Garden To Table Private Dining at Section 14, Petaling Jaya: Restaurant Review

Food stylist Phang Sce Hwai spent the last 18 months cultivating more than 100 herbs, fruit trees & other plants in the compound of a rented PJ bungalow that serves as her office space. Starting this month, Phang’s work has blossomed into a private kitchen where guests can go green every Saturday for breakfast & lunch.

Sustainability Forms The Core

Sustainability forms the core of Garden To Table’s philosophies – the chairs, tables & cupboards here are pre-owned, sourced from Amcorp Mall’s flea market or friends’ homes or recycled from crates. Biodegradable detergent is used to cleanse cooking utensils & dishes, while food scraps are turned into compost for Phang’s plants.

Stroll around the house – papaya & fig trees share common ground with moringa plants & vines, nestled amid sawtooth coriander herbs & tenggek burung sprouts. Garden To Table sprang from Phang’s professional impasse as an F&B stylist for corporate projects, in which the food she worked on often went to waste. Here, everything’s consumed, one way or another.

Nasi Ulam

Expect specialities like nasi ulam made with brown rice & herbs freshly harvested from right outside in Phang’s garden. RM35 for a set that includes a beverage; it’s pricey, but Phang notes a lot of personal effort has been poured into Garden To Table – even the salted eggs were painstakingly preserved here. Rice, sambal & sauces are refillable.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak (RM30 with beverage), comprising components like free-range eggs, organic cucumber & fresh pandan juice. Garden To Table’s other plus point is that customers can linger & laze for a couple of hours in a calm, spacious & crowd-free setting – there are two sessions each Saturday, 9am-11am & 12pm-2pm, with each meal limited to 12-14 people.

Handmade Sourdough

Garden To Table’s handmade sourdough bread, prepared with dark rye flour, filtered water & a starter that’s cultured from scratch here. RM25 for a set with kitchen-made spreads & soft-boiled eggs. Bread can also be pre-ordered for takeaways.

Buttermilk and Cinnamon Scones

Buttermilk & cinnamon scones (RM20 for a plate of two pieces, served with spreads & beverage). As expected, everything here tastes wholesome – even these scones feel like healthy calories. Note that private dinner sessions are also offered on request, with a minimum of 10 patrons.

Homemade Spreads

We’re fans of Garden To Table’s lovely spreads – thick jams produced with mulberries foraged from the residential estate & Cameron Highlands strawberries, home-made marmalade, lemon curd & kaya, showcasing natural, pleasingly ripe sweetness.

Luscious Treats

Home-made fruity ice cream, a luscious treat that relies on durians, mangoes & passion fruit from Phang’s neighbours, accompanied by her own-baked biscotti. At Garden To Table, guests get to know exactly where their food comes from.

Smoothies and Coffee

Beverages include fruit smoothies constructed with the likes of bananas & Borneo rain forest honey, alongside lattes composed of Sulawesi Toraja single-origin coffee beans roasted in Garden To Table’s kitchen.