Le Pont - French for 'The Bridge' - opens this week, bidding to become one of Old Klang Road's prime new F&B landmarks, with an European-accented menu that's meted out in a fascinatingly fashioned three-level space comprising a bakery & a cafe.
This venue is kicking off with a trial run, offering patrons 50 percent off their bill on Wednesday, May 20, ahead of its official launch Thursday. Come in for a sneak peek of street-level shelves that'll soon brim with bread & pastries; then chill out while waiting to be seated for a meal or coffee on the two floors upstairs. Go up down, up down, up down, for photography's sake.
Le Pont's starting line-up is respectable - noteworthy offerings include two types of rocket salad: a meatless version with braised beetroot & fennel, blessed with the perkiness of a lightly sweet apple dressing & beetroot sauce (RM14.50), & another with roast beef, marinated pimento peppers & aioli (RM18.50). Good ingredients for these, capably prepared & put together.
Le Pont's soups however illustrate the hit-or-miss possibilities here - we like the creamy French-inspired corn soup with tender mustard crab meat, chives & focaccia, its flavours balanced between robust & restrained (RM9.50), but the thin & weak Tuscan-influenced borlotti bean broth leaves solely a positive visual impression, thanks to its rice paper net covering (RM9).
Pastas might not be Le Pont's strong suit - we ordered three, & the one that hit the mark was the briny linguine simmered in prawn stock, served with prawns, parsley, basil, capers & cherry tomatoes (RM27). Skip the spaghetti tossed in a bland anchovy sauce, supposedly seaweed-seasoned (RM19; its saving grace is a savoury-snappy anchovy bread-stick). The tagliatelle carbonara with beef bacon, sauteed mushrooms & little-to-no truffle oil is flat-tasting & clumpy-textured (RM20.50).
We're happy to report three mains may be worth trying - the pan-fried fish with clams & asparagus (RM26) meets expectations, while the chicken leg is tender comfort food, complemented by red cabbage & lemon-caper sauce (RM23). The beef brisket is a muscular & fleshy chunk of pure protein, made nuanced with wasabi-spiked potato puree, herbs & sauteed veggies (RM35).
Le Pont takes its coffee seriously; its founders own the nearby 3quartercup coffee bar (formerly called Xenri Specialty Coffee). A special mention as well for the hard-working service team here, who mostly invest a clear effort to keep customers satisfied.
Le Pont Boulangerie & Cafe @ Old Klang Road
Bedford Business Park, Off Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur. Mon-Thurs, 8am-12am; Fri-Sun, 8am-2am
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