Petit Noms at Empire Damansara: Restaurant Review

Returning to Empire Damansara’s Petit Noms, where big & bright flavours are now bursting out of Rex & Michael’s kitchen.
Earlier introduction to Petit Noms: May 17, 2014.

Lofty Hideaway

Petit Noms has steadily & stealthily become one of this building’s best bets for a satisfactory meal; tucked away one floor above Sevencups & Boat Noodle, it maintains a low profile & low prices, but its relatively lofty standards make it worth a visit.

All-Day Breakfast

Petit Noms’ menu is peppered with inventive twists; for fans of brunch fare, the Eggs Benedict secure a makeover here, with the poached egg & hollandaise sauce partnered with chicken confit & chicken ham over hash browns. Slice into the yolk & combine it with the meat & potatoes for messy mouthfuls of comfort cooking. RM16.50; Petit Noms’ all-day breakfast recipes, which also include baked eggs (RM18) & croque madame (RM13.90), are available for both lunch & dinner.

Appetite Whetting Salad

Say Cheese! Petit Noms’ photogenic salad weds delicately thin & desirably creamy flakes of rich-tasting, 18-month-aged cheddar with rocket leaves, coral lettuce, cherry tomatoes & balsamic cream for a starter to whet the appetite for more. RM9.

Compact Menu

The menu here is compact; this turns out to be the sole salad for now, but Petit Noms strives to keep things fresh by revamping its repertoire regularly. If you’re intrigued by the current selection, head here within the next several weeks before the next shake-up.

Nordic-Inspired Gravlax

Fans of salmon can sample Petit Noms’ own-cured, Nordic-inspired salmon gravlax (RM13.50 for about 55 grams). There’s a wide-ranging European bent to much of the food here, a legacy perhaps of Rex’s year-long experience of cooking in Ireland.

Fusion Flavours

For a one-of-a-kind marriage of Mediterranean & Asian flavours, one of Petit Noms’ current mains is ‘The Perfect Couple Wrap’ (it could easily be named The Odd Couple), which pairs one grilled strip of kofta-like minced chicken, spiced with cumin, with a second strip of tsukune-style chicken tinged with shoyu, scallions & garlic, bundled up with crunchy veggies & creamy yoghurt, served with roasted sweet potatoes & an Asian slaw. RM17.

Customers can also order the kofta & tsukune separately, without the wrap for a lower-carb lunch; three skewers each costs RM9.50, with the tsukune accompanied by an egg yolk on the side.

Hachis Parmienter

Petit Noms manages to keep prices for nearly its entire menu below RM20 (before taxes), with rare exceptions like this interpretation of the French classic ‘hachis Parmienter’ (RM21); think of it as a shepherd’s pie, with a base of tender pulled beef ragout topped with a thick layer of irresistible mashed potatoes, surrounded by buttered veggies.

Enticing Desserts

Save space for at least one dessert; we like Petit Noms’ cornflake, honey & yoghurt parfait (RM6.90) but the beignets with vanilla ice cream (RM7.50), Nutella & peanut butter crepe with vanilla ice cream (RM10) or French toast with caramelised bananas, strawberries, maple syrup & again, vanilla ice cream (RM12) sound equally enticing.

BYOB

Petit Noms is a place for tea & coffee, but patrons can bring in a bottle of wine (or two!), since corkage is kindly waived here. Extra tip: take a table by the terrace for a view. Many thanks to Michael & Rex for hosting this enjoyable rainy-weekday dinner.