Roti Canai Pandamaran

Roti Canai.

This famous popular Malaysian Indian pancake that's synonymous with Life here. I can't imagine life without roti canais, can you? I mean, it's such a Malaysian way of life - it's not even food, it's just a way of life! We eat it anytime of the day and it's readily available everywhere! So, because it is sooo everywhere and everyone has their favourite shop/stall for this, it doesn't get blogged about much. Well, at least I haven't.

Not until I've heard so much about this one particular joint in Pandamaran, Klang. Yes, my family members have been singing unending praises about this place... about how popular it is... how you have to wait & wait for tables there... that the place is always full, even at 7am! So I actually went there once, sometime during the Chinese New Year break this year, at night, hoping to see what the fuss was all about.

Big mistake.
It's not open at night!
I was, like "tell me, where got roti canai shop doesn't open at night one??!"

Well, this one doesn't.

So, after that fruitless disappointing trip all the way to Pandamaran, I shoved the idea of going there, to the back of my mind... and thought nothing about it... until one day I read J2Kfm's review about it. That's when I reminded myself that I needed to go & check this place out! If J2Kfm - an Ipoh blogger - can blog about it, all the more reason that I should go and try their so-called famous roti canai, right? :-)

The name of the shop is Restoran I.V. - I wonder what IV stands for?! But never mind, the important thing is the "Roti Canai Pandamaran" below it... I guess everyone knows it by this name!



We were there just before noon, so I guess the crowds had thinned out by then. But you can see that it's still pretty full...



Like most mamak shops, you can choose from a variety of curries and spicy dishes...



Since I went there with a group of relatives, I can't recall how many plates of Roti Canais we ordered! Indeed their reputation is justified.

Their roti canais are g.o.o.d.



Light, airy, fluffy, crispy and hardly a trace of oil!

All the criteria for excellent roti canai are met - what more can one ask? Yeah, except for a 2nd or 3rd piece... hehe!

I, of course, also had to test their Thosai. It passed the test too. Not oily, the thosai batter was perfectly made and grilled... and the accompanying coconut chutneys (2 types) were tasty enough - I hate bland chutneys!





Being the glutton that I am, I just cannot not have at least an accompanying dish to go with the rotis and thosais, right?

Try their Mutton Masala - it's scrumptious!



Chunks of mutton cooked in a thick masala gravy - the spices have rendered the meat so flavourful and meltingly tender with none of the strong smell associated with mutton.

Ahhh... I'm keeping the best gem for last...



Yeah... it looked like just any ordinary harmless currypuff, right?

But... but.... it's really one of the BEST currypuff I've ever had! Just look at that thin crispy pastry and the very generous amount of filling! And as you can see, it's just not any old potato mush filling either. It's got carrots, green chillies, a bit of dhall, potato of course & small chunks of chicken meat - all cooked in a very yummy masala paste. They were so good we re-ordered plates of it!



And for days after that, LL kept asking when we're going back there again for the currypuffs ;-)

So, on the days that you do not want to eat Bak Kut Teh in Klang/Port Klang, why not go for roti canai and currypuffs here...


Roti Canai Pandamaran (Restoran I.V)
117 Jalan Pandamaran Jaya 62
42000 Pandamaran Jaya
Port Klang
*the map to this place is Google-able!

A taste of India in Maharaj

Exactly a week ago, I almost fell off my chair when I received a phone call from Eu Hooi Khaw. I mean, come on... Eu Hooi Khaw calling me??! And that call was to invite me to join her for dinner... at a place called Maharaj. The invitation was on behalf of the owner, Mr Ilan Govan who's a close friend of hers. Her directions to the place were: "it's along Jalan Gasing, PJ, in a bungalow lot next to a furniture shop".

I had a vague idea of where the restaurant could be. It was a rainy stormy night and somehow I made a turn somewhere and before I knew it, there's this huge lighted signboard by the road which said "59 Jalan Gasing" and I knew I had arrived at Maharaj! It was still raining when I parked the car and when I looked up after switching off the engine, there was this friendly service crew who had appeared instantly by my car bearing an umbrella! Such is the thoughtful and excellent service provided by Maharaj, as the evening unveiled later.

When I entered the restaurant, I was awestruck by this vibrantly colourful wall painting by their reception...



As I looked around, my senses were immediately struck by so much colours everywhere! Every imaginable hue of the rainbow had been painted on the walls, with paintings so alive and vibrant with details...




Our host, Ilan Govan graciously explained the passion behind his restaurant and I had such an education that evening, learning about the intricacies and history of Indian cuisine. According the Ilan, "Maharaj" actually means "Accomplished Chef", a prestigious title bestowed by the maharajas on deserving chefs. Maharaj serves a wide selection of dishes from all over India and that's a lot, considering that India is such a vast country! From Goa to Hyderabad, each dish is iconic in its representation of the history and culture of the place.

Our Appetizers started with this Chuchumber...




... a delightful salad of cucumber, carrots, capsicum, onions tossed in lime and a sprinkling of spices...

Another dish of almost-similar salad was served, but this was mixed with yoghurt and mayonnaise... a concoction that's bound to open up your palate for more...




Next came the Vegetable Kebabs... these had potatoes & cauliflower mashed, mixed with cottage cheese and spices and then grilled in a tandoori oven. Not overly spicy, these kebabs were delicious - warm fillings encased in a crispy "skin"!





The Platter of Mixed Kebabs which came next had scrumptious sticks of Hariyali Fish, Prawns, Minced Lamb, Chicken Tikka... all arranged nicely...




I found the Minced Lamb a tad too spicy... but no worries, a few mouthfuls of the Chuchumber and yoghurt salad allayed that! I loved the hariyali fish and prawns kebab - fresh succulent morsels that we could not get enough of... and the Chicken Tikka did not disappoint either.

Tawa Prawns. Ilan enlightened us that "tawa" means "hotplate". Medium-sized tiger prawns encrusted in a layer of masala marinade, grilled on a hotplate and this is what you get...



Thumbs-up were all around for this dish! The tiger prawns were suitably succulent, dripping with sublime juices and the masala crust was not overly spicy which had us cleaning up every crumb, hehe!




Thereafter, we were served with Squid Vindaloo... yummy rings of squids cooked in their signature vindaloo paste...




Kashmiri Mutton Rogan Gosht- tender chunks of mutton had been meticulously simmered in spices & herbs...




Chicken Hyderabadi - this was very mild. The gravy was thick from the concoction of blended cashew nuts with a tinge of sourish piquancy from the tomatoes added. This really went well with the naans and rice...




Talking about the rice and naans, allow me to show you how decadent we got with the carbs!

A beautiful pot of the most fragrant steamed basmati Garlic Rice...




... and an assortment of Naans, fresh from the tandoori oven - we had a choice of plain, garlic, stuffed and the sweet Kashmiri version (stuffed with chopped cherries & almonds)...




Royal Minced Mutton Briyani... I could eat this happily on its own.



With all the lovely crispy naans, we needed more gravy & spices to mop them up with... and so our wish was granted.

Enter the Black Pomfret in Spicy Masala! Black pomfret fish has been marinaded and deepfried with masala - a most appetising dish for rice and naans.

This was the most difficult item to photograph - every angle of it looked like a mound of orangey masala as the fish had been (almost) completely covered. OK, I managed to capture this part of the tail - so it still looks like a fish, no?




At this point, we were already full till bursting point (almost!) but our gracious and amiable host had more coming for us...

The Navaratna Kurma - something not very common, I must say. According to Ilan, 9 types of vegetables and dried fruits went into this vegetarian dish...



The Navaratna Kurma was served simultaneously with the ever-popular traditional northern indian delicacy Palak Paneer... smooth cottage cheese blended and married with spinach, resulting in soft tasty textures - I couldn't stop dipping my naan in this!



Finally it was Desserts time! When Ilan mentioned the desserts to be served - Gulab Jamun, Kulfi and Carrots Halwa, I could practically see A Whiff Of Lemongrass' eyes lighting up!

I generally find Indian sweets to be too sweet for me, but then these are great in cooling off the fieriness of spices... so we all dug in!

Kulfi - made from fresh cow's milk, almonds, pistachios and saffron (that explains the yellow colour) - all blended and chilled into this smooth ice-cream-like dessert.

Gulab Jamun - fried ghee balls, served soaking in syrup.

Carrots Halwa - grated carrots, almonds, cashews, pistachios, cardamoms cooked in sugar, milk and ghee.

All these certainly ended our meal on a sweet note :-))



Besides serving delicious authentic Indian cuisine - their chefs are all from India, by the way, Maharaj houses a good selection of arts and craft items - all of which are for sale.



Ilan's passion for this place is evident - it's not merely a restaurant, but a centre for Indian Arts, Culture + Cuisine.



The spacious restaurant can seat 1,200 people. There is a private room too, if you want to host an intimate party ;-)



Styled like an old elegant Jaipur mansion, this place is perfect for private functions.



Oh, they do catering, too. If you are planning a party for your guests to have a unique authentic taste of India, why not give Ilan a tinkle?

It was an evening of great food, educational for me too, fun lively conversations & laughter (with some monkeying around, hehe!) ... and I went home with a tummy filled with warm spices & sweets - what more can one ask for?

Thank you once again, Hooi Khaw and Ilan for the kind invitation.

Maharaj
59 Jalan Gasing
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7968-5515

Banana Leaf Meal @ Sri Nirwana Maju

Restoran Sri Nirwana Maju
No.1 Jalan USJ 9/5M
47610 Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-80259445
(They have another outlet in Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar too)

One day sometime last week I casually asked LL what he would like to eat in Subang since I would be picking him up on one of the afternoons from there. He said he would think about it. That night we were silent while eating our dinner, each very preoccupied with own thoughts. Suddenly… both of us blurted out SIMULTANEOUSLY - “let’s go eat banana leaf rice!” Wahlauu… I tell you, that was so creepy!!

So, a banana leaf meal we would have. Now I don’t know of that many banana leaf joints in Subang ever since the (in)famous Barath’s closed shop years ago. So LL did some smart checking-around from his cronies and this was how we ended up at this Sri Nirwana Maju.

We were lucky to get a parking space right beside the restaurant - you know how horrendous the parking situation is in USJ. It was drizzling when we got out the car - ahhh… nice cool weather to tuck in some fiery grub!

There was a good crowd but service was very fast. As soon as we were seated, the waiters came and took our order. Even before I could finish admiring the colorful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the banana leaves appeared on our tables...

...and immediately the rice, condiments and curries were ladled on the leaves!

Unlimited curries ... take your pick: fish? chicken? dhall? Vegetables were acar and yoghurted cucumber...

I was looking for my favourite fried bittergourd but was told that unfortunately they were not serving that that day! What??? No fried bittergourd? How can? Isn’t that like the staple dish in ever self-respecting Indian restaurant? Instead they served this…

Fried Ladies’ Fingers… there was more flour than ladies’ fingers. I totally did not like this.

The mandatory salted dried chilli & fiery sambal

We made our way to the back of the shop to select the items to be fried. There were not many choices... 3 types of fish, chicken and squids...

We chose 1 Chicken Drumstick (RM3.00) which turned out to be quite disappointing. It has been over-fried to death (cremation, in this case!), rendering it very dry and not tasty at all. While it was very crispy, there was hardly any flavour in it. Good fried chicken should have the skin crispy and when you bite into it, the flavoursome juices inside should still be spurting out...

We had 1 Ikan Bulus (RM4.00) deep fried too. Nothing special - it was crispy enough...can't remember much about the taste (maybe there was none?)

The piece of Ikan Tenggiri (RM7.00) fared better. For that price, it was a fairly large piece and it was very fresh.

Now the best fried item was the Squids (RM10). Not exactly cheap, I must say... the piece we chose was just slightly bigger than my palm (spanning from wrist to fingers lah)... and then when they cut it up, there were not that many pieces on the plate leh! Coated and fried in a light batter, the squids were fresh and firm... and the best thing was they were tossed in onions, dried chillies and lots of curry leaves! Yummm! This is one item you must order!

There were about 3 choices of lamb/mutton from their selection. We chose the Lamb Ribs Paratal (RM5.00) ... bad choice! Because... when the plate was served, they were all bones! Could hardly find any meat under the gravy... and it was a tad too salty too!

There was a array of other curries set out... fish, chicken, lamb...

...Nasi Beriyani pun ada...

At the front of the shop there was a variety of indian sweets in a glass case...

I don't know their names...
but they were all so colourful and pretty...
... and verrryyy sweet too, I'm sure! (they look sweet wor)

Banana Leaf Rice is charged at RM5.00 per person... with unlimited rice, curries, vegetables, papadam... I'd go back there for the Fried Squids, hehe! Just avoid the Lamb Bones Ribs and the cremated chicken and we're good to go... that is, whenever we get banana-leaf pangs again!

My rating: 6/10