Kumar in Oasis Square

The Oasis Square in Ara Damansara has matured into a wonderful food haven. The central area is very well done with water fountains and simmering pools. It is especially nice in the evening when lights combined with the water provide a carnival atmosphere to dine, drink or simply walk around. Beside this central area are side roads where there are a lot more restaurants and eateries to indulge in.

I have written on several food outlets in the Oasis Square in the past. This is yet another and will not be the last. There are still more restaurants that I have not patronised.

This time it is Indian food. There are three large mamak places in the Oasis Square, but they are not my focus. My subject is an elegant Indian restaurant simply named Kumar's. It is located in the central water area and adds to the electric atmosphere of the whole place.

Kumar's is gracefully furnished with a very conducive contemporary ambiance. My wife and I had eaten here several times and we had liked the atmosphere and the food each time.

It was a large dining party this time around. We were allocated a long table on the upper floor. We went up the stairs...

Into another large dining hall. We were the only group upstairs. It was like having the whole restaurant to ourselves.

Our table was by the side of large frontal glass windows. We had the whole view of the revelry below. It was a most pleasant dining experience indeed.

The restaurants takes it business seriously. They apparently attempted to project a fine dining image. We dined on appointed Kumar's cutleries. But they neglected on proper fabric napkins and provided paper serviettes instead.

Drinks all round were by choice, non-alcoholic. Kumar's does have a wine selection. The popular choice that evening was the mango lassi.

I went against the norm and opted for a salty lassi instead. I instructed the waiter to put in less salt. My "lassi masin" (salty lassi) during my previous visit was far too salty. As it turned out, the waiter followed my instructions a little too far. It was not sufficiently salty and tasted a little bland.

Generous portions of papadam were brought to the table to tease our taste buds.

Then the dishes began to arrive. Heading the pack was the curry fish head. Two big portions were served. The fish was very fresh. The curry was rich and creamy. In it were some nice tender okras (ladies fingers) and brinjal.

This was a chicken curry. The aroma was authentically Indian. 

Same with the mutton masala. The use of spices was perfect.

Squid rings cooked in spices and curry leaves. The squid was over-done and rubbery in texture. But the flavour was very good.

This dish of spinach was wonderfully done. It was cooked with cubed cheese. It was delicious.

Bitter gourd with lentil. A great combination.

I honestly am not sure what this dish was. There were multiple plates of the various dishes - spread on our long table. I went around busily taking shots of the dishes. When I finally settled down to eat, the meal was well under way. I don't think I got to taste all the dishes. This might had been one I missed. Whatever this was, it certainly looked good.

I think I know what this was - a dish of potato. Like all their dishes the combination of spices was superb.

All these were eaten with fabulous pieces of naan. The bread were thick and soft, and the texture was great. Really good quality bread.

The nasi briyani was likewise marvellous. The basmati was long and fluffy. The saffron and spices in the rice were absolutely right. But the servings were rather small. I didn't think I had enough of it.

This was their rasam. Unfortunately they did not provide us individual bowls. How were we supposed to share the soup? I had a sip of it. It was not great. I had tasted better rasam. So, individual bowls or not, I didn't think I missed much.

The Kumar's is a great Indian restaurant. The locale and ambiance was fantastic. The food was very respectable. Somewhat pricey, but certainly a place worth the while.