Bonjour Garden Bakery Café, Intermark Kuala Lumpur: The Latest Bonjour Café Storms into Town!

Exhibiting Japanese at its French Best!

I first tasted Grand Chef Yukichi Matsubara’s bread at the US Potato event last year. Even then I was fairly impressed with his scrumptious bread made with potato. The humble chef, who is the Head Chef and Managing Director of Bonjour Garden, marries his award winning skills of Japanese with European confectionary in Bonjour Garden Bakery Café’s menu.

Started in 2011, the first Bonjour Garden opened in Kota Damansara and today, the latest 5^th bakery café made its mark at the Intermark Mall in the metropolitan city. As its moniker suggests, Bonjour Garden is a quintessential lifestyle-garden concept bakery and café with culinary inspirations from France.

Taking inspiration from its concept, the new fifth outlet of Bonjour Garden Bakery Cafe boasts of a chic Parisian café interior design. Lots of wood framed the main design of the café with a wall decorated with artsy Paris pieces. Plenty of space is carried throughout the café. Spots of green and lots of lighting provided a warm and cozy ambience for guests to enjoy their coffee with bread and pastries. Bonjour Garden serves up a menu boasting more than 100 types of items comprise a selection of confectionery items, pastries and main dishes. Its menu concept revolves around 3 key elements – “Healthy”, “Creativity” & “Japanese Chefs.”

As media and bloggers gathered for the event, Chef Yukichi Matsubara proceeds to kick start the event by showing us a demo on making his version of Ciabatta. Chef Matsubara holds dearly to his personal philosophy and commitment of “If it’s not perfectly baked, it’s not leaving the kitchen”. He may be all smiley and shy when it comes to presentation but once he starts his bread demo, he turned serious and stayed focus and precise.

The true-blood Japanese culinary master certainly knows what he is talking about.  A son of Kobe, Japan, he is trained in the Classic French techniques and had honed his craft in Tokyo, working at Kimuraya Bakery. He was inevitably drawn to Paris, France, to fulfill his destiny as a master of the Patissier’s art at the famous Boulangerie au 140, Paris.  Such is his in-depth knowledge of his craft, Chef Matsubara has authored a book ‘Latest Style of Boulanger Desserts’ and confirmed his credentials as a master in his field with his success in the internationally screened Japanese television show, Chojin Chef, Bakery Skills. In 2004, he won a gold medal in the California Raisin Culinary Challenge Contest; an event that attracted bakery professionals from around the world.

We even got to help Chef Matsubara knead and slap the dough to exercise the gluten in the dough! Making bread sure takes up lots of energy… but the finished product is well worth the effort.

*left to right: Chef Darren Chin, Chef Yukichi Matsubara & Chef Shigeru Hashizume

After the demo, Chef Yukichi Matsubara launches the brand new outlet with a huge ciabatta together with his two main chefs, Chef Darren Chin and Chef Shigeru Hashizume.

After the ceremony, we were treated to a lovely spread of Bonjour Garden’s signatures.

The five signature bakery items inspired from the café’s 3 key elements are Caramel Cheese Raisin (butter roll), Ciabatta (hard bread), Croissant, Campagne (levain bread), Cranberry Cheese (levain bread). Chef’s Matsubara explained the main chefs apply traditional French techniques with Japanese precision in producing the products at Bonjour Garden. He also stressed that only the finest and natural ingredients sourced from all over the world are used to ensure that the quality and flavours of the baked goods are of the highest standard.

Deciding on a favorite is pretty hard because the 5 signatures all have their own delicious flavors and textures. The Campagne is crusty and soft while the Croissant oozes with buttery flavours. Taking the most popular spot has to be the Caramel Cheese Raisin with many praising this one rocks.

A light dinner of Chicken Crisp Sandwich, The Pacific, Oriental Pizza, Cream of Champignon and Crab with Edamame Pasta was served with light refreshments. I really enjoyed the Cream of Champignon and the Crab with Edamame Pasta a lot!

Then Chef Shigeru Hashizume proceeded to show us how he decorates his signature Mont Blanc X’Mas Cake and Snow White X’Mas Cake.

It’s available for sale now so do head on over to all Bonjour Bakery to taste one. I was particularly fond of the Mont Blanc yule log since I love creamy chestnut filling! Don’t forget to buy the delicious Caramel Cheese Raisin too…

For more information, please logon www.facebook.com/bonjourgarden or call 03-6140-7603

BONJOUR GARDEN BAKERY CAFÉ

Intermark                                           

Lot LC01 – 08, Intermark Mall

The Intermark

No. 348 Jalan Tun Razak

50400 Kuala Lumpur

Tel (03) 2181-1822

Kota Damansara

Central Park Building

Jalan PJU 5/13

Dataran Sunway

Kota Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya,

Tel: (03) 6140-7603

Bukit Jelutong

Lot 5, R-1 Ting GL 2

Plaza Jelutong

No 5C Prsn Gerbang Utama

Bukit Jelutong

40150 Shah Alam, Selangor

Tel: (03) 7734-3018

Mutiara Tropicana (kiosk)

Jaya Grocer

No 2G-6G Jalan Mutiara

Tropicana 3

Mutiara Tropicana PJU

347410 Petaling Jaya

Valencia Sierramas (kiosk)

3G Ground Floor,

Jalan Sierramas Utama,

Sierramas,

47000 Sg Buloh

Selangor

Tel: (011 2345-7918)