La Belle Vie Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Johor

Ahhh what do I say other than Oui, oui! Good food, good wine, good service, friendly staff and a lovely ambience. But that wouldn't quite do justice to La Belle Vie retaurant - or if my translation is correct, the Beautiful Life restaurant - would it? The food here is really good. There's a wholesomeness and homeliness to it that you don't generally find in other restaurants. At least I don't anyway.

We started with escargot. The first bite told me this restaurant was going to be different from others. There was something different besides the usual garlic infused escargot. There were other herbs present and i think I detected fennel and aniseed. Simply lovely!

The pumpkin and orange soup was full of flavour and while I may have like a little less orange flavour it was still good, bloody good. See, it's not always about pleasing each individual palate but about being good enough to satisfy most palates and it still satisfied my usually fussy palate.

Creamy mushrooms on toasted French bread came next and really, how good could that be? It was good. The kind of good that leaves you wishing you had more. And more. And even more. Sometimes, it's just simple food that matters - as long as it tastes good.

The rack of lamb was the next to arrive. Ahh... probably one of the best rack of lambs I've ever had. The meat was juicy yet crispy on the outside. It was so good I used my hands like a caveman of yore to gnaw at the bone and peel every last fragment of meat off.... yum.

We decided to try the rainbow trout. The fish was tasty and well cooked but nothing spectacular. The addition of almonds added a different level of taste and texture though and really, if you like fish, this dish didn't disappoint.

My test of a restaurant is the simple question of would I come back. The answer is a resounding yes!

From what I tasted today, I would be more than happy to have more of the same but I'm inclined to want to try more.

This is One of the few places that I would highly recommend because, honestly, there aren't many places that I actually do recommend other than saying they are decent. This restaurant is more than decent and to me, ticks all the right boxes.

After all, when plates are left clean, you know the food is good or at the very least more than decent!

I'd say it's more than decent and more than just good! Go check it...

Firstly, I would like to give major props to the maître d' and service staff here. They were extremely attentive and it is clear they are well taken care of by the management of this restaurant from the level of dedication they display and the top-tier service myself and my dining partner received. Despite a couple of rowdy kids running around knocking things over, they remained patient and served with smiles!

It is obvious they really care about the food they put out here from the rotating menu (which the maître d' takes time to really explain) as well as the quality of the ingredients - I got their steak au vin rouge and had the best damn carrots of my entire life (apparently cooked in orange juice? would love the recipe) with it. That first bite of carrot literally sent me into another dimension… so tender and sweet. The sear and crust on the steak was DIVINE, wonderful red wine sauce and perfect doneness of medium as requested. Dining partner had one of the plats du jour - shepherd’s pie, and had nothing but good things to say as well. If there is one thing this place should do, hold on to your chefs and service staff FOREVER.

Ambience is perfect - nothing fancy, jazzed up or pretentious, just felt like a homely, cozy family restaurant simply wanting to share the joys of great food. Only feedback would be the fans in the restaurant along with the AC seem rather redundant, and my food went cold a little faster than I would have liked. Other than that, this was an amazing dining experience all around and I’m definitely coming back and bringing more friends around...

Authentic French Dover sole meunière and coq au vin at @labellevie_jb and an incredible Robuchon mashed potatoes.

We had a lovely and divine classic French dinner tonight at Taman Molek. And our first experience of this rarified prized fish.

Beautifully cooked and basted in superb French butter, the delicate fish is flaky yet firm at every bite, full of ocean flavours and none of the fishy scent.

Here, Chef Sereen leaves the highly delicious roe intact which is a heaven sent, and pairs this divine tasting fish with some of the best creamy mashed potatoes there is. Buttery and creamy and perfectly seasoned. No more words needed.

The coq au vin is also sublime. Classic in its overnight preparation is evident in the final presentation. Full of deep, rich chicken and red wine flavours, the chicken is perfectly braised until fork tender, the sauce is best finished any leftover bread rolls as it’s just one of the best brings to taste in life.

There’s also a wonderful New York cheesecake that’s given a unique twist by swapping yogurt for sour cream and an extra citrus hit of lemon. Rich and refreshing seldom comes together but it’s pulled off perfectly and enjoyably here.

After two visits, we can’t wait for our third visit soon to savour more of Chef Sereen’s food. If you ever wonder what Remy’s classic food tastes like in Ratatouille, this is a place that can provide some great semblance of the best French comfort food across both sides of the causeway.

54, Jalan Molek 2/2, Taman Molek, 81100 Johor Bahru,...