The celebration of Deepavali continues full swing! Ewe Paik Leong visits some Indian vegetarian restaurants in the Klang Valley
RESTORAN BAKTI WOODLANDS, LEBUH AMPANG, KUALA LUMPUR
The restaurant’s menu is divided into starters, soup, papad, salad, raitha, paratha, Indian bread, North Indian dry dishes and a long list of sweets. Most dish names are in Anglicised Tamil, which is Greek to me. I go for its signature thali set. When it arrives, I am impressed: 16 small bowls comprising vegetable dishes, rice, curries, dahl, chutney, green apple slices, laddu and whatnot sit in a circular tray. There are zaps of zing from coriander, jolts of citrus from cumin, punches of pungent-sweetness from turmeric, dribbles of buttermilk, a romp through an exotic spice field, and a final sweet slap from the laddu. This thali set is culinary fireworks!
Rating: 5/5
DHIVY’ CAFE, NO. 9, SRI SUBRAMANIAR TEMPLE, BATU CAVES
When I step inside, a man stationed at the counter gestures for me to take a seat. After I’ve ordered a thali set from a waiter, the same counter-man tells me to help myself to any soft drink I want from the fridge! My standard thali set consists of three vegetable dishes and papadam served on a fake banana leaf. A three-bucket serveware filled with curries and dahl is left on my table. The veggies have varying degrees of soft crunch and textures, accompanied by mild jolts of garam masala but nothing spectacular. Copious splashes of curries manage to infuse the rice with a decent spicy flounce. Coupled with its affordable price, this thali set earns this cafe a place here.
Rating: 3/5
RESTORAN SANGEETHA, LEBUH AMPANG, KL
I feel like calling the food police when I see this statement on its menu under the Sangeetha special thali: “Meal-sharing is not allowed.” (pix 0544).
Gee, a patron can’t share a thali set with his/her dining companion? I’m kidding about the food police but you get my message. Nine items surround a bowl of rice topped with chapati. As I work my way though the nine dishes my taste buds are bombarded with bursts of acidity from the curd, smart contrasts between the earthy flavour of kurma and the high notes of rasam and much more. At the end, my palate is scrubbed with sitaphal ice-cream. Alas, I’ve to deduct points because of the meal sharing policy.
Rating: 3.5/5
RESTORAN RANI, NO. 10, SRI SUBRAMANIAR TEMPLE, BATU CAVES
A mound of rice, broken pieces of papadam, three vegetable dishes and an add-on fried spring roll on a banana leaf represents my thali set. Earlier, I asked for chicken drumstick but it’s only available on weekends. The rice is perfect as the fluffy grains are separate yet clingy. I eat the veggies neatly, one by one. Once I’ve finished, sweat breaks out on my brow. “Excuse me, sir? Tissue?” a waiter says, handing me a serviette. This gesture earns the cafe extra points! Service aside, the curries manage to glaze my mouth with aromatic spicy flavours quite satisfactorily.
Rating: 3.5/5
WTF, LORONG MAAROF, BANGSAR, KL
Its elegant interior is a bit cramped. The menu begins with starters and ends with dessert. Sandwiched in between are tandoori, salad, soup, sandwiches, chats, desi khana, bread, rice and desserts. In summary, there are both traditional and modern dishes. I go for its vegetarian sizzling biryani. Through the veil of smoke, I see veggies, long-grained rice, green peas, tofu, cashew nuts and a pond of brown gravy. When the sizzle dies down, I mix the gravy with rice. Ooh-la-la! The gravy tastes very rich. It is also uniform in texture and is powered by garam masala and other spices that converge as a luscious single note at the finish.
Rating: 5/5
GANDHI’S VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT, JALAN SCOTT, BRICKFIELDS, KL
Approaching the restaurant, I am surprised that its signboard is in English, Tamil and Chinese. Inside, the rationale for using Chinese is revealed. Displayed in trays are both Chinese and Indian vegetarian dishes. I select an assortment of veggies, including petai. The grains of the rice hold together without being stodgy — that’s a good start. There is a mildly vibrant funky soul in the curried veggies that goes beyond a coriander and cumin kick but nothing outstanding. But again, the wallet-friendly price justifies a spot on this list for this restaurant.
Rating: 3/5
SARAVANA BHAVAN, LEBUH AMPANG, KL
The restaurant’s menu requires effort to navigate as several headings are overwrought. Examples are “Great Wall”, “from our Chinese wok”, “from our chef’s tureen”, “from the farmers” and such like. A few unusual dishes are Vegetable Manchurian, Paneer Manchurian and Hakka Vegetables. The signature thali set comprises 11 items, chapati, papadam and rice. Both the chapati and rice are faultless. Though the other dishes tingle and ripple on my taste buds, had their flavours been more robust, I would be singing from the roof.
Rating: 4/5
ANNALAKSHMI, JALAN BERHALA, KL
For all the restaurant’s up-market orientation and a dress code that says: “Please avoid shorts, Japanese slippers, jogging shoes and sports apparel”, I’m a bit disappointed with the food as it doesn’t clear the bar set by its luxury furnishings. Only three items from the weekend buffet are memorable: the papadam because it’s not store-bought but made in-house and crackles with aromatic spices; the vada because it’s utterly bland; and the semiya payasam because it thrills and comforts at the same time with its rich nutty-milky sweetness. The other dishes are just above-average fare disguised by posh surroundings to appear as five-star food.
Rating: 4/5
RESTORAN CHAT MASALA, JALAN TUN SAMBANTHAN, KL
This massive air-conditioned restaurant serves North and South Indian cuisine. Listed on its menu are dosai, vegetables, paratha, soup, mock chicken, mock seafood and thali meals. My signature thali set is served in a tray with round compartments. The dishes lack the blast of charisma as they don’t excite or surprise me with any fancy spicing. Still, my thali set is pretty decent for its price and I regard this restaurant as a bit of a diamond in the rough.
Rating: 3/5
THE GANGA CAFE, LORONG KURAU, BANGSAR, KL
Appearing as fading letters on its wornout menu are the following headings: Mumbai street food, Malaysian favourites, thali set, paratha, flatbread, dosai, rice, snacks, sides, chat and naan. My standard thali is rather simple: three vegetable dishes, two dahl dishes, brown rice, rasam and papadam. But simplistic in taste it is not! The kitchen has the skills and mastery of spicing to ramp up common veggies into dishes that’re intense in flavours. Bright and sparky, they dance an exciting bharatanatyam with the brown rice.
Rating: 4.5/5