Sri Nirvana Maju @ Bangsar (Updated!)

I have actually stopped blogging for a long while now already. But this is something I just had to do. For a long time now Nirvana Maju has been attracting droves of hungry locals and foreigners alike to their hearty and tasty Indian meals. But last Sunday drew my anger beyond words! RM12 for a piece of tenggiri fish! And it was a small piece mind you. Upon questioning, the cashier said it was fresh. So all this while you've been serving me stale ones? I visit this place every alternate week and order that same fried fish and it only costs RM6 and now all of a sudden it is doubled? Do note that the vegetarian meal has also been raised to RM7 from RM6 (RM5 in 2009) and the used-to-be-free yogurt is now RM1.50. Greedy bastards is all I can say!

The food is good, but I prefer non-greedy outlets. Visit at your own discretion.






Original Post

Good Indian banana leaf cuisine is so hard to find these days. Its an easy dish to serve, but these days restaurants are more into profit and neglect what makes a tasty and satisfying banana leaf cuisine. Even the standards at the famous Kanna Curry House in PJ have deteriorated over time.

One Indian restaurant I've been hearing quite a bit about is Sri Nirvana Maju. Located in the heart of Bangsar, this is the first place I have heard of that serves banana leaf cuisine up to the wee hours of the morning. Yes, you hear me right. People come here for banana leaf up to 2 o'clock in the morning! Every customer-full table is covered with banana leaves and customers range from foreigners and business folks to classy Bangsar diners.

The interior is well presented with hanging artificial flowers and yellow lighting. For a restaurant that is located among Bangsar's higher end establishments, it pries on a very simple and humble setup.

From top down: Rawa Thosai, Fried Spicy Chicken, and Onion Ghee Thosai

Besides the banana leaf set, Nirvana Maju serves your typical Indian fare including thosai, puree, and roti canai. Their thosais are excellent! The Rawa thosai I tried was crispy and so good that it makes me crave just thinking about it. Fried Spicy Chicken (RM5) is a spicy variant of your average fried chicken and a tasty one at that. But 90% of their customers come for the goods below.

Clockwork from top: Fried bitter gourd, fried cabbage, cucumber salad, long beans acar, and rice

Nirvana Maju's Banana Leaf Set (RM5) is  fresh, flavorful, and satisfying. The addictive fried bitter gourd, crunchy cabbage, fresh cucumber salad, and spicy long beans acar coupled with a triple dose of dhall, chicken, and fish curry makes this a simple yet hearty meal. The set is accompanied by papadam and rasam for that sour kick.

Alongside the banana leaf set, you can also order other sides consisting mainly of meats. SS was dying for  some squid, hence their Fried Spicy Squid (RM10 for 2). Its also not your average deep fried squid. The ones here are fried with an extra spicy marinate together with curry leaves and chili and finally doused with lime. Other customer favorites include Fried Spicy Chicken and Fried Fish. Don't be surprised when you see foreigners with the banana leaf set with chicken, fish, and squid. For them, this is heavenly cuisine. And I wont deny it. If you are not sure what to choose from, you can have a look at what they have at the back in the warmers.

An empty leaf is a happy leaf. Do remember to fold the leaf inwards to show your appreciation and that you will be coming back again ;)

So if you are fed up with below average banana leaf cuisines, give Sri Nirvana Maju a try. Sri Nirvana Maju also provides catering service.

Thank you to SS for her recommendation on this place.

Restoran Sri Nirvana Maju

43 Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar

59100 Kuala Lumpur

03-22878445