Bistro à Table — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Several people raved about this place. After going there, I do not understand why.

The pros: The service from the waiter is some of the best I've ever encountered in a KL restaurant, even in some of the top hotels. It's friendly, attentive, non-snobbish. Downright fantastic.

The cons:

The food. Don't get me wrong. The food is not bad. It's not fantastic either, it's just kind of slightly above average with a lot of frills to shill it as something extraordinary. They have a very fancy menu with reams of superlative information describing the food. Did you know that you can make any food sound fancy by adding the place of origin before the item itself? For example (this is not the exact item on the menu, just a demonstration of the style): Pan-seared Hokkaido scallops in Irish cream sauce, or Australian fillet mignion, served with Chilean asparagus or Tuscan rabbit or something (yes that was sarcasm). All these only serve to make the food sound more impressive than it is.

There is even this really expensive dessert called 'An Ode to Newton' which has its own special card describing how it's anti-gravity and avant garde and all that, but basically is a scoop of ice cream on a wafer of flavoured ice on a glass of ginger beer. All for the bargain price of RM 25+

This would not be such a bad thing if the portions were so minuscule for how much they charge you (RM 50-80 for a main). You order saddle of rabbit and you get one tiny little piece barely bigger a 50 sen coin. The duck breast was supposedly served with mash but what you actually get is a little dollop that looks like it had been served with a teaspoon.

I don't mind paying for quality, but when a place is hyped but turns out to be so much style, and so little substance, it's really underwhelming. And honestly, if you paid 1k for one meal for a party of 5, I would have expected everyone NOT to leave the place hungry.

The only way I'd ever recommend this restaurant to anyone if they and their wallet want a bit of weight loss, and if they enjoy the ambience and the prestige of having that kind of money to...

Imagine your reservation at another restaurant getting cancelled after booking 1 month prior, and it's to celebrate your wife's birthday. Sounds pretty horrific, isn't it? But the horror doesn't stop there. The other restaurant even forgot to tell you, and you had to call them up to check. If I hadn't that would mean me and my wife would arrive and be sent away. That's pretty terrible, isn't it? After finding out my reservation got cancelled, I went scrambling to look for another place to reserve with less than a day notice. 6 restaurants turning me away later, I found this quaint little place called Bistro a Table, and a handsome waiter inside was taking a break. I interrupted him, and he was still so kind and gracious to me and kept my birthday cake, accepted payment and even allocated a beautiful table for me. I felt as if God has reached out to personally put this kind man on Earth to help folks like me and I thought, my problems was over. SIKE my wife's sister fell down the stairs and had a back injury on the day of my wife's birthday. I felt terrible. Not only from the accident but also because I look forward to celebrating my wife's birthday every year. I went back to Bistro a Table and told them what happened, and I had never felt this level of kindness from any other stranger before. I know they typically don't do take away for 6 course meals, I know I have troubled them, and I know they spent extra to put my food into a takeaway package. But you know what? They ask me to sit, offered me a complementary drink and Chef even came out to offer her regards. This has touched me, and I will never forget this kindness. The food was excellent, the kombucha was magnificent, and I think to myself how much better it would have been if I had dined in person and experienced the service. If you are looking for an intimate restaurant with great food and ambiance, seriously give Bistro a Table a try, it's a...

Celebrated my birthday dinner here with my best friend and went for the 7-course degustation menu—every dish was thoughtfully crafted and absolutely delicious.

We started with the housemade Yuba Burrata, made using locally produced Japanese tofu. Creamy, flavourful, and a great way to kick things off.

The Smoked Salmon Trout with Horseradish Ice Cream was refreshing with a touch of bitterness—unique and so well balanced.

Then came the Chitose Cherry Tomato Soup—no added sugar, just natural sweetness from carefully cultivated tomatoes. My personal favourite of the night!

The Truffled Mushroom Risotto with Pistachio was rich and filling, topped with actual truffle shavings (not truffle oil!). Beautifully presented and executed.

For the main, I upgraded to the Lobster Pasta—a definite highlight. Creamy, comforting, and packed with generous chunks of lobster. It tasted like it was finished with a proper lobster bisque. So satisfying!

Dessert was the Mangosteen Pavlova with Candied Cucumber—fresh, sweet mangosteen (expertly selected by Chef Isadora herself) paired with light, airy meringue. Deserves a standing ovation.

Also had a freshly made Roselle drink, crafted by Chef Isadora using real roselle flowers. Tart, floral, and possibly the best roselle drink I’ve ever had.

Huge thanks to Chef Isadora Chai for her incredible hospitality and for being so hands-on from the kitchen to the dining floor. The service was top-notch—her wait staff is truly 5-star, attentive and well-trained, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for refined French cuisine in KL, without the sky-high price tag. Will definitely...