Guiltless Pleasure @ The Yogi Tree

When asking the owner of The Yogi Tree about the whole idea of his restaurant, his reply was very simple - going back to basics. He claimed that if food were to be prepared with the freshest ingredients and everything were to be made from scratch, the food's taste would be further enhanced. My mum and I decided to put that claim to the test.

The Yogi Tree, also a boutique selling yoga accessories, is located on the First floor of the Gardens Mall at Mid Valley. As we had visited in the afternoon, the restaurant was brightly lit by a giant window that overlooks Pantai Hill. Apart from selling yoga accessories, the restaurant also sells organic foodstuffs which you can purchase - such as brown rice and pasta.

The first dish to arrive was our Duck and Pear Salad worth RM23. The dish was topped with toasted black sesame seeds. The salad leaves were crisp and the pear eventuated the sweetness of the dish as a whole. The balsamic and sesame dressing added a hint of tartness to the dish, and the dish's sweet and sour flavour complemented the flavour of the duck, which was tender and present in abundance.

Up next, came our Tagliatelle Al Funghi with Mushroom and Ceps with Truffle Oil worth RM23 too. The tagliatelle was served with a light cream sauce, which was of a good consistency. There was also an abundance of mushroom in the dish. The one disappointment I had, was that there was relatively no hint of truffle oil. I was slightly let down by this as I am a truffle lover and was especially looking forward to the pungent aroma.

As a dessert, we ordered the Pure Chocolate Truffle Torte with Whipping Cream, worth RM12. The portion of the torte was quite large, and the consistency of it was smooth. My mother, not known for her sweet tooth, consumed quite a significant portion of the torte. Her excuse: 'This is a healthy torte!'. The torte was simply wonderful, having the right balance of sweetness and bitterness.

We were given two homemade lemon-based sorbets to sample. The first sorbet was a Lemon and Cardamom Sorbet. This sorbet had an almost Indian like feel to it, tasting exactly an Indian kulfi, though only more refreshing. The next sorbet was a Lemon and Coconut Sorbet. This was without a doubt, one of the most refreshing sorbets I've ever tasted. The tartness of the lemon complemented the delicate coconut flavour, calling for a refreshing dish.

When I thought that the last was over, I was wrong. We were also given scoops of Homemade Vanilla, Sesame and Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Bean. The vanilla ice cream was delicate and smooth, while the sesame was aromatic and the green tea was bold in flavour. All three of these ice creams had the right amount of sugar present, and was frozen to a perfect consistency. It had a quality that was much better then Haagen's could ever offer - and it was much cheaper too.

On the whole, I was incredibly impressed with The Yogi Tree. The restaurant offered good quality fresh food with wonderful service, and lived up to their claim. Though the pasta didn't have the extra edge that I was looking for, the rest of the dishes were of an exceptional quality and I will definitely return to try their many dishes and speciality drinks. You should try The Yogi Tree too.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 8/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic