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

Get cosy & comfortable @ Upstairs Cafe, Subang SS12

After some pestering, I bowed to the pressure and joined my new housemates for some Friday tea. The weather was perfect with the sun failing to pierce the clouds but providing just enough brightness.

The time called for something comfortable. Somewhere you can just sit and watch the world pass by. Come upstairs then, because Upstairs Cafe is a more than ideal place to relax and unwind with your friends.

Located opposite Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC), Upstairs Cafe is supposedly run by the son of the owner of the establishment downstairs; Kafe Bawang Merah which according to a lot of reviews, serves one of the best home-cooked Malay cuisine in town! Then I guess I have to try that one of these days ;)







Back upstairs, Upstairs Cafe offers great ambiance and comfort inside and also 3 tables on its balcony for those who prefer the fresh air and outside view. If I had to compare it to something more known, Upstairs would be like Secret Recipe dining meet Starbucks interior design.












Upstairs serves a variety of items to munch on including fruit and nut cakes, cheese cakes, pies, and pastries. To go with them; a selection of coffees, teas, hot and cold beverages with most of them unique and not the standard brands you see at other coffee shops. Cakes, pies and pastries range anywhere between RM3 and RM8. Not the cheapest, but definitely taste good and authentic.

Fluffy Carrot Cake with assortment of fresh and crunchy nuts

Moist traditional-styled Chicken Pie

This was basically what we had for tea. But during lunch and dinner, you may order from the chef's personal range of pasta dishes which are priced very reasonably.

Kafe Bawang and Upstairs Cafe are a unique father-son business establishment which seems to be striking silver. Traditional Malay cuisine meets modern contemporary cafe.

Upstairs Cafe

1st Flr, 12A, Jalan SS12/18

Subang Jaya, Selangor

Opening Hours: 3:00pm-11:00pm, Mon-Sat

Closed: Sun

Tel: 03-5611 9171

Barbican Non-alcoholic Beer

Say what? Non-alcoholic beer? I know I know, for you beer drinkers out there, this is a scam! a rip-off! or a drink for sissies! Well, true or false, lets see whats the fuss all about. Although it has been on shelves for quite a while, I only recently purchased one from the local supermarket with a price of RM 2.90.

Made in Dubai, Barbican contains almost similar ingredients to beer such as malt and hops but importantly lacks the fermentation process that makes traditional alcoholic beers. Barbican also comes in a variety of flavors namely apple, lemon, and raspberry to name a few.

But if you really want to get the taste of beer, I recommend you go with the original as the other fruity flavors taste more like fizzy drinks with barely any hint of beer. Served very cold, it doesn't taste too bad if you can get over the fact that there's no alcohol in it. Not a bad casual drink in a non-drinkers party and I would say its healthier than carbonated drinks, just like regular beer ;)

Ice Room @ Bandar Baru Bangi

Bangi is currently developing well with new shop lots opening in every corner. And with new shop lots, you get new eating places! And among the newest are PappaRich and Ice Room.

Decided to give Ice Room a try since the weather was hot and I've heard quite a bit of their desserts. Located on the same row as PappaRich and a few other modern cafe-like outlets, Ice Room stands out with their green exterior. If I'm not mistaken, this same outlet can be found at Lot 10's Hutong, which means it had to be something special. There's also a frame commemorating a visit from the local food show; Jalan-jalan Cari Makan. And check out the interior art; aren't those the cutest ants you have ever seen?

Well, lets see how they fare in terms of food. Ice Room serves nearly similar types of dishes you can find at places such as Old Town, PappaRich, and Uncle John's. Nasi Lemak (RM7.90), Tomyam (RM8.90), Spaghetti (RM8.90), Fried Rice, and Toasts are your standard fare, nothing to shout and nothing to complain about. But price wise, there are about a ringgit cheaper than the previously mentioned outlets.

Besides these, they also have a wide variety of other dishes to choose from; western and Asian included. But there's one thing that separates Ice Room from the rest...

Shaved flavored ice topped with fruity toppings and served extremely cold! This thing right here challenges Malacca Jonker 88's cendol for the trophy of best dessert! Its that good! There's loads of flavors to choose from and we opted for the Passion Fruit & Mango Snow Ice (RM7.90). It was de-wait for it-lightful! Yes, too much of Barney Stinson for me ;) If you want winter heaven with each scoop, this is the gateway there. I'm not sure how the other flavors fare, but reviews from my friends tend to lean on Passion Fruit & Mango and Mango Pamelo Snow Ice as the best on offer.

Reminds me of that famous 90s hit; Ice Ice Baby!

Ice Room Bangi

45, Jalan Medan Pusat 2D

Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor

Sushi King RM2 Bonanza @ Alamanda Putrjaya (Updated!)

As most of you should already know, this week is the Sushi King RM2 Bonanza in Peninsular Malaysia which will be followed by the same promo in Sabah and Sarawak. I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for this period, holding back your sushi urges just to have your fill here and now ;)

As great as the promotion is, I didn't really raise my expectations too high. I've been reading scientific articles whereby freshwater eels which are used to make Unagi Nigiri (Eel Sushi) are extremely endangered and their numbers are fast depleting. The same goes for Blue-fin Tuna. Its sad that these animals and not to mention the thousands others around the world are facing extinction, mainly due to our very species.

Oh sorry, back to sushi matters :p Anyways, 4 of us decided to head to Sushi King's Alamanda branch. And true enough, Unagi Kabayaki Nigiri was a no-show. I'm referring to the rarer-grilled-skin-cuts as sliced unagi is still available albeit less tasty :) The other sushi available were your normal fare and usually nothing to complain or scream about. Oddly enough, the rice in all the sushi we ate had a hard time staying together. They were falling apart easily and making a mess of the table. Thankfully the Ebi Ten (Tempura Prawns) came out just before we left. Sadly, they were half the size of the last prawns I ate at Sushi King. Absolutely abysmal!

Sake Nigiri (Salmon Sushi) was the only one which I felt was worth the effort. I'm not sure ever its the same at every Sushi King outlet, but you could try and let me know ;) Till then, go settle your Japanese cravings while the promotion is still on!

Just came back from Sushi King's Mines outlet, and the items there were bigger and tastier! Last 4 trays of the day comprised of Unagi Nigiri and Ebi Ten :) Tomorrow is your last bonanza day!

KK - Bubble Tea

Its the equilavent to mamak shops..

Its the equilavent to milo ais..

Its where young Sabahans go to chill out after school or tuition classes..

Bubble tea is weaven into the childhoods and lifestlye of Sabahan's young as good as how it taste, which is quite good ;) Easyway, Frenz Cafe, and household name Yoyo Cafe are bubble tea outlets that stay alive till the wee hours of the morning serving those drinking delights with other snacks and desserts. Its the "in" place to hang out and meet your friends. Peak hours at Yoyo Cafe for example includes a non-stop bubble tea-making production chain for lines of customers up till the point they run out of pearls!

Its quite surprising how a simple milky drink with chewy pearls and fruits could create a subculture around it as how bubble tea has done with Kota Kinabalu..

Restoran Pecel Lele Ann & Dila @ Perhentian Kajang

I can't be having mamak food for lunch everyday right? So it was the day to revisit my friend; the catfish. Usually demoted to the 2nd or 3rd tier of fish dining, this one however deserves your attention.

The dish of pecel lele hails from Indonesia and has been a mainstay here among the Malay population.  But something tells me its not the easiest dish in the world to cook. Having to deal with a fish with strong bones yet come out with a crispy and crackling skin with soft tender meat must need special attention. Ann & Dila (sisters or mother and daughter?) serve their fish in this manner. Combined with an addictive and spicy sambal, its trully a 1-2 knockout punch!

They do serve a chicken variation and a few other dishes, but I would recommend nothing but this! The only downer is I'm not a fan of plain steamed vegetables :p Restoran Pecel Lele Ann & Dila is located in the vicinity of Perhentian Kajang, midway between Kajang and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Pizza Hut's Hoax!

Man oh man, why did you all have to do this?

Did you think I could not differentiate between  bread sticks and chopped up garlic bread?

You judge for yourself. If you don't have bread sticks, then say so. Don't chop up garlic bread and try to trick me! Is this what franchises have resorted to? Trickery? Bad enough their marketing is full of illustrations meant to deceive the general public, now they turn to making customers feel dumb? Pizza Hut, you should be ashamed of yourselves..


Look at this personal super supreme pizza. Notice that the dough barely crosses the halfway thickness of the pan and the huge gap between the crust and the pan? You guys are good with your shrink rays now I see!

We all know times are hard. But when a customer pays well for food, one deserves to have a certain level of quality maintained. Not this. Just look at those pathetic pieces of capsicum? How much you think those tiny pieces cost? Pizza Hut's quantity of toppings is a disgrace to pizza itself!

Service and quality at Pizza Hut has dropped dramatically since the days we were kids. Stop wasting time coming up with new dishes, crazy toppings, and flashy advertisements and just concentrate on making good quality pizza.

For those in search of good quality and authentic pizza here in Malaysia, I recommend Canadian Pizza, Yellow Cab Pizza and a host of good Italian restaurants all around the country. There's even a few Italian dinners opening with their very own wood fire oven, capable of cooking delicious pizzas in a matter of minutes :)

At the time of this posting, I also lodged a complain at Pizza Hut's online feedback system. The next morning they gave me a call concerning my complain. It seems the old bread stick was coated with cheese but this is now replaced with garlic bread sticks. Upon hearing this, I asked ever was this to save cost? He said yes!

I rather them increase the price than serving below par food items. Why not just remove the pathetic garlic bread sticks and serve their traditional garlic bread which we all love?

SAY NO to Kajang's Sri Paandi

On the local scene, my patience has steadily been wearing thin when it comes to Kajang's Sri Paandi which is located right next to the Shell station in the middle of town.

Food quality and service have deteriorated to such an extend I would rather sit in my room and munch on biscuits!

Kajang is suffering from a serious lack of good Indian restaurants. Besides Sri Paandi, the only other is Ravi's along Jalan Reko, and another is located next to the Billion supermarket in town.

Ravi's is a family run business, be it a badly run one. Service is slow and the food only average. The one next to Billion barely serve any greens and the rest of their dishes look monotonously red or orange.

With such lack of competition, Sri Paandi has managed to ride on just its famous name to woo customers in even with their poor food and service.

Among their major shortcomings include;

1) Cold curries
2) Soggy cucumber salads
3) Same old vegetable day after day
4) Puree fried in dirty overused oil (upon question, the waiter says its normal)
5) Smaller thosais
6) Price increase that does not justify the smaller portions
7) Waiters who are so care-free as they wander around seemingly not bothered to attend to customers in a professional manner
8) Drinks that take forever to reach as they are sitting at the back there with no waiter even bothered to serve them

If I had a better grasp of Tamil, they would have gotten more than my piece of mind! So I hereby advice those who would like to have a wholesome and tasty Indian dining experience to skip these outlets and head to ones such as Sri Nirvana Maju and Devi's Corner in Bangsar and many other prominent ones around PJ and KL.

Sometimes good food requires that bit of travel.. Its sad when restaurant owners just do not take the initiative to maintain their standards. Hopefully, reduced flow of customers will force restaurants such as Sri Paandi to make drastic changes.

Nasi Bojari @ Madam Kwan's

Madam Kwan's is now a common sight at most malls across the country. Serving mostly Malaysian delights across the cultures of Malay, Chinese, and Indian mix and a douse of oriental and western dishes, it is an ideal destination for foreigners who are not comfortable with the hot and humid outdoors of our street shops. Although the best food might still come from the streets, Madam Kwan's quality of dining has been high and has remained there for quite some time. And one of Madam Kwan's signature dish has to be Nasi Bojari (~RM21).

I'm not too well informed on the history of this dish, but I believe it has its roots from Indonesia. Lightly colored and flavored rice served with sambal prawns, beef rendang, and pieces of crispy outside tender inside fried chicken makes up this dish ideal for 2 moderate eaters. The rice smells so aromatic, you could actually skip on eating it. The sambal and rendang sides are a delightful affair and surprisingly low in oil. The fried chicken achieves the balance of taste, juiciness, and crispiness that KFC should be envious of.

I also highly recommend their Sago Gula Melaka (RM5.50) for those who would like to end with a sweet touch. Sago in a bowl of coconut milk served with a generous portion of thick brown Malaccan syrup; delightful :)

Swensen's Revisited @ SS2, PJ

I know its been ages since my last post. Am I really flogger material? Am I just too lazy? Haha.. Anyway, this post dates back to end of March.. The revisit of Swensen's..

Whenever I and SS are in this part of town, its hard to resist the temptation that is Swensen's. What to do.. SS is kinda hooked on their mint ice cream.. Like seriously hooked on it :p

Anyhow, Swensen's lunch offer is still quite an attractive, affordable, and satisfying one. This time I opted for something that resembled chicken chop and SS delved into her macaroni with cheese. This post has been delayed so long that I have forgotten the original name of the dishes :p Sadly I was unlucky this time around to have gotten my chicken undercooked. And when they took it away, I knew they were going to fry the same piece again, ruining my day :) And so I patiently ate my piece of rubber meat and stole some of SS' average macaroni.

Luckily what Swensen's is really good for, they remain really good for; ICE CREAM :)

With a small add-on, we both had to ourselves a pair of sundaes. Mine was butterscotch and SS' was mint flavored, but both excellent to the last slurp! Swensen's is still an excellent destination for those with a sweet tooth, but they have to do better with their entrees and main courses if they are to do attract more of them. 

Swensen's
22 Jalan SS2/67, Petaling Jaya
47300 Selangor

Tony Romas's Christmas Voucher

*picture courtesy of foodpromotions*
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Its that time of the year again

Celebrate this Christmas at Tony Roma's with their special thought of a RM10 dining voucher

Valid till 3rd January 2010
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Rest 1 @ Taman Jasmin, Kajang

Looking for a good dose of Garlic naan and Tandoori chicken?

If you are staying in the vicinity of Kajang or Semenyih, Rest 1, located at Taman Jasmin would be your ideal stop. Rest 1 is among the 2 or 3 Mamak restaurants operational around the indoor badminton court at the entrance of Taman Jasmin.

Its hard to get good Tandoori chicken these days. Most are dry and overloaded with seasoning. Rest 1 suffers from neither. What you get here is juicy, moderately sized chicken with the right amount of taste.


The spicy sauce that goes along with the Tandoori chicken is also another important aspect. Most are watery and mellowed down. At Rest 1, expect yourself be reaching for your milo ice as the thicker sauce served here is spicy! Addictive and finger-licking good to go along with that :)

Planning to check out another Mamak restaurant in Cheras rumoured to serve excellent Garlic naan and Tandoori chicken ;)

Till then, adios!

Restoran Rest 1
Jalan Kajang Prima 1/1
Taman Jasmin
43000 Kajang

Swensen's @ SS2, PJ

Believe it or not, it is my first visit to Swensen's. I've heard so much about this place and its ice creams. But today shall just be a lunch stopover. Ice cream madness shall have to wait for another day :)


Malaysia does not seem to have a Swensen's website. So you can check out the quite polished up Singapore version; Swensen's Singapore. To my surprise, Swensen's has a lot more going on than just ice cream. From caesar salads, soups, pastas and sandwiches to burgers, pizzas, seafoods and steaks, you would forget Swensen's roots started from ice cream.


Although many outlets have closed down in Malaysia over the years, lets hope the ones remaining like this in SS2 stays open for the foreseeable future.


Fish & Chips; crispy deep fried fillet served with generous amount of fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce. I wouldn't say its the best Fish & Chips you'll find, but its ok for a sub-RM15 dish.


Grilled Fish Sambal; this time the fillet is baked and served with mashed potatoes and a sambal dipping sauce. Again, good but not great.


SS would not leave the place without an ice cream, hence the Mint Chocolate Sundae. When it comes to ice cream, I wonder how girls can continue eating and eating. I think they have a special mechanism to chow down on all those creamy sugar. Well, I know I still owe her an Earthquake. So another visit to Swensen's is still on the cards *sweat* :p

Swensen's
22 Jalan SS2/67, Petaling Jaya
47300 Selangor

Mother's Day ~ Italiannies @ The Gardens

When I say that my mum is hard to please, I mean it. Think family and you think 'Italiannies'. There's no other place that I know that combines ambiance, family-sized Italian cooking, hospitality in a warm and cozy setting. Welcome to Italiannies!

Calamari Caesar Salad ~ 10/10
RM25.90

Me and my family loved it! Authentic, fresh, and delicious! Tomatoes, olives, fresh salad leaves, artichokes, perfect deep fried squids, bread sticks, and an awesome tasting dressing!

Classic Cabonara (Non-Beef) ~ 6/10
RM29.90

Never order a Classic Cabonara without beef bacon. Although the dish is packed with creamy sauce and Parmesan cheese, its tasteless. The beef bacon was replaced with chicken stripes and Portobello mushrooms. Even so, it could not replace the taste and flavor the beef bacon offers.

Italiannies should consider lowering or standardizing the price of their Seafood Cioppino which has slowly risen from sub RM30 to RM38 now.

Since Italiannies were having their Mother's Day promotion by which the mother's main dish shall be discounted by her age, I planned to get her the famous Grilled Salmon Oreganetto. To my disappointment, they were all sold out. And it was only 7.30pm. Sob sob..

And so its replacement,

Chicken Milanese ~ 8/10
RM26.90

A perfectly grilled boneless chicken paired with a cream based sauce and topped with a Tomato Capper relish. A truly colorful and eye-popping dish.

The meat taste good even on its own because of how gently it was grilled. Tender and juicy with a lightly charred skin.

Tiramisu ~ 10/10
RM16.90

To top it all off; Tiramisu. First things first, this dish is outrageous! One bite sends you into delirium! In no particular order; chocolate syrup, vanilla sponge cake, brandy/rum liquor, and topped with chocolate powder.

This dessert can make your day no matter what. Reserve them, as it always runs out. Thankfully I did :)

All in all, everyone enjoyed a satisfying and colorful dinner. Hopefully mum did as well. Happy Mother's Day!

Credit to Italiannies for a good kitchen performance and friendly table service for the day. Even after so many visits to this franchise, it doesn't bore me to pay them another visit. I love Italian food and service, and Italiannies does not disappoint on that account.

Italiannies Pasta Pizza & Vino 

The Gardens

S209 Lingkaran Syed Putra
59200 Kuala Lumpur

Get Directions

03-22833675

Tenji @ SohoKL - Part V - Dessert Corner

Last and most importantly; dessert. A place that serves unlimited amounts of Haagen-Dazs ice cream surely earns extra points, although the limited amount of flavors available. Tenji's Dessert Corner is not as extensive as one would imagine, but its not a total disaster.


Clockwise from top left : Tiramisu, Chocolate Ball, Chocolate Moose, Coffee Cheesecake, and Mango Mochi. Average and nothing much to shout about.



Fresh Young Coconut and Chocolate Fondue counter.

Chocolate Fondue - 4/5

Mouthwatering chocolate goodness!

Freshly skewered fruits. Addictive!


Bread sticks to add a crunchy flavor to the mix!



Popcorn machine!

Tenji Japanese Buffet Restaurant
Lot L-01-01 SohoKL
Solaris Mont Kiara
No 2, Jalan Solaris
50480 Kuala Lumpur
1700-80-1818


Lunch 11.30am-4.00pm
Dinner 5.30pm-9.30pm
Supper 9.30pm-12.30am