French food (at least in Kuala Lumpur) is often associated with fine dining – which means it can get pretty expensive. Thankfully, there are a couple of casual, less intimidating options – such as Yeast Bistronomy in Bangsar. N and I came here to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the service, as well as how value for money it was.

Yeast’s interiors is styled after a warm and unfussy European-style bistro, with black and white chequered flooring, dark wooden chairs, sunny walls, and velvet red banquet seating. Solo diners can also choose to sit at the counter of the semi-open kitchen if they wish to watch the chefs in action. While the design looks a bit dated (like something from the 80s / 90s) it evokes a feeling of warmth and nostalgia.

The front of the bistro features a display of baked artisanal goodies. Since we were here during the holiday season, there were gingerbread houses, log cakes, and other festive treats on sale.

The restaurant gave us a complimentary bread basket to start, which was very thoughtful.

There were a few appetisers from the New Year’s Eve special menu that looked intriguing. One that we ordered was the Rillettes de Canard & Foie, comprising shredded duck confit, red wine onion marmalade and fruit chutney, served with baguette slices.

When I was a young journalist, I interviewed a French chef whose favourite dish to prepare was rillette – that’s where I learned about how labour- and time-intensive it is to make, despite its seemingly simple appearance. The meat has to be cooked slowly over very low heat until it becomes tender, before it is shredded and submerged in fat.

The version here was also topped with foie gras torchon, giving it another layer of creaminess and umami. While I personally enjoyed the refreshing sweetness of the fruit chutney, as it helped cut through some of the richness, N didn’t enjoy it as much as he (surprisingly!) said it was ‘too sweet’ and didn’t pair well.

The other appetiser we ordered (and my favourite dish of the night) was steak tartare. Not many places in KL serve this, so I was happy it was on the menu.

The portion was humongous – almost a dish on its own – and again served with baguette slices. The finely chopped beef tenderloin tasted clean with just the slightest hint of iron, and the seasonings were perfect: from the sharp piquancy of the capers, the sweet crunchiness of the onions and the bright acidity from Worchestershire sauce, to the creamy egg yolk binding all the elements together.

Since the appetisers were so good we had high hopes for the mains. I ordered the Confit de Canard (crispy duck leg with potatoes and caramelized onion), while N had the classic Le Gourmet Beef Burger.

In hindsight, I think we over ordered (we weren’t expecting such large appetisers) which made us full and hampered our enjoyment of the mains. While they were decent, they did not measure up to the appetisers, and the flavour profiles in both were quite similar (I attribute this to the caramelized onions). The duck leg was also quite greasy – I know duck is naturally fatty but there were times where it felt like my mouth was filled with oil. The meat, though, was fall off the bone tender.

To wrap everything up we had a slice of Buche de Noel (Yule Log). While it did not really have the traditional log shape, it was still pretty to look at, with layers of chocolate and a crumbly dark chocolate biscuit base. Completing the plate was a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry jam. The dessert was not too sweet, rich but not cloying. Perfect for ending the meal on a high note.

Service during our visit, while a bit slow, was excellent and attentive. Definitely a place I’ll return to the next time I crave casual French cuisine. If you come for breakfast, they have an egg-centric menu with items like Eggs and Steak, Ouefs Benedictine Salmon, and Pain Perdu. Expect to pay about RM30+ and above for mains.

YEAST BISTRONOMY

24G, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: +60 322820118

Opening hours: 8AM – 9PM

Reservations recommended: Link

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