Juniper
After watching The Secret Life Of Nora, I was famished. I’d only had a light lunch and ready to tuck into a heavy dinner. Since I was in the vicinity of Jalan Imbi (Istana Budaya is but a 10 minute drive away), I decided to check out Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie situated at Jalan Delima, off Jalan Imbi which I’ve known about for some time but just never got round to visiting.
Locating the place was easy since I knew it had to be very close to Fukuya Japanese restaurant. Opening restaurants/bakeries/photography studios/spas/legal firms in renovated bungalows seems to be in vogue nowadays but I digress as usual. There is not ample parking within Levain’s compound and while parking within the allocated lots is free, you have to pay for the jockey service if you can’t find an allocated lot but still wish to park within the compound.
Luckily, I managed to find an allocated lot outside the compound. There were plenty of customers on the day I visited. Upon entering Levain, the bread section is to the left while the seating area and patisserie section is straight ahead. There is upstairs and outdoors seating as well.
The hot foods menu is written on a blackboard at the cashier’s. There is a selection of pizzas and pastas. I ordered the seafood aglio oglio spaghetti (there is also beef aglio oglio which is slightly cheaper than the seafood version) at RM12.90.
As the staff were obviously very busy, the dish took some time to arrive at my table but it was worth the wait as the extra virgin olive oil (at least I presume that’s what was used) was of good quality, there was garlic aplenty and the seafood was very fresh. There wasn’t much spaghetti or seafood but at that price, I guess one can’t really expect a huge portion. It was a very flavourful dish and comparable to some fine dining Italian eateries in town.
It makes my mouth water just looking at the passionfruit and mango tart above. It was the last one in the display cabinet and I knew I just had to have it. Just the colour alone told me this was not going to disappoint.
Ooooh! How it melted in my mouth. It was divinely delicious and there was chocolate at the base which combined with the softness of the fruits was just perfect! The taste was unbelievable and I’d certainly have this again the next time I am at Levain. The price is RM8.50 which is similar to most other tarts and cakes there.
Next, I went off to explore the breads section. As it was late evening, the loaves had already sold out. I went for the donut twist as it reminded me of the Sun Moulin version. I love Sun Moulin’s donut twist as I find it to be softer and lighter than the round donuts.
Levain’s donut twist was so soft that it hardly took any chewing. Now I’ve found a donut twist which is even better than Sun Moulin’s. At RM2.20, it is pricier than Sun Moulin’s but hey, good quality always comes at a price.
Oh no, this glutton wasn’t done. I also tried the crispy walnut bread. There were quite a few left which made me wonder if it was that good but I’m learning that it doesn’t pay to be sceptical at Levain. What’s the point when you’ll only be proven wrong anyway?
It’s quite a big piece of bread at RM3.80 and if was tea time, this would have filled me up. I love walnuts but I’ve tried walnut breads from other bakeries and they were dry so I was wary about trying Levain’s version.
At first bite of the walnut bread, all my concerns dissipated into thin air. The bread was indeed crispy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside. Oh my goodness….it was wonderful. It’s the best walnut bread I’ve ever had.
Must try the macarons next as they were literally flying off the shelves. I think I have been to bakery/pastry heaven and I am already getting withdrawal symptoms. I need to get my daily bread from Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie.
Note : All prices quoted are before 6% tax.
