn't turn out quite as fluffy as it should be, & the fennel & carrot puree listed on the menu for this recipe were missing, but the place has obvious potential.
The rest of the menu sounds promising; there are distinct European proclivities sprinkled throughout - Spanish anchovies with piquillo peppers & aioli (RM22) to Italian pizzas with serrano ham & goat's cheese (RM28).
For takeaway, French gorgonzola cheese foccacia & bacon quiche to espresso walnut loaves & raisin almond sourdough.
Absolutely no absence of sweet treats either, from pistachio chocolate beauties to chiffon cupcakes & cream puffs.
Putting the final 'B' in B-Lab: Wine that starts at RM19 by the glass & RM99 by the bottle (Emiliana Cab Sav), & cocktails like pear-&-thyme sparklers, espresso martinis & mango sangrias at RM19 each.
B-Lab
G-3A, Ground Floor, Verve Shops, Jalan Kiara 5, Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur
Open 7am-midnight, except Mondays. Last orders at 10:30pm. Tel: 03-6206-1880
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Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
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