Luc's 1st Banana Leaf Rice Experience @ Curry Leaf, Damansara Utama PJ

Being a Belgian, it was Luc's first experience having his food served on a banana leaf! This would have been something common for us Malaysians but for him, our lunch at Curry Leaf restaurant at Damansara Utama (also known as Damansara Uptown) is an eye opener. It was in my plan to take Luc and Sophie out for an authentic banana leaf rice experience but Sophie couldn't join us for lunch as she was not feeling well. 

Curry Leaf at Uptown is the 2nd outlet from its original restaurant in Seremban which is also known as Curry Leaf. The restaurant in Seremban has been in operation for 15 years and this branch in Uptown is managed by Michelle and her husband Dewayne. The restaurant is started by Dewayne's parents whom his mother is a Chinese and his dad an Indian. Together they create wonderful recipes for this restaurant and Michelle whom used to work for L'oreal is now hands on at the restaurant with knowledge in cooking and also about the Indian cuisine.

 It's located along the same row as HSBC and beside Pathlab. This is a simple, clean and fuss-free restaurant. A plus point of this place is that it is not stuffy.

Just like any curry house, you can pick your own dishes here from their big variety of meat, fish and vegetables dishes everyday. The price is clearly displayed above the food counter. According to Michelle, the vegetable dishes will be changed daily to avoid food fatigue but a few clear favourites remain day to day.

Their lassi drinks are a must-try here. They use fresh fruits and also  fresh cow's milk which is then fermented into yogurt. So basically a Lassi is a traditional yogurt-based drink originating from India's Punjab region. Mom chose a Peach Lassi (RM3.80) and Luc took a safe choice of Mango Lassi (RM3.80) but I decided to be adventurous and ordered a Salted Lassi made with chilli and also diced onion. Sounds weird right? A traditional lassi is savoury whereas a sweet lassi usually containing fruits instead of spices is more popular among non-Indians. It turns out that the Salted lassi was not too difficult to stomach. It's lightly spiced and a little salty. It's definitely a "first" for me as I have not been too adventurous with Indian cuisine. The Mango Lassi is really nice, full of fresh mango flavours and it wasn't too sweet.

The most popular dish here is of course their Banana Leaf Rice. Here, the real banana leaf is used as a plate and the waiter will serve a few different vegetable dish onto the leaf and then followed by the rice. There's a choice of white rice or briyani and 3 different curry sauces. The real deal is of course to eat them with your hands but I probably shouldn't scare Luc during his first banana leaf experience.

All the vegetable dishes that were served on that day were delicious. I love the Aubergine with onions which is sweet and savoury. That is the most popular vegetable dish from the restaurant. So far I have not tasted anything like this in other curry houses. Actually I like all the vegetable dishes here.

Curry Leaf Fish Head Curry (RM25 onwards by weight)

Asked if I like fish head curry and of course I nodded my head. I think it comes from my dad as he's the real champion when it comes to eating this dish. He can leave no fish head unturned and he would make the fish die a worthy death. The fish head portion here is quite big and what I have here is the smallest portion. It's better to have 3 or more people eating this so that you can have more space for other dishes. The fish was fresh and the curry was flavourful, spicy and there were lots of lady fingers.

Chicken Stuffed Naan (RM6.50)

The restaurant offers a wide variety of naan (a type of oven-baked flatbread). One of the naan that we managed to try that day was stuffed with minced chicken and topped with fresh parsley. The naan here is soft, freshly baked and best eaten warm. And on the top left corner of the picture is one of the dishes that I enjoyed most here. It is the Fried Squid with sesame seeds (RM10). It was so crispy and light that I can keep on eating and eating them.

Kashmiri Naan (RM5)

The Kashmiri naan is also a signature dish from the restaurant. It is a sweet naan topped with fresh mango slices and dried fruits. This is indeed a very creative combination.

Who would have thought that the mango and dried fruits would compliment the naan so nicely?!! I finished half of the naan myself and I had one more of the same naan to be taken away too!! I think the winning combination of these ingredients has to do with the fact that the mango is fresh, juicy and sweet.

We managed to try their Squid Briyani (RM9) which comes with a generous portion of squids too. The briyani was wet and has a lingering flavour of spices. And the picture next to the Briyani is the Chicken Lakshimi Kebab (RM6.50) which looks like a layer of egg that wrapped over the chicken cubes. This is another dish which I have not tried before. To end the meal, Luc had a Bru Coffee (RM2.70) from India and mom had a Ginger Tea.

The restaurant has a number of signature dishes which includes Chicken 65 (RM10). I asked Michelle why it is called 65 and she told me that this dish used to require all the chicken cubes to be weighed 65g each. Wow... I really have no idea that this is a deep-fried chicken with spices originating from Chennai. The Mutton Roghan Josh (RM10) is recommended as I am not a mutton person but I don't mind eating this because it is not gamey at all. Even my mom who doesn't take mutton due to the strong flavours indulged a few pieces.

A picture of us and a table full of yummy goodies!

I really have to thank Michelle for her hospitality and the invite for lunch. It has been a nice experience for the 3 of us because I am so unadventurous when it comes to Indian cuisine and now I have a chance to learn more about it. Luc enjoyed his first banana leaf rice and we would be coming back when we are in town the next time!

The restaurant is opened for breakfast from 7.30am to 10.30am and 4-10pm where there is a breakfast menu. They also provide function rooms upstairs and also catering services.

Curry Leaf

No.75, Jalan SS21/37,

Damansara Utama,

47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +6017-3377880

Website

Garuda Padang @ Orchard Central Singapore

I haven't been really adventurous when it comes to Indonesian cuisine and the ones that I've always been having is the ayam penyet and gado-gado. Recently when I'm in Singapore, I have a chance to try Garuda Padang, which is a apparently a popular place for some Padang cuisine in the republic.

Padang cuisine in general is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people and they are usually the spicy dishes. The way the padang cuisine is served is that all the dishes are on display and you choose whatever dishes you like and they will serve you the rice to go with it. Usually the dishes are in small portions, depending on the number of people having it.



Garuda Padang was started in Medan and the outlets in Singapore are the only franchises outside of Indonesia. The first restaurant is opened in 1976 and the business has definitely expanded as this is really a popular joint for some comfort food! The deco is pretty similar in all outlets as the main theme is white. I must say that I really like the bright ambiance and it makes all the dishes looked so good!



You can always start with the Jus Alpokat ($6) which is a popular Indonesian fruit - Avocado, blended and added with chocolate! Or you can opt for a refreshing Jus Serai Bermadu ($5) which is a lemongrass juice. The Avocado juice is really not my kinda drink as I find it a bit too thick and rich!


One of the must try in my opinion is this Ayam Goreng Bumbu ($5.30/pc). This is a very good piece of fried chicken served with heaps of fried blue ginger floss which goes so well with white rice! It's fragrant and the best thing was - the meat wasn't dry.


The other dishes that I managed to try that day includes the Tahu Goreng Bumbu Nenas which is fried tofu served with pineapples and peanut sauce. It's like a salad with lots of vege but the peanut sauce gives it a savoury flavour. The Pergedil Daging Sapi or potato croquette with minced beef is also recommended as it is fried to a crispy outer layer and it tastes like our chinese version of a fried dim sum dumpling.

What I really like is the Rendang Daging Sapi which is a Beef Rendang. I love the succulent and tender beef pieces and the wonderful aroma of the spices. Although it looks a little oily, the cholesterol was really worth it! The morning glory with sambal is also very good.


The grilled squid was done very well too as it wasn't overcooked and it's still succulent and tender unlike some that makes you chew like it's a piece of gum. I had a feeling that a bulk of the bill will come from this dish, the same scenario when we have our Nasi Kandar here in KL. haha...

I really don't have any complaints for the lunch I had that day although it hurts the pocket as this meal for two came up to about $70+. It's not cheap but I was really happy with the food served here. According to my friend who frequents Indonesia often, the Garuda Padang there is even much better! The funny thing is - I don't really see local Singaporeans frequenting this outlet and most of them here are usually Indonesians. Hmm...

Garuda Padang - Orchard Central

Orchard Central #07-07/08
181 Orchard Road
Singapore 238896
(Opposite Centrepoint)

Tel : +65 6735 4111
Fax : +65 6735 4222

Daily Opening Hours
11:30AM - 10:00PM (Last order: 9:30PM)
(Including Chinese New Year & Public Holidays)

Website

Taiwan (101) Restaurant @ Jalan Imbi KL

Somehow I had a feeling that people will be asking me that why I'm still having Taiwanese cuisine despite the recent news of the ban of Taiwanese food products tainted with toxic chemicals such as di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP). Oh well, look at it this way, I've been consuming helluva other toxic products that I might not have realised and this one meal is not going to kill me instantly right?!!

This Taiwan 101 Restaurant is not to be mistaken with the other Taiwanese Restaurant called Fong Lye on Jalan Imbi which is just a few doors away. Located on the same road, this restaurant is just right after Overseas Restaurant with a green signboard.

Taiwan 101 Restaurant

This place looks rather empty and I must say that in KL or everywhere else, an empty restaurant is always not a good sign. Either the food is not good or it's too expensive. Therefore I went in without any expectations. The owner cum chef, James Wang greeted us. He's a Taiwanese and this restaurant has been there for 2 years which I've never realised! haha...

Chateau Barde-Haut 2008

One downside of this place is that they do not have wine glasses but they have these petite beer glasses that are so cute! We used it to drink the red wine my friend bought that night and it was a new experience. The Chateau Barde Haut 2008 is a sexy wine. It's soft, elegant, and full of pleasure. You can taste the black fruits, licorice and coffee. This wine is full bodied, long palate and has black fruit filled aftertaste.

The owner speaks only Mandarin and lucky I was able to converse with him with my "average" mandarin vocabulary and he was quite shocked that I can't read in chinese! haha... But don't worry as the menu has English translation too. What you'll missed out is the conversation with the owner to know more about his cuisine and restaurant.

The appetisers

These are the standard appetisers consisting of braised pig ears, braised egg, cold beancurd and seaweed. The pig ears are surprisingly tender and very addictive. According to James, his restaurant serves really authentic Taiwanese cuisine because the chef is Taiwanese and most of the ingredients are imported directly from Taiwan unlike other restaurants which uses local ingredients and hire local chefs.

The highlight would be this "San Pei Ji" which is literally translated to 3 cups chicken because there are 3 main ingredients involved in cooking this dish. When the dish came, the sweet fragrance from the basil leaves filled the room. There were not much saltiness in this dish compared to the same dish elsewhere. According to James, the secret lies in the soya sauce that they used. It was imported fron Taiwan and he showed my friends and I the bottle and it did smell different! This is a must try!

This is the restaurant's Special Beancurd. As explained to me, they make this fresh and even the soya beans are grinded by themselves and thus this dish will take sometime to prepare. The special thing about this beancurd is that there is no preservatives used and thus the rough texture. The specialty lies in the sauce. If you eat the beancurd as it is, it's bland but if you have it with the sauce, it has a rich stock and some saltiness taste. The level of saltiness depends on the amount of sauce you take it with.


This is the popular Taiwanese Minced Pork Rice. It was very good as the minced pork were really fragrant. The lacking in quality is the rice as they couldn't import any rice from taiwan and thus they have to make do with the Thailand Fragrant Rice. The way to eat this is to mix the rice and minced pork well.


I forgot the name of this vege but it was recommended by James and it was really delicious. It was really crunchy and just look at the beautiful greens!



The last one was the dessert. It's a herbal jelly (not guilin gao) but it's a different type served with milk and hasma. At first I declined to have dessert but after some persuasion, I tried and I love it! I even had two of this. If you order this before the meal, it'll be RM6 but if you order after the meal it'll be RM8!

I'm quite surprised with the food as I didn't expect it to turn out so well. It's really a different experience I had among so many Taiwanese restaurant in KL and I must say that this place is worth another visit!

Taiwan 101 Restaurant
No.80, Jalan Imbi,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-2144 9158

Pakistani & Mughlai Cuisine in Subang Jaya @ Restoran Menara

A rather odd name for a restaurant that serves Pakistani & Mughlai cuisine gets me intrigued with the story behind this place. This restaurant is born through a partnership between Mr. Lim Cheng Jeen and also his Pakistani co-onwer Amjad Ali. Apparently, this place was named by the Pakistani ambassador who wanted to remember the “Menara Merdeka” or independence tower in Lahore.

They reckon that it's time to marry both the Malaysian local tastes with the Pakistani cuisine and thus the restaurant came about and had since been operating for 3 and a half years till now. When two Asian customs such as India and Pakistan met, the Mughlai dish was invented. in history, the Mughlai cuisine started during the ancient civilization of the Mughal Empire when India was invaded. The Mughlai dish is prepared by royal chefs from the finest kitchen to serve it to the royalties. And then later, it became the food of the imperial families which made it popular in their place and eventually all over the world.

I'm very new to the world of Pakistani or even Indian cuisine. It's not something that would conjure into my mind everytime it comes to lunch and dinner but I really do not mind if I have friends who would pull me along to join them for a spicy treat. Mughlai cuisine is one cusine with the use of lavish spices, aromas of ginger, chilli powder and exotic spices coupled with a touch of elegance to the robust flavours.

There are a few recommended dishes in this restaurant and I was lucky to be able to nib on every dish!

Mutton Seekh Kebab (or Chicken) at RM13.50


The Chicken Lahori Boti is very moist and tender and grilled over charcoal.


Butter Chicken (1/4) at RM 18.00
Very rich gravy made with homemade butter and chicken cooked in tandoor style.


All types of naan - plain, garlic & coriander.
One of Mr. Lim's "love at 1st bite" was the Afghani Naan which consists of stuffed egg (pic on top left). These naan goes very well with the curries and also the Butter Chicken.


Whole Lamb Leg at RM145.00
This is the whole leg of a lamb marinated with lots of spices and roasted in tandoor. And 1 day of advance notice is needed for this order. The lamb was done nicely and there were no gamey taste nor smell.

Seafood Briyani at RM 17.00
Cooked with fish, prawn, nuts and spices, this is indeed a very special briyani as not many places does a seafood style.

This place is just located at a corner shop beside a mosque in the USJ 9 area. Besides the wonderful cuisine, they also sell souvenirs from Pakistan such as pashminas and also kurtas. Besides the restaurant, they also provide catering services for all corporate functions, weddings or even parties. To attract customers to try this place, you can always go for a set lunch menu consisting of Mughlai Briyani and Chicken Tandoori or even Beef Mutton Briyani starying fro RM8.90 to RM9.90 per set.

This is what my friends and I ate for lunch!

Restoran Menara
No. 1.1 & 3.1, Jalan USJ 9/5P,
UEP Subang Jaya,
Selangor.
tel: +603-8024 6751
email: amjadsabar@hotmail.com
Opens daily from 11am to 10.30pm daily

Dining at The Cliff @ Langkawi

After visiting Langkawi almost every month for the past half year, I am begining but slowly to like this island where breezy beaches greets you in the evenings. The dining scene here is getting more colourful with new additions to the already busy beach stretch of Pantai Cenang.

Although I do not have the privilege of strolling the sandy beaches in daytime due to the nature of work, once in a while I would leave the bustling Kuah Town in the evening to venture into Pantai Cenang which is located about 25 mins away.

If you want to catch the sunset at the beach, make yourself available at 6.45pm by the beach or better still be at The Cliff bar sipping a cocktail.







The Cliff is a new dining outlet situated just behind the Underwater World facing the beach front and perched on stilts. It has a dining area and a bar which has a 360 degrees view of the sea.

I was first introduced to this restaurant during the opening on 9th February by my customer whom is a friend of the owner. Boosting a classy dining concept, the interior design of this place is very tastefully done. In addition to that, I have never been to a restaurant opening buffet spread that includes grilled tiger prawns as one of its dishes and I remembered how that very night I only ate the tiger prawns and nothing else.


A friend of mine whom I got to know months ago is actually the GM of this place and he invited me to this restaurant for dinner earlier this week. Even though I was on a tight schedule, I would always squeeze some time to catch up with friends knowing that it would certainly be another wonderful evening as opposed to eating alone.

The restaurant serves various types of seafood from prawns, lobsters to fish and calamari. There are eastern and western cuisine on the menu and even something in between. What I liked most is the names of the dishes.

The Cliff Ceasar Salad (RM28)

The salad consists of grilled king prawn "percik" style with spices and romaine lettuce paired with croutons and beef bacon. This is such a luxurious appetiser because the grilled king prawn not only fills up the whole bowl, it tasted so fresh and aromatic too!

3 Sekawan (RM48)

Translated as "3 good friends", this dish consists of grilled baby octopus, deepfried garoupa fillets and a mini serving grilled baby lobster. The lobster that we had was filled with roe which is a delight to me because I am never afraid of cholesterol. The garoupa was crispy and best eaten by dipping it in a vinaigrette sauce served in the shot glass. The sauces paired with an invasion of peppercorns made the whole dish very interesting and tasty indeed.

Pulau Payar (RM58)

This is a deepfried garoupa with assam jawa madu (honey with tangy tamarind paste) with dried chillis served with pineapple sauce which is big enough for 2-3 people. I find the presentation very tasteful and the best thing is the flesh of the fish has been deepfried into strips, making it crispy on the outside and tender in the inside. Credits go to the chef for being creative with this dish.


Vegetarian Curry

This dish is not on the menu as I let the chef decides what I should eat that night. This is a briyani rice with cashew nuts and raisins accompanied with a bowl of vegetable curry. The flavourful curry is prepared to the Nyoya style of curries and decorated with fried poppadoms in strips. You might have to ask the chef if he would be putting this into his menu.



The grilled king prawn. One of the must haves!

It was indeed a satisying meal although I didn't drink any wines that night. I was so stuffed to the brim that I hardly had any space for desserts! But I did tell Francis that I would definitely come back to try some desserts which seemed really appetising from the description in the menu.

This is Chef Khairul whom have been working previously with Four Seasons and other 5 star hotels. He is now heading the kitchen at The Cliff with 8 team members. He's a nice young chap whom is really passionate about the art of culinary. As a night cap, I had a cup of tea instead of my usual whisky but it's perfectly alright to stay off alcohol once in a while. I had a good time and Francis was so kind that he didn't allow me to pay for dinner.

While at the restaurant, make sure you pay a visit to the toilet and be awed at the beautiful carvings at the wash basins.

The Cliff Restaurant & Bar
Lot 63 & 40, Jalan Pantai Chenang,
07000 Pulau Langkawi, Kedah.
+604-9533228
the cliff888@gmail.com

Rice & Curry at Green Cabin @ Colombo

Rice and Curry is the de facto food for any Sri Lankan. Ask what my sister eats everyday at the canteen at her company and you'll either squeal in delight because you enjoy curries or you'll squirm like her because she doesn't like spicy food. Yes, I am in Colombo to visit my youngest sister whom is on a short term overseas posting. You can follow her food trail in Colombo here.

Did you know that there are more than 15 rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka? During my week's stay here, I have already tried no lesser than 4 varieties of rice from the Basmati long grain white rice to the red Kakukuhaal (in short, I called it the kuku rice). Food here does evolve very much around rice as you get your surf & turf dish served with rice instead of chips. Today I had the chance of trying one of the very authentic Sri Lankan curry & rice at Green Cabin which is located on Galle Road in Colombo.

Ranked at No.2 out of the 143 things to do in Colombo by Lonely Planet, this restaurant should be on anyone's list if you're here. This place is known for its inexpensive food and also the baked section which serves pies and vegetarian dishes. The menu is really simple with a few types of fried rice, a few types of curries and some specialty dishes. It shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes to make up your mind.

There are some recommended dishes here. I especially liked the Cuttlefish under the Devilled Dishes section which means dry curry. For curry with sauce, I like the Seer Fish Curry because the sauce makes a very good accompaniment to my white rice and it is not too spicy. The curries here are mostly cooked with coconut and if you hate the fruit or the fat, then Sri Lankan cuisine is not your cup of tea.

Vegetable Fried Rice, Omelette & White Rice

Seer Fish Curry, Curry Chicken & Cuttlefish

I find the Chicken Curry a bit too spicy for my liking. If I have to choose, I still prefer our Malaysian curry chicken with potatoes! These portions are meant for single person and the dishes are priced reasonably from Rs200-500 a dish. There is also buffet available but the varieties is very limited (4 dishes) and it's meat free for only Rs 270 per person.

One of the dishes that I see most of the patrons ordering was the Lamprice. It is actually rice and curry wrapped in a banana leaf - very much like our version of Malaysian "nasi lemak" except for the missing sambal and ikan bilis. It is wrapped up like a cylinder dumpling and it made me so curious but sadly I had only one stomach and I cannot eat everything on the menu.


To go down with all the curries, sis ordered a Ginger Beer (Rs 80) which is very popular here in Sri Lanka I guess. The Elephant House Ginger Beer (EGB) is made up of ginger and it is not a beer, it's just another soft drink. Most of the places here does not serve alcohol as a license is needed.




This is definitely a recommended affordable Sri Lankan "no frill" restaurant with acceptable ambiance and cleanliness. It feels very much like one of our "nasi kandar restaurants" in KL. The bill came up to about Rs 2000 + (USD 15) which is quite reasonable considering our meals have been exceeding Rs 10000 (USD100-150) every dinner.

Guess what, sis didn't touch the curries as she is already sick of it by now! haha...
Sorry this is no fine food in a fine blog but I have to at least try a true blue Sri Lankan meal for once!

Green Cabin

453, Galle Road,Colombo 3,
Colombo,
Sri Lanka

Phone: +942588811 or +942591841