But if ever you’re extended an invitation to Barat Lifestyle Vegetarian Restaurant in Bangsar, do accept with an open mind. For here, the food is treated with such respect and cooked with such refinement you won’t miss the familiar taste of meat.
There are indulgent flavours aplenty to tempt your tastebuds from creamy soups to refreshing gluten-free wraps and decadently rich pastas. Don’t be surprised if soon after a meal here, you’re making plans to drop by again.
Occupying two floors of a small lot, Barat is a modest fine-dining restaurant that is happily unpretentious.
Furnished in bright green seats, most of the tables and benches here are fashioned from recycled wood, lending the restaurant a shabby-chic air that’s rather hip. The ambience is further enhanced with lots of potted plants on the wall and flowers on the tables.
“It’s a place where we want to hear the patrons laugh and talk loudly because that means they’re having a good time and enjoying our food,” Prabodh Sheth said when explaining that he and his wife Meeta, who are the co-owners of Barat, wanted the restaurant to be more for warm get-togethers rather than a stuffy place when people speak in whispers.
If you’re there on a blisteringly hot afternoon, or nursing a hangover, try their concoction of beetroot and carrot spiced with black pepper and a dash of Tabasco sauce.
Don’t be scared off by its blood-red colour – this drink is lip-smackingly good and will snap you back to life in an instant.
On a first visit to the restaurant, Prabodh and Meeta recommended the Roasted Pumpkin Soup to start off the meal.
Topped with fine strips of dried ginger and “creamy” flower motifs, this dish was all a pumpkin soup should be and more – rich, robust yet refined with a hint of chilli. The slice of garlic bread was just the perfect tool to mop up the soup with.
The vegan variety was prepared with coconut milk instead of cream and was just as much a delight as the vegetarian version.
Next to savour was the Golden-fried Mozzarella Sticks with a tomato salsa dip and a Vegan Omelette. Served with a chilli dip, the omelette was interesting and tasty as long as you don’t compare it with your typical egg omelette in terms of texture and taste.
Another delectable snack is the Mango Spring Rolls wrapped in popiah skins and deep-fried to perfection. Served with a Thai chilli sauce, this sweet-savoury snack is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes and it’s obvious why – it goes perfect with a cocktail, soft drink or a piping hot cup of tea.
The Avocado Sandwich with its side of sweet potato chips and ranch dressing dip is also memorable. It may not look like much but the avocado filling, prepared with lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing was absolutely delicious down to the last messy mouthful.
And mind you, the chef is not stingy with the avocado either. All in all, a truly refreshing starter or main, depending on how bottomless your belly is.
Pasta lovers, you’re in for a sumptuous feast. The Pistachio Carbonara with sun-dried tomatoes will leave you with a silly smile plastered on your face no matter how bad a day you’ve had. It’s vegan cousin, using copious amount of coconut milk is equally decadent and unforgettable.
And just when you thought pasta couldn’t get any better, in comes the Smoky Cajun Pasta with Roasted Broccoli. Don’t even try to pick your favourite because both pasta preparations win hands down. And you thought broccoli was boring!
Barat’s Basil Pesto Pasta with Grilled Zucchini is another winner. This spaghetti dish with grilled zucchini and bell peppers is topped with roasted pine nuts for an added earthy flavour and contrasting texture.
If all this rich food wasn’t enough, in a warm show of hospitality, Prabodh and Meeta insisted a plate of Cauliflower Manchurian be brought out.
Not only was this plate a picture of perfection, it was a pure delight to savour. Crispy and sticky on the outside, crunchy and tasty on the inside, this dish was a beautiful tribute to the otherwise boring and bland cauliflower.
If you’re a true-blue Malaysian and have a weakness for local hawker fare even when in a fine-dining restaurant, then you’ve come to the right place.
Meeta cooks up a mean Mee Goreng Mamak complete with chunks of vadai, tomato, cabbage, and the all-important slice of lime – all the usual suspects!
The recipe her chef uses is the one she herself perfected when settling down in Malaysia after marriage.
If you have a sweet tooth – and if you’re Malaysian, you probably do – you’ll absolutely love the ice-creams Barat makes.
Always experimenting with new flavours to delight customers, their Salted Caramel and Honey Lavender ice creams are the perfect way to end any meal. Both are rich, smooth and soothing on the palate. Paired with either a sliver of apple pie or a square of brownie, you’ll be in seventh heaven.
If you’ve always been skeptical about how tasty or satisfying a vegetarian meal can be, lunch or dinner at Barat’s might just make a convert out of you or satisfy your curiosity in a delightful way at the very least.
Barat Lifestyle Vegetarian Restaurant
19, Lorong Kurau
Taman Bukit Pantai
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Operating hours:
Daily from 11am-11.30pm
Hours may differ on first and second day of Chinese New Year