Banana Leaf Rice, the mother of all cravings, one of the things I missed the most when I travel abroad for more than two weeks. The first thing I want to ‘kena ‘ (hit myself with) the moment I touch down on home soil is a good meal of banana leaf rice flooded with curries of all sorts. It is food that I would sometime dream of in my sleep on a Saturday morning, moments before I wake up with an embarrassing drool on my pillow. So, what is so titillating about this piece of banana leaf ladened with all these yummy treats? Well, it all depends on where you are having it. They all look the same at your typical Indian restaurant but I have tried enough variations to know a few good places to dig in. And one of my favourite restaurants is Devi’s corner at Bangsar.
Don’t be fooled. Not all Devi’s corner is good. This is the only Devi’s corner I know that ‘specializes’ in their banana leaf rice and are damn serious about it. Very packed on weekends during lunch hours, I always make it a point to get there by 11:30am and secure my favourite table right at the corner beside the windows. 1st Floor is dedicated to serving banana leaf rice. If you just want to have your usual roti canai, mee goreng and teh tarik, I suggest you stay downstairs and not deprive banana leaf rice enthusiast of a seat on top.
The Food
The Starter Set
The Kerala fish curry and the crab curry is simply gorgeous and equally as rich but the fish curry is spicier. Filled with bits of fish pieces, the kerala fish curry is probably one of the best curries you can have to compliment your meal. Splash in some onion curry (which is also served at the premise), you will have a ‘mind blowing’ gastronomical experience. Sigh! I can’t seem to complete this article without drooling all over my keyboard!
Kerala Fish Curry
Lets just say, if you can take the heat, just ask them to drench your rice with kerala fish curry and crab curry. Dig in with your hands to feel the intense flavours as you lick the rich curries of your fingers…my oh my…this is pure indulgence! HITZ the SPOT !
Rasam
Then follow up with a sip of that spicy sour rasam (Indian ‘soup’ with tomatoes, tamarind, pepper and spices) to wash down all that gorgeous flavours. This would boost your appetite further and make you want to ask for more rice and curries. However, don’t over do it or you might end up with difficulty breathing and walking later on.
The place also serves a great variety of other South Indian dishes. A standard banana leaf rice set comes with a serving of 3 types of vegetables of the day, ranging from deep fried bitter gourd, cabbage with spices like mustard seed, ocra, potatoes with onions etc and rice. They also throw in interesting condiments like dried chillis (packed with power), chutneys and papadam (crackers).
You can add on additional dishes like mutton, fish, chicken etc. The mutton varuval (dry lamb curry with cumin seeds) is good and tasty. The deep fried tenggiri fish (mackerel) was nicely done, crisp on the surface and soft and juicy when you take a bite. I can’t say the same for the fried chicken. They tend to over fried the chicken and reduce it to half the size. It was dry to the bones and not good at all.
Mutton Varuval
Fried Tenggiri
Deep Fried Bittergourd
Chicken Curry
Okra
Mango Chutney
Ambience
Comfortable solid furniture. Air conditioned, which is much needed with all that spicy food and our extreme weather. Gets very crowded at peak hours with the limited seats so you have to make reservations if you are going with a big group.
Verdict
All in all, this is one of the best banana leaf rice place in town. In terms of the curries, probably the best. Don’t think you can find these tasty Kerala fish and crab curry anywhere else in town. I swear by it….and my Indian friends Julian and Mike too !
Special Guest
Location
View Larger Map
Address
Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur
(Opposite Bangsar Village II)
69, Jalan Telawi 2,
Bangsar Baru, KL.
Tel: 03-2282-7591
