brunching yeast bistronomy

i shared in my previous entry that there was a part two of my story with yeast. 

we parted ways on okay terms when we first met for dinner plans. and yet i could not stop thinking about what could have been with brunch. that was reason enough to prompt me to make plans for brunch at yeast as early as i could...the following weekend.

unlike my dinner experience, the morning crowd was bustling and the cafe could only offer us seats at the counter, which was perfect because that was exactly where i wanted to be - i can see all the action go down during the busier shift of the day! 

 

entering the cafe, we were greeted by shelves full of crusty and rustic breads where their beginnings were aptly described by the cafe's name.  the smell of butter and the sweet aroma of freshly baked pastries from the oven whetted our appetites as the screeching of the espresso machine performed a duet with the clanging of the pots and pans filled the petite cafe as we made our way to the counter seats. 

the quick organized efficiency of the chefs behind the stove amazed me, rising up to the challenge under pressure of the ever intense turnover of diners, expecting a yummy sunday brunch to start the day right. 

the executive chef of yeast, chef clara champonnois was leading the breakfast/brunch/lunch service with precision and such skills at multitasking, her taking on similar role during my dinner last weekend. in fact, her attention to detail shone when she noticed that the fries were soggy and called for a new batch of fries to be freshly fried before expediting the dish to the runners.

i don't believe the pastry chef in charge of making bread works during the dinner shift and i've had the pleasure to watch him working at one corner of the kitchen that morning, kneading dough into varieties of crusty bread/pastries that yeast is well known for.

breakfast is served from 9am -3pm while the lunch menu for both cold and hot meals begins at 11am to 3pm. while {hr} had already decided on the egg benedict before we even got here, i was torn between a couple of dishes and if we waited for the additional 10 minutes, we'd have an even wider selection of french classics.

caffe vergnano since 1882 - espresso ricco :: latte |  (rm 9)

brunch is incomplete without a cup of my favorite espresso based drink - the latte. the comforting aroma of coffee hit the nose as i took my first sip. it was leaning slightly towards the bitter side implying that the espresso was over brewed slightly rendering the latte less creamy but i sure wished it was warmer. but a decent cup of coffee in the morning with a lovely foam art to boot! :)

breakfast - eggs :: oeufs cocotte | 2 soft baked eggs in a cocotte with smoked duck, gruyere cheese, toasted farmer's bread and greens (rm 16)

i wasn't sure what to expect but i guessed that the cocotte would resemble a mini ramekin. as i pierced my fork through the melted cheesy layer of gruyere, the egg white oozes out, reminiscent of a half boiled egg. below the golden layer hides the chunks of smoked duck ham which gave it a savory, salty flavor to bring flavor to the rich combination of eggs and cheese.

as i look into the petite cocotte, the rawness (and here i mean literally uncooked) of some of the egg whites persuaded me to also break into the runny yolk in order to mix all the ingredients together which was happened to be the perfect way to eat the dish, thank you very much :) perhaps, that was the chef's intention.

the richness from the the runny egg yolk, the creamy undercooked whites combined with some of the cooked whites from the bottom of the mini ramekin, paired with the melted with a bitter undertone of gruyere and salty, savory, smoky chunks of duck is quite a yummy mouthful to dip with the toasted farmer's bread which tasted akin to a mild sourdough bread to cut through the richness.

 

the eggs were seasoned well with the occasional burst of salty from the smoked duck, mellowed by the gruyere created a lovely complete play with the different textures each ingredient brought. the side salad was no slouch either, where the crisp, fresh greens were tossed in a light, fresh, lemony vinaigrette featured as the contrasting element on the plate. 

breakfast - eggs :: ouefs poches benedictine | 2 soft poached eggs on brioche toast with smoked salmon or smoked turkey, bernaise sauce and greens (rm 18)

i tend to get confused with the hollandaise and the bernaise but a quick search on the difference led to this 'the more you know...' moment: 

they are both made using clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks and white wine vinegar but bernaise uses shallots, chervil, peppercorn and tarragon while hollandaise uses lemon juice or white wine.

{hr} ordered the smoked turkey (although i wished it was smoked salmon) and offered a taste of his dish to which i gracefully accepted.

i've always considered the test of a breakfast place is the chefs' skill at making poached egg in which yeast has passed with flying colors.  from the taste that i had i liked the softness of the bread and the saltiness of the smoked turkey that paired rather well. {hr} seemed to have enjoyed his meal immensely that he almost licked his plate clean.

breakfast - danish & pastries :: brioche au chocolat | chocolate brioche (rm 5.50)

at the nudging of {hr} , i wanted to try out their pastries and i wanted something sweet as my dessert substitute. i have a weakness for chocolate and it was either this or the pain au chocolat. and i figured that brioche might be slightly lighter than the latter. 

sadly, baked chocolate chips on the top of a bread usually spells burnt chocolate which was almost the case for this one and the brioche was borderline dry. i wished for more chocolate melty goodness was what i was looking here.

breakfast - danish & pastries :: chausson aux champignons | white button mushroom puff (rm 11)

the pastry that i didn't get a photo of turned out to be really delicious. the puff expanded like a mini balloon, proudly displaying the layers within the flaky golden brown shell that shielded the soft, chewy buttery insides. with the perfect amount of seasoning of the white button mushroom filling encased within the expertly made bread gets a yummy in my tummy vote :)

yeast definitely shone brighter in the morning than it did at night. since i've started the ranking system, they are the first cafe that imo deserves a 4 out of 5 forks for their brunch meals after espressamenta illy. offering a myriad of french classics all day, i am honestly tempted to take my food relationship with yeast bistronomy to the next level - by returning for more pastries and perhaps a shot at their lunch selections :)

yeast bistronomy | location
24g jalan telawi 2, 

bangsar, 

591oo kuala lumpur

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.