Note: Milk and Butter has now closed.
August 2013
I admit I’m of the mindset that Bangsar’s Telawi area is a fancy place whose trendy new cafés serve only gourmet food (or at least pretend to) and frown upon the usage of canned tomatoes. And with the likes of French café/bakery Yeast and the opening of Tous Les Jours (which overlooks Les Deux Garcons), could anyone really blame an outsider for thinking this way?
Having said that, I was surprised when I visited Milk and Butter to discover that their menu comprises almost everything and the prices are affordable. Pastas, pizzas, Asian, Western and breakfast fry-ups alongside standard café fare definitely don’t echo the wave of new Bangsar eateries that appeared about the same time as Milk and Butter, although the interior looked the part. (They could, however, do with brighter lighting.)
With such an extensive menu, my dining partner and I were at a loss for what to order. We asked our server for recommendations, but he didn’t seem to know what was good and fetched another waiter, who in turn suggested so many that we couldn’t make up our minds. Eventually, we disregarded his recommendations and went for the beef burger, cottage pie and seafood crepes. The burger was the first to arrive, and although it looked appetising, tasted so heavily processed that I had a quiet Jessica Simpson moment as I silently wondered, ‘Is this chicken or beef?’
Thankfully, the cottage pie and seafood crepe fared better on our palates, although the latter was a little overseasoned and the abundance of hollandaise sauce made it a difficult dish to finish. It’s a shame about the saltiness, because the filling of crab meat, mussels, prawns and scallops would have otherwise delighted a seafood lover.
There wasn’t much room left for dessert, but I couldn’t leave without trying the vanilla crème brulee. Luckily too, because that became the only redeeming quality of my Milk and Butter experience. Served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, the usage of real vanilla beans made this one a standout – a surprise move considering the aforementioned burger patty. The cakes on display all looked tempting on my visit (I was eyeing their chocolate caramel tart on my way out), but I’m not sure they can persuade me to return, especially when there are better options in the area. Syarifah Syazana