Woods Bio Marche at SS2 Petaling Jaya: Organic Restaurant Review

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The past few days got me thinking about healthier food due to two films (documentaries) which I have watched. Both films were interesting and will get you really thinking, and I highly recommend that people check it out on their free time. One of the film is called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", which I found very entertaining and easy to watch. It ran for 1.5 hours and you could literally see the transformation of the people who went on the juice fast of fresh fruits and vegetables. The other film is called "Forks Over Knives" which will give you informative statistics that show vegetables and fruits are the way to go -- meaning becoming vegetarian should be the aim for a healthier life.

After church on a Sunday, we headed to SS2 to find the vegetarian restaurant which was recommended by a friend of mine, as well as Google search results for KL's organic food scene came out with the same entry: Woods Bio Marche, an organic restaurant which used to have a branch in Bangsar (now closed down due to high rental increase). We went to SS2 Petaling Jaya and spent about 10 minutes in the car looking for the place. 

Finally when we arrived, the place was packed, no seats available for the 4 of us (me, hubby, little Alex and my maid). We had to awkwardly stand around the middle, not knowing what else to do while trying to stare and check around if anyone was leaving since it was about 1:30pm already. Finally after the awkward scene, one of the waitress approached us to inform us perhaps we can wait outside with seats and she will call us when the table is available. We obliged and waited outside while checking out their menu (with our grumbling tummies).

After 5 minutes, we finally got our table. The place was packed on a Sunday, an encouraging sign that this place must be good. We finally ordered our food and the waitress was knowledgable in suggesting some stuff when I asked questions. We were so hungry that I went to get a cinnamon bun (they were selling some organic bread) and shared it with my daughter while waiting for our meal.

The owner herself was around, and she was helping out in getting orders and ensuring things are okay. The staff seem to be friendly, however not all of them speak very good English.

Let me give you the positives and improvement points of this organic restaurant:

GOOD STUFF ABOUT WOODS BIO MARCHE

• Simple & clean interior, no pretenses and friendly staff
• Some of the food came quickly, which was good because we were so hungry
• You can get some organic produce for take-away eg. fruits, vegetables, etc
• Highlights of the food we tasted, must order stuff are:

1. Bento Sets - it came piping hot and a variety of veggie surprises inside. The Sunday bento lunch box was nice and tasty -- even for a meat eater like myself. Was very satisfied with the order. It came with soup of the day, which was okay and served piping hot as well. I ordered a second soup for my daughter, which came promptly.
2. Lemon Grass Ginger Tea - hubby enjoyed this warm drink, we ordered two of those. Very smooth and tasty
3. Cinnamon Fruit Bun - tasty and nice, not too soft or hard. Had some raisins inside. Either it was very good or we were very, very hungry
4. Shitake Steak - this is one of the highlights -- must order this! I loved it. Wish I knew how to make it ... it was very tasty and delicious.
5. Choco Chip Cookie - we took away one piece since my daughter didn't eat anything in the end. The food just wasn't toddler friendly (at least to my daughter). Surprisingly, it was good. Unfortunately, my daughter didn't eat much of it and I ended up finishing it.
6. Braised momen tofu - this is a tasty tofu dish that you can order to accompany your rice. Had some nice sauce with it.

IMPROVEMENT POINTS

• The tempura spring rolls came really late, although they did come and tell us it will follow. Wonder why something that looks like appetizers would come out last (when my bento box was already wiped out)
• The Kale and Apple smoothie was okay however would have been nicer if served with some ice. We were so hungry we didn't bother asking anymore
• The bill - they double charged me on the soup of the day ... one soup was supposed to be part of the bento set and I ordered another one ... instead, they charged for 2 soup of the day. 
• They should at least inform me that if I wanted to take-away my unfinished food, that they willl charge me RM3.50 (plus additional tax) for the food container. This really came as a surprise to me... wow! I don't mind if they told me, however it just  dawned on me when I saw the bill breakdown when were in the car.
• They ask you to pay for the total bill without seeing the bill. The indian-looking guy behind the counter was a pleasant guy, however he just asked me to pay RM161.40 without showing me anything. When I asked for the bill he just said "okay don't worry we will give you the bill"... and this happened after all the transaction has been done. Their bill is also not easy to understand, as each entry they have the service charge. See photo below.

CONCLUSION

Would we go back? Maybe, we will. I guess the more we adapt into the organic, vegetarian lifestyle, we will be looking for places to go -- and maybe this is one of the better ones. I will be more careful with the bill before paying -- that's for sure.

Ambience 7/10 - simple and clean ambience; seats are very close together though, so you may end up really near beside some stranger

Food 8/10 - tasty organic food and filling. This was more satisfying that our meal at Living Food (see review HERE)

Service 8/10 - friendly staff, not all can speak good English and be aware of bill before paying

Interior of Woods Bio Marche in SS2

Some of the stuff they were selling at the restaurant

Organic veggies and other stuff

Small piece of the Cinnamon Bun which was tasty

Lemongrass Ginger Tea which my husband loved

Open kitchen where you can see them in action

Interior of the Woods Bio Marche in SS2

Some of the food on display 

Lemongrass Ginger Tea and the Kale-Apple Smoothie

Soup of the day - cabbage soup

Bento box for Sunday - I truly enjoyed this one and would highly recommend it!

The very tasty mushroom Shitake Steak. The one on top is the Special Ramen - which was okay. I found the noodles
a bit on the weird texture side, kind of hard compared to usual ramen

Hijiki Fried Rice - my husband enjoyed this one, he said not bad

Braised Momen Tofu - very tasty dish and would recommend this as a side dish to your rice

Spring Rolls - nice and warm when it came out. Came with slightly spicy tomato sauce.

Not cheap for a lunch meal for 3 adults and 1 toddler. RM 161.40
Also take note of the charges -- I forgot to check thoroughly.
They over charged me for the soup - one soup was part of the bento box and I ordered another one... and instead they charged me double. Also a surprise to me -- they charged RM3.50 (food packing container) plus taxes for the take-away container! The food is pricey enough to cover for it, in my opinion. 

Woods Bio Marche Macrobiotics
http://www.healthyfoodmalaysia.com/
54 Jalan ss2/72, Petaling Jaya
Tel 03-79600260