[UPDATE] This restaurant is now permanently closed.

I freaked out when I read that a new French cafe was open, like 3 minutes away from my house. FINALLY! Finally, a classy place where I can surf on my laptop and drink fancy coffee and hangout without driving 30 minutes all the way to Setiawalk.

Or so I thought.

S and I decided to drop by at Bienvenue in Taman Putra Prima, Puchong. I found out about it through someone’s FB post, which was mostly food pictures. They looked great and seemed tasty, so I was looking forward to it.

 The sad reality? The decor is really basic. I’d like to think it”s because they just opened.. but they have nothing except tables and chairs and an open air kitchen. There was no air conditioning, and I was sweating bullets after five minutes in the poorly ventilated interior. Sweat was literally pouring off my thighs onto the wooden seat so much so that if I got up it would have looked like I peed. .___.

The drinks are rather limited, but the food is apparently prepared by a famous chef.

My eyes nearly popped out at the prices. They are easily The Ship or some high-end Western restaurant prices: not what I expected from a place with no air cond lol. Spaghetti goes for about RM18, which is at least RM2-3 more expensive than most cafes.

Too hot not to have cold drinks. Freshly squeezed orange juice and watermelon juice. Thank goodness they are not the concentrate variety, but real pulp. (RM4)

Had a snack to share – fries (RM3). To be fair I think the portion was quite sizable, but they were just regular, crispy fries.

Also to share – Pork Medallion (RM28)

I know. I was wondering myself why I ordered something so expensive but I thought since we were there, might as well try it. Tastewise, it was very good! The pork is grilled with just the right balance of lean meat and fat which melts in your mouth. It comes served on a bed of vegetables which were also cooked just right without being too hard or soggy. The sauce is savoury with a buttery, garlicky taste. It was one of the better pork dishes that I’ve tried.

Alas, the portion was barely enough for one, let alone two people. Or maybe I just eat a lot.

Didn’t hang out long because it was so hot. They should think about installing an air conditioning unit soon..

Overall I liked the service (friendly) and food. But I think many of the items were at least 20% more expensive than food out there and I m just not willing to pay that much for an establishment where I can’t eat in comfort.

BIENVENUE

Jalan PP2/5, Taman Putra Prima

47100 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia

Opening hours: Mon – Sun (530pm – 10pm)