Oven baked naan

13 days into the new year and some people sent me emails asking where I've been hiding. Well, to be honest, I've been trying to make naan on my own, without a proper tandoor, just using the modern day oven that we have at home. Well, the result was good!

Here's the recipe that I used from http://bhavnaskitchen.com/naan/ . I must admit that I did not use ghee. I substituted is with normal vegetable oil.

Ravi’s Restaurant

This afternoon I suddenly had a craving for banana leaf rice which, to be frank,  I haven’t had for years. Hence my visit to Ravi’s in Mont Kiara. Parking was not a problem as I reached there before the lunch crowd arrived.

I ordered my mamak must have drink which was teh o ais limau kurang kurang manis, but was served with a glass of sweet the o ais…why don’t they ever listen or try to understand what kurang kurang manis means.

Anyway,  I love the banana leaf rice, which was still served on real banana leaf. I really loathe having banana leaf rice from plastic plates which are made to look like banana leaves. So, Ravi’s was up to the mark. I had a thin slice of fried fish with some fried b

Address: No. 1 Jalan Solaris 2,

Solaris Mont Kiara,

 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel : +603 6211 6611

Aryan, Quality Hotel

Aryan is located along the main road of Jalan Raja Laut, fronting Pertama Complex.  We valet parked and was told that you do not leave the keys with valet as his job is only to ensure you get a parking right in front of the hotel!

It took us a while to realise that Aryan was open for business – the place was dark and the doors were locked. We pressed the bell and after a long pause, someone came to open the door for us. We then noticed that Aryan is locked at all times.

I would only like to highlight my favourite dish here which was tandoori chicken, served with lots of onions.  The chicken was so tender, it fell off the bone. The chicken was marinated with the right amount of yoghurt and herbs, not overpowering nor bland.

Service here is friendly and efficient. I’ll definitely be back.

Address: Ground Floor, Podium Block

 Quality Hotel City Centre

 No. 12, Jalan Raja Laut

 50350 Kuala Lumpur

 Telephone: +603 2691 9245

 Opening hours : Monday – Saturday: 11.30 am – 2.30 pm & 6.30 pm – 11.00 pm

The Olive Tree, Menara Hap Seng

It’s not often that we come across buffet lunch priced below RM30. This afternoon I had lunch at one of such places. RM25 for an eat-all-you-can meal at Olive Tree. If you go in a larger group, the price per head comes down – RM60 nett for 3 pax….and on weekends children below the age of 8 eat for free!

The spread isn’t huge but it is sufficient for a very decent and satisfying meal!

  

Address:  Ground Floor

Menara Hap seng

Tel : +603 2031 7887

Master, Visa and Amex accepted.

Spice of India, KLCC

Located on the 4^th Floor of KLCC, I would say that the entrance of this restaurant, known as Spice of India , is not prominent. The lacklustre attitude of the staff makes it even more uninviting, but what brings the patrons back again and again is none other than the food. Both Northern and Southern Indian cuisine are served here.

 I ordered Strawberry Lassi (RM 9) – in a tiny glass, it may be slightly overpriced but I love it as the creamy chilled lassi is always so refreshing on a hot afternoon.

Briyani rice (RM13) – such aromatic rice…it really made my tummy growl!

Lamb vindaloo (RM35)   -I’ve been a huge fan of lamb vindaloo ever since I savoured some excellent ones in London many, many years ago.  What I love about vindaloo is the extra umph that I get from the spices used in making this dish. However, the ones at Spice of India just didn’t work for me. Well, maybe my expectation was high as I love my vindaloo to be extra hot, sour and with lots of vinegar.

Bhendi Masala (RM20) – well, 3 words to describe the taste – spicy, tangy, crunchy! Love it!

Murgh tikka masala (RM33) –that’s a chicken masala dish.  The roasted chicken or rather chicken baked in a tandoori pot is served with a spicy sauce called masala. I love the creamy, spicy, orange-coloured gravy. It was great!

Prawns curry leaves (RM45) – big, fresh succulent prawns in a tiny ‘pot’ of curry is something that no one can resist.

Peas mushroom (RM20) – when I ordered this dish, I never expected it to be button mushrooms, but that was exactly what we got. Button mushroom cut into tiny pieces cooked with green peas – surprisingly the combination worked alright.

Address:  Level 4 , Suria KLCC

Kuala Lumpur City Centre

50088 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours :11.30 am to  10.30 pm 

Tel : +603 2164 9221

 Mastercard, Visa and Amex accepted.

Kohinoor, Publika

Kohinoor is a cosy restaurant serving Indian cuisine. The decoration here is simple yet pleasing to the senses.  A  glance at its menu showed close to 200 items. Wow! I was certainly spoilt for choices. And what I did –yes, to short cut the process, was to ask the waiter to make the selection for me.

This is tandoori chicken – very well marinated. I was told that the longer you marinate the chicken, the better the taste. (It’s normally marinated for hours with the  main ingredients being yoghurt and spices - onion, ginger, garlic and pepper). From the aroma and taste I could immediately tell that they have marinated the chicken long enough. Superb!

Here’s my plate of rice. You will notice s slice of naan with mint. I absolutely loved the naan. The aromatic nan was so appealing. I ate it with mutton vindaloo.  I am a huge fan of vindaloo and have tried many vindaloos before. I would say this is the best I’ve had in Malaysia thus far!  A warning for people who cannot take spicy or rather SUPER spicy food – avoid vindaloos at all cost!

You will also see some Bhindi Do Pyaza on my plate – that’s ladies fingers sauteed with diced spring onions and tomatoes.

What makes dining a pleasant experience here is the friendly service of the ever smiling waiters.

Address :D3-G3-5, Solaris Dutamas, 1 Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480

Kuala Lumpur.

Telephone : + 603 6205 3646

Visa & Mastercard accepted