Sri Neelas Curry House @ Taman Desa
August 25, 2011 | 4,832 views
Sri Neelas serves a delicious mutton varuval (dry curry mutton); lip-smacking stuff.
It has been awhile since I wrote about banana leaf curry rice. Wondering what’s the big deal with eating rice + curry + dishes served on a piece of banana leaf?
Beats me. Supposedly, the leaf imparts a certain aroma to the rice. Or so we have always thought, or led into thinking. But seriously, with a variety of side dishes (usually vegetables and potatoes), delectably robust curries, crispy flavourful papadom crackers and chicken/fish/mutton of your choice, can you even taste the faint nuance of fragrance from the leaf?
My lurve for BLR runs deep.
That being said, I’m still a huge fan of banana leaf rice. Haha …. Goes to show how old gimmicks still work, and the novelty never runs out.
There are many good options in Klang Valley. There’s the one in Bangsar, the authentic ones in Brickfield (pardon the ignorance, as I have always wanted to pay Vishal a visit, yet this place escaped my radar more often than not), the commercialized ones, the poor imitators of the real deal, and of course … the in-betweens.
Like Sri Neelas in Taman Desa, a worthy choice in my opinion, yet with a niche crowd of their own …..
He was in his elements that late afternoon; tossing the “roti’s” (Indian flatbread) in a trance
I came to the knowledge of Sri Neelas’ existence when we were having lunch at the Thai restaurant adjacent to this. That was when someone commented on their fantastic rendition of cucumber shake.
Although I am not a fan of fruit/vegetable shakes as much as a good old, soothing cup of teh tarik, I decide to give Sri Neelas’ cucumber shake a shot.
Try this. Seriously.
And was I impressed. The word ‘refreshing’ would be ideal to describe the first sip, though remember to request for less syrup if you’re not fond of sweet beverages. A no-brainer really, but cucumber shake SHOULD be the perfect foil to a tongue-numbing, spicy banana leaf curry rice fest.
Still a favourite of mine; Teh Tarik (Malaysian style of pulled milk tea)
Not that the curries and dishes at Sri Neelas were terrifyingly spicy. In fact, the heat was more than tolerable …. I would have preferred if they upped the ante slightly. But a good choice if you do not like extremely spicy Indian food, yet craving for an enjoyable banana leaf rice experience.
More than enough for lunch, the portion was enough to satiate a glutton’s wildest dream.
The mutton varuval (dry curry mutton) was brilliant, tender cubes of mutton with a tampered gamey taste, yet very robust with chillies and spices. Try the chicken or mutton briyani, though if you want the ensemble to be served on a piece of banana leaf with the usual side dishes and condiments, you have to fork out considerably more.
Not bitter, very crunchy and addictive.
The crunchy deep fried bitter gourd was good too, and very addictive that you’d find yourself snacking on them more than the other vegetables served. The only gripe was that we were served with an already fixed pile of rice in the initial stage (though you still can request for top-up later); a little too much to start with. By the time I finished the chopped blanched kangkung (water convolvulus), the potato masala and of course, the delightful fried bitter gourd, I found myself struggling to finish the rest of the rice.
The 24 Hour Curry House
All in all, this was an above average experience, and Sri Neelas is a place that I will return in the near future for the other Northern and Southern Indian fares. Naan (Indian flatbread) and tandoori chicken are only served in the evenings, presumably.
However, the prices lean towards the heftier side; with the chicken briyani on banana leaf rice at RM13, the banana leaf rice set with mutton varuval also at RM13. Cucumber shake goes for RM3.50.
“Feels like sharing YOUR banana leaf rice experience with us?”
SRI NEELAS RESTAURANT
5A, Jalan Desa Jaya,
Taman Desa,
Tel No : 603-7983 0995
Opens 24 hours a day
Google Map to Sri Neelas Restaurant
*Same row as Public Bank in Taman Desa
i love banana leaf rice too.. never tried this place before, normally go to the one at bangsar 🙂
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They are said to be serving good naan too at night. For the fried bittergroud, I prefer the one by Sri Nirwana in Bangsar although they are charging exorbitantly for their banana leaf rice.
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Yeah… Sri Nirwana, that’s what I heard also. And been itching for a visit during lunch.
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Alangovan Reply:
September 6th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
No doubt the taste is above average, but good business has driven them to overcharge and charge u for every extra addition of rice and vege.. this’s is entirely against the universal law of BLR where u can add as much as long as u can finish it..
do try Devi’s Bangsar BLR, only upstairs, which is diagonally from Nirwana.. much more varieties, authentic and flavorful..
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J2Kfm Reply:
September 6th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Really?! Wah .. I did not ask for extra rice or vege, and thankfully so. Thanks for the comment though.
Yeah, kinda sucks to find them charging for extra servings of sides.
gosh, i think i haven’t managed to have banana leaf rice in more than two years. it used to be one of my “comfort food” items when i was studying in penang 😀
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 9:20 am
Yeah, because the tastebud matured and seeking for something more decadent now, perhaps?
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This is my favourite BLR neighbourhood joint, though for the longest time, I resisted it because of the terribly patchy service during peak hours. The BLR’s right up there in my book, as is the Maggi mee goreng! Great find! 😀
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J2Kfm Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 9:14 am
Service was okay, maybe we went on a weekend; on a late afternoon at that.
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Gosh, fungry.
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This has been my lepak place for a good amount of my life. Mention mamak and we all go okay, let’s go to Neela’s. My friends enjoy their Maggi goreng while I’m a sucker for their Neslo.
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They changing some set up n doing renovation , food still good n prize I think not 2bad anyway they will improve new Mngt soon.
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