I HAVE two strong reasons why I was quick to agree on a late lunch meeting at Yarl.
One, it's Sri Lankan food! The one and only time I tasted Sri Lankan food was over 15 years ago, and I could still vividly remember its tastes and looks, and its distinctive flavours that separated it from Indian food I usually had.
I was almost immediately sold when my host said: "It's Sri Lankan food", but I actually maintained my cool and waited for her next sales pitch.
When she said it's located at the Asian Heritage Row at Jalan Doraisamy, I just had to say yes. It's been ages since I last stepped my foot at Jalan Doraisamy.
During my younger days, a Mamak stall serving what was claimed as the best mutton soup in KL that was and still is located at the end of the inner road was my go-to place to lepak with friends.
And for Yarl to be housed in one of the units at Asian Heritage Row, a row of century-old shop-houses that is famed for its collection of chic restaurants - that just seals the deal.
EAT
A bit of its background, Yarl - a member of the well-renowned Cinnamon Group that now has three branches - actually has a humble beginning.
It began as a small stall run by a group of Sri Lankan cooks in the busy neighbourhood of Brickfields, with an aim to introduce authentic Jaffna-style food to Malaysians. Interestingly, most of the founding members of Yarl still remain in the kitchens to this day.
Yarl, which actually refers to a palm tree found abundantly in Sri Lanka, focuses more on northern Sri Lankan or specifically Jaffna comfort food, that actually are not so different from the usual Southern Indian food (read: Mamak food) we normally have.
But what exactly is the difference between Sri Lankan and Indian food? My host is quick to explain: "In the cooking style and the choice of heat. Sri Lankan food is more on chilli heat, not spices like Indian food."
But here at Yarl, Jaffna food is very much similar to south Indian food. In its menu, I could see familiar names like thosai, appam, idli, puttu, vadai and idiyappam.
One thing good about the menu, besides the familiar names, is it's very simple and straightforward. First-timers - to the restaurant or to Sri Lankan food - will have no problem manoeuvring their eyes and thoughts on the segmented, well laid-out menu.
Yarl goes simple for breakfast with choices of thosai, idli, puttu and vadai but adds more choices with vegetarian and meat dishes that will come with rice or quinoa as its hearty lunch set.
When the day winds down in the evening, the cosy restaurant takes on a more elegant personality by offering exclusive selections from the breakfast menu and hot dishes for a Dinner Thali Set in a semi-fine dining atmosphere.
However, there are items that look "foreign" to me, like kottu, varai, poriyal, odiyaal kool and many more. Thankfully, some of them are briefly explained in the menu.
But deciding on what to eat is of course a different story. Well, since everything is so familiar, you might want to order everything just to see how much different they are from what you usually have.
PICK
So, after much contemplation, we order a Thali set, a chicken kottu, odiyaal kool and two types of appam - one with palm sugar and one with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
To complete this feast, we go for house specials, bru coffee and mango lassi.
The Chicken Kottu (RM13) comes to our table looking like a Chinese-style char kway teow.
"No, it's actually shredded roti canai stir-fried like our typical mee goreng," my friend Helen explains.
I try a spoonful. Ah, yes it's like roti banjir (shredded roti canai drenched in curry) but in a fried kway teow style. It's either you like or you don't, but I am ok with it.
I am actually excited for the Thali set (RM12). I still can remember how impressed I was at the sight of a Thali set I had in Kerala, India. The tray had no empty space as it was filled with a generous portion of boiled rice and little bowls lining at the edge of the tray.
But when our Yarl Thali Set comes to our table, I have to say that I am a bit disappointed. The set is much smaller than what I had expected.
The small tray had rice in the shape of an inverted bowl and four little stainless steel bowls of three stir-fried vegetables and one rassam. Still not too quick to judge, I give it a try.
Well, I give two thumbs up for the rassam and the vegetables are not bad either. They're a bit dry to which my host explains, "It's the style of cooking that is distinctively Sri Lankan."
But a bowl of Mutton Varuval (RM18) gives the much needed meaty punch to my Thali.
Then comes Odiyal Kool (RM12), a one-pot, all-in-one stew dish said to be founded in the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka. This one is new to me.
At a glance, I could see white rice partly submerged in thick soup with prawns and crab feet poking out of the soup surface. Ah, this looks exactly how I would have my rice and soup, especially rassam, when I'm under the weather.
As comforting as it looks, the stew is so addictive that it keeps me going back after each spoon.
Our dessert, the two appams do what they are supposed to do - sweet and a tinge of sour. And I still like my appam the traditional way, no ice cream can beat palm sugar.
MOOD
Bright, cosy and modern. I was actually prepared to walk into a restaurant heavily decorated with cultural art pieces that would scream "Sri Lanka", but Yarl surprises me the moment I step in. The all-white setting gets specks of colours from the black-and-brown furniture and poster-size pictures hung against the empty white wall. Yarl has both indoor and outdoor seatings.
PAY
Price starts from RM3.50 for plain thosai that is served with iddi sambol, chutneys and sambar, breakfast set (vadai set that comes with two pieces of vadai served with chutneys and sambar) starts from RM5, dinner set from RM7 for idiyappam set (three pieces of idiyappam served with sodhi, iddi sambol and onion curry).
VERDICTS
SERVICE Staff is at hand to explain more on northern Sri Lankan or Jaffna cuisine.
I SAY Why not!
FAST FACTS
Yarl The Row
22 & 24G Asian Heritage Row
Jalan Doraisamy
50300 Kuala Lumpur.
WEBSITE www.yarl.my
TEL 012-375 9883
HOURS 7am - 10pm daily (9.45pm last order)
Feast on Sri Lankan dishes at lower prices with GrabFood Promo Code.