J&D Espresso @ Bandar Utama PJ

I have been inspired by food styling lately. Probably because I have two cameras to play with rather than just my loyal, one - temporarily that is. Review of the Sony Alpha 5000 will be up really soon.

Please bear with me while I weave you through a terrain of photo filters and odd-angles, ahead of the crucial task I was postulated upon. I'm still amateurishly learning.


J&D Espresso

Despite being so near home, I have never really been attracted to this quieter part of town, where J&D Espresso is located. Or was it the sub par food quality that I've heard so much about? A little more on that shortly.

Situated slightly off the more populated area of Bandar Utama, two year old J&D Espresso is located right next to a furniture shop, mere minutes away from the ever-packed 1 Utama.

As I stepped through the doorway, the first thing that came to mind was - crap, the cafe is cozy. The lack of lights would mean grisly pictures. Nevertheless, I was glad that the camera have no qualms on capturing fairly good image quality pictures, even in low light settings.

You see - I never liked ordering pen-and-paper style, I reckon I'm better off ordering verbally. Should something go wrong, at least I have the waiter to blame - I am just kidding. Today, as usual, I was behold the task of ordering on behalf of the table, somehow or rather - my klutziness took over, and I got one of the orders wrong. I was meant to order pancakes but ticked on the wrong box. This is quite rare of me nonetheless. Leading on to the first dish of this review.

Pancake Stack. Rm18.

I love pancakes. And this stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes was the highlight of my meal!

The layers of pancakes came fresh and fluffy, drizzled with joy of what I think tasted like strawberry sauce, topped with a dollop of butter and a handful of strawberries and granola chunks to add.

Eggs Atlantic. Rm21.

The eggs Atlantic came with a flair of thinly sliced smoked salmon, hollandaise sauce, cream cheese, and two nicely poached eggs. Paired with the sweet bun at the bottom, the dish tasted fairly decent overall. However, portion wise, it would be nice to see a bit more color to the oversize plate. It does look like they're skimping in portion, evident from the meager offerings.

Eggs Benedict. Rm19.

Like the former, the poached eggs was done well. But presentation wise, the dish looked dull, boring and rather unappetizing. It really didn't tempt me to stick my knife through as soon as it was placed on the table.

Aussie With An Egg Pizza. Rm25.

Topped with lashes of bacon on a thin crust tomato and cheese base, the pizza tasted quite fine overall. The mismatched would have to be the half cooked egg in the middle. Smart move - it did add a hint of visual excitement as soon as the dish was served.

Italian Pork Salami Sandwich. Rm27.

Folds of Italian pork salami with nicely lay out salad, tucked in a crusty ciabatta bread. The fries was seasoned with chicken salt - and I love chicken salt, it was an absolutely sinful delight. The tomato chutney on the other hand, added a nice twang to the overall dish.

Red Velvet. 

The slice of red velvet cake was a letdown. Despite the presentation, its texture was dry and very stale, like it has been kept for awhile already. Needless to say, my sweet-buds was not satisfied in the end.

Iced Latte. Rm11.

Cappuccino. Rm9.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Service was very pleasant and the staff was extremely accommodating on my picture taking habits. Food wise, it was fairly decent overall. But for its price and reputation, I can't deny that I was expecting a little more. 

J&D Espresso is located at:
Oasis Business Center BU11, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya
03-7886-9693
Opening Hours 11.30am - 9.30pm. Closed Mondays