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

Restoran S. Sukumaran @ Subang Jaya SS14 (Updated)

Time to chow down on some Subang delight! I've settled down in my new room which comes with a pet golden retriever! How awesome is that!

I'm relatively new to Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya but with the wonders of the internet, you can feel instantly knowledgeable :p Anyhow, this is one Indian restaurant I've been to several times before and I must say that the taste and quality of their food hasn't dipped in a few years. That is a sign of a very good establishment.

Restoran S. Sukumaran is located along the row of shop houses on the left as you drive along SS14. I'm sorry I don't have much pictures on this place. I feel a bit weird when it comes to taking pictures in an Indian restaurant. Maybe its because I'm conscious on what they'll be thinking; an Indian guy taking pictures of Indian food? Is he stealing ideas for his restaurant or just crazy? Well I got this plate of awesome fried onions as a teaser for you :)

Their Chicken Varuval and Mutton Masala are also quite tasty and they have more than your typical vegetable selection during lunchtime.

On my next visit here for dinner, I decided to try their breads. Garlic Ghee Naan served with green bean gravy was not bad. Plenty of garlic to go around.

Their Raava Thosai was also satisfactory but I made the mistake of asking it to be extra crispy as it came close to burned. So I shall stick to the normal order next time :) Credit for their coconut and chili chutney. Better than most places out there.

I however advise those dining here at night to avoid taking fried items from the warmer as they mite have been there for a while. I say this because the fried chicken I took was pretty dry and cold. Don't get me wrong. These same items are tasty and awesome during lunchtime when they are hot and fresh.

A Happy & Prosperous Deepavali

Looking forward to this later in the morning.. Crispy thosai.. Pipping hot chicken curry.. Subtle yet spicy coconut chutney.. Nothing beats that on any Deepavali morning!

Too bad there will be no open house this time around as my mum just returned from Saudi today :) So, its going to be more of a quiet get together, good food, and nice TV shows? Haha, I'm not sure with that last one.

Anyways, I wish all my Hindu readers a happy and prosperous Deepavali and the rest of ya, a happy visiting and eating spree! ;) For those opting for a quieter and home-based celebration like me, enjoy the bond and good times with your family and loved ones. Open your hearts out to the celebration of light, unity, and togetherness this 5th of November.. Happy Deepavali from rubinho and CwC

'Night Only' Nasi Lemak @ Taman Prima Kajang

I know my flogging rate has been kind of slow these days. Been busy with my thesis which will be done by the end of November! :) In the meantime, I have a lot of posts to clear up. So lets start with this, my dad and sis dropped by this place and they liked it. So I thought I'll give it a try. Malam Sahaja Nasi Lemak is located behind Maybank in Taman Prima Kajang and is part of a shop lot with other hawkers as well.

I'm not sure ever I'm reading the signs properly or what, but there seems to be a big emphasis on 'malam sahaja' (night only). Did they register the shop under that name? :p Anyway, this stall is manned by this presumably Indian husband and wife team. You have a lot of choices to go with your nasi lemak. Among them, fried fish, chicken curry, chicken rendang, mutton, fried and hard-boiled eggs, long beans, cockles sambal, and squid sambal. Although some items like mutton might not be served everyday. But by the far the hottest item on the menu is their fried chicken.

Legend has it, as soon as the chicken leaves the hot oil, they are swarmed by starving and snappy aunties who seem like they mite die if they don't get their hands on it. Anyway I was packing so I took a fried chicken, fried egg, and long beans. Onion sambal, nuts, and cucumber are the usual addons.

The nasi lemak is a mix of hits and misses. Its not bad, but it could have been great. We start with the hits; the rice was aromatic and top notch nasi lemak material. The sambal was spicy and flavorful and has that Indian spice touch to it. Malaysian should already know Malays, Chinese, and Indians cook their sambal differently from each other. Malays tend to be on the sweeter side, Indians on the spicier, and Chinese somewhere in the middle of the two :p Anyway with all the hype surrounding the fried chicken, I only found it to be average. Besides being tender and juicy, its seasoning was rather plain. However, from my excessive drinking of water, I believe they use quite a bit of MSG. I did see them using it when cooking the long beans. Maybe I'll ask them to reduce it on my next visit :)

If you are in the area and in the mood for some spicy nasi lemak, this is the place for you. The rice and sambal is excellent. Oh did I mention, its also dirt cheap. Nasi lemak with egg and long beans with 3 pieces of chicken came to just RM9! Just don't mind the oil, heck its already called NASI LEMAK!

Malam Sahaja Nasi Lemak

Jalan KP1/1

Taman Kajang Prima
Kajang, Selangor

GPS: N2.981968, E101.816589

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.

Deepavali Delights : Part II

Here comes the heavy hitters!

The lunch menu was decided by me and mum. A simple but rich and spicy one to say the least.

We actually called the neighbours for lunch at 12pm. But with the usual Malaysian timing, they came at 2.30pm, when all my other guests were suppose to arrive. So it was one hectic session.

So lets begin..


Do excuse the hotel-styled layout. I get too excited when it comes to food sometimes :p


Briyani Rice.. Made with extra long grains mum brought back from Saudi. So good you could eat it on its own. I'm serious!


Chicken Vindaloo.. A Goan style of cooking which has a fiery hot taste combined with a certain level of sourness, giving it a real distinct flavor from all other recipes.


Mum's Classic Mutton Varuval.. Some guests came just to eat this.. Some couldn't make it unfortunately.. Haha.. Honestly, my family has gotten too used to eating this dish at home. So it was mainly for the stomachs of our hungry guests. Good tasting and healthy Mutton Varuval is hard find these day. Using nearly every spice available in the kitchen, it doesn't get better than this.


Prawn Sambal..


rubinho's Fruit Salad.. Diced green and red apples flavored with light mayonnaise and served with salad leaves and sliced cherry tomatoes.

I hope those who came enjoyed the food, atmosphere, company, and celebration of Deepavali.. Thank you and till the next Festival of Lights comes around..

Deepavali Delights : Part I

A celebration of light and colors..

A celebration of good over evil..

Happy Deepavali..


The day starts off with a rub of oil on the head, a shower, and prayers before breakfast. And theres nothing better for Deepavali breakfast than homemade Thosai!


This is one of my attempts on panning out the Thosai flour my mum made. Practice makes perfect! What you are aiming to get is a thin and continuous circular pattern from the middle to the outer rims. Something like the Milky Way galaxy :p


The picture says it all.. Served with Chicken Curry and either Coconut or Tomato Chutney, an ideal starter to a long and eventful day =)


Mum just came back from Saudi Arabia about 10 days before Deepavali. But she managed to prepare some tidbits like Muruku, Coconut cookies, Chocolate Almond cookies, and a few others. Indian candy and Achi Muruku were supplied by close relatives for more variety.


Coconut cookies..


Chocolate Almond cookies..


I want Candy!! I want Candy!!


On the left, Achi Muruku.. And on the right, Muruku.. In the middle, unknown.. I know.. I'm bad at Indian stuff =)


Other fried munchies..

The Indian Hero @ Taman Connought (Moved closer to UCSI)

Let me start by thanking my friend, Paul for inviting me to personally come and judge this place. Neways...

Introducing...

The one and only...

Tadaa...

Hiro... Yatta!!


Ok..ok..pardon me..yea..the name itself raised my eyebrows.. The Indian Hero, located in the complex next to the Giant Supermarket in Taman Connought . Its a bit hidden at the back of the complex.. so do take your time walking around and visiting the multiple sports shops and Chinese handicraft outlets along the way..(Relocated to one of the shop lots closer to UCSI)




As shown on its menu..the standard set menu stands at RM 5. Rice, 1 choice of meat(Chicken/Mutton/Fish), 2 choices of vegetables, papadam, curry and a choice of iced lime juice or teh tarik. For all that, RM 5 is dirt cheap.. So lets see how the food stacks up to it..






Forget the metal trays kept warm by boiling water underneath.. Here its all in claypots.. It really brought back memories of my parents' old restaurant in Penang.. According to Paul, The Indian Hero serves different types of chicken dishes on different days.. And on Saturdays(the day we went) it serves its signature dish, Hero's Chicken. But believe it or not, before we arrived, which was at 12.45pm, a Chinese guy apparently came in and bought out the whole claypot of Hero's Chicken.. Couldn't I have just got a look at it 1st at least?? sheesh.. Paul is coming here for the 3rd time, and in all 3 times..his efforts for the Hero's Chicken has been in vain.. So I guess its a statement for this illusive dish..

I want pot 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9!! :p

Set Menu + Fish Cutlet

Ok...here's what I had.. Chicken Masala, Fried Beansprout & Fried Long Beans, and an additional Fish Cutlet. The chicken was nearly as good as my mom's. Haha, I'm not being biased :p But yea, it was spicy and flavorful. For a real good mixture of 'god knows what' taste, mix the dhall, chicken, and fish curry on the rice. The fish cutlet had surprisingly had a good amount of fish filling and not starchy. It was priced a healthy RM1.50.



Paul ordered a plate of Chicken Varuval and I had a go at it. Not the best I've had, but still too hot to handle for the faint of heart ;) hehe





As for the interior, the place has a dimmed down n relaxed setting.. with pictures of prominent Indian figures decorating the walls.. Gandhi and Aishwarya Rai to name the few.. Guess now I know where the place got its name..








All in all.. it was a great new place to discover.. Good & cheap food, relaxing atmosphere, and its on the way to Midvalley.. *hint hint* lol. Give it a try guys! Damn, now must hunt that Hero's Chicken! = )