Looking for a bright, “yellowy” spot for a lovely brunch? Well, THIS venue was made just for you!
Thanks to its vivid aesthetics and exquisite offerings, The Lemon Tree Cafe is now a top gastronomic destination in town. Its second outlet was recently opened at Park Royal Collection, Bukit Bintang – and Lipstiq was there for the grand opening!
The Lemon Tree’s first outlet is slightly bigger and exposed to sunlight. This outlet, however, is a bit smaller and sits cozily at the corner of the hotel’s lobby. You can see the cafe’s entrance just before you reach the lobby – so make a beeline for it! Parking-wise, you can opt for valet parking, but the best option is to park near Sungai Wang Plaza and cross the road to the cafe.
Just as you enter the cafe, you’ll be transported to a quaint, yellow and cozy environment. I really love the colour combos which are white, yellow and green. Of course, there has to be a lemon tree! A perfect photo spot for your Instagram feed. Since it was the grand opening, there were yellow and white helium balloons on the ceiling of the cafe. That kinda made me excited! Just as you enter the cafe, you can already see the counter and a wide range of cakes and pastries on display. Seating-wise, the arrangement was good – but when it gets too crowded, it might be slightly hard to navigate.
Now for the offerings. I’ll start off with the Sourdough Baked Crust. This item comes in two flavours: Nutella & Macadamia and Yes Cheese. The Nutella & Macadamia is a sourdough baked crust, topped with a spread of Nutella, raisins and of course macadamia nuts. It tastes sweet as first, followed by a fruity and nutty flavour. It’s kinda surprising because the Nutella is unevenly spread, so you’ll get a chocolaty taste somewhere in between bites. To me, this is more of a dessert than a savoury dish.
Moving on to Yes Cheese – I was expecting cheese you’d find on a pizza. But it was a twist that I would never have expected. Think of it like eating pizza, but with nuts and a hint of sweetness. Get the idea? Although being more on the savoury side, Yes Cheese works well as a dessert. There was also a Sourdough Toast Platter, which is just plain toast served with butter. Eat it while it’s warm, or it’s gonna be hard.
Next up on the menu was the Signature Salmon Croissant. I was a little anxious, as I wasn’t sure if the salmon would be served raw – I’m not big on raw food. But if you like salmon, this dish is made just for you. It’s basically a croissant stuffed with a thin slice of salmon, onion, purple cabbage and a spread. Starting off slow, I took a bite from the croissant. It was just heavenly. The croissant is buttery and soft, like how a perfect croissant should be. I don’t like onions, but pairing it with this dish, it was good. The onions were juicy and the purple cabbage was crunchy, giving you a kick with every bite. Apart from the salmon, everything was delicious.
Moving on to the sweeter side of the menu. For desserts, there were three different items: Lemon Drizzle Cake, Biscoff Pecan Cake and Tiramisu Cruffin. We started off with their Signature Lemon Drizzle Cake. I liked the presentation of the cake. There’s a DIY element to eating it – you have to drizzle the lemon sugar syrup on the cake. Scooping the cake into my mouth, I tasted a burst of lemon flavour. It has a strong, citrusy taste but is not overwhelming. To put it simply, it has a tangy flavour instead of just being sour. The icing on top of the cake is also lemon-flavoured. I really enjoyed this cake and would very much have it with a cuppa hot tea.
The second dessert we tried was the Biscoff Pecan Cake. If you’re a chocolate lover, I would very much recommend this cake. The Biscoff Pecan Cake is chocolate cake layered with biscoff, pecan and cream cheese. The cake was moist and very chocolaty. From the first bite, I could taste a hint of coffee. I’m guessing they added a bit of coffee to bring out the chocolaty flavour. The cream cheese was perfectly done. It wasn’t too sweet or strong, it was just right, and complemented the cake well. Same went for the biscoff spread in each layer. And in every bite, you get the crunchiness from the pecan. I really loved this dessert.
Last but not least, we had the Tiramisu Cruffin. Cruffin is a hybrid of croissant and muffin, which I’ve never had before. The cruffin was soft and buttery, just like their regular croissants. And right in the middle is a surprise filling of tiramisu. The tiramisu cream wasn’t too strong – it’s a lovely dessert to have after a hearty meal. The cruffin was topped with powdered sugar, blueberries and chocolate rolls, which added sweetness and a fruity taste to the cruffin.
Just before I left the cafe, I couldn’t help but notice the Nutella Croissant. So I decided to pack it for my tea break later. I really love how generous they were with the Nutella spread. I’ve tried croissants and buns with Nutella spread before, but the ones at Lemon Tree Cafe beat them all. In one bite, you get the buttery flavour from the croissant and the sweetness and chocolaty flavour from the Nutella. This croissant just made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Worth my 15 bucks!
As part of the event, an artist produced artworks out of coffee – and I just HAD to have one. Basically, they did a caricature, painted using coffee, on an A4-size paper, with lemon tree frames. It looked super cute. You can find out more about coffee painting and the artist here.
Even compared to other bakery cafés of similar calibre, the cost is slightly high, so I advise only ordering what really appeals to you. I also recommend going for the pastries and cakes, since they’re a great choice if you just want to sample some of their best offerings. Do check out The Lemon Tree Cafe’s new outlet at:
The Lemon Tree Cafe Park Royal Collection Kuala Lumpur
Jln Sultan Ismail, Bukit Bintang, 50250 Kuala Lumpur
Operation Hours: 8am to 6pm
More on food? Read these:
