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.

Breakfast at Kanna

Before I start, a very Happy New Year to all the readers of my blog. 

I first featured Kanna Curry House about 3 years ago. And since then, I have been back there many many times and had never been disappointed. Today I write about their breakfasts.

Kanna Curry House in P.J. Section 17 had a major face-lift not too long ago. They moved one shop away from the previous corner lot, and they now occupy 4 shop lots - with air conditioned and non-air conditioned sections, and a much better ambiance.

To recap, their Section 17 branch is on Jalan 17/45, in a quiet secluded area of Petaling Jaya. I have also been to their branch outlet in Bandar Puchong Jaya, which was also very nice with a large outdoor dining area. And I understand they have a 3rd outlet in Bandar Sri Menjalara in Kepong.

Our recent visits to Kanna have been mostly for breakfasts. It has been almost like a new discovery, for the breakfasts there are so very satisfying.

I like their roti canai. They are wonderful - crispy (garing) on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. They taste delicious. I always go for the roti biasa (normal roti). Having an egg (roti telor) or onion (roti bawang), or any other ingredient in the roti would mask the original authentic flavour of the roti canai.

A single roti canai would not be enough for me. I normally would have a thosai as well. The thosai there is superb. Like the roti canai, it is crispy and fluffy at the same time. I think they got the floor mixture just right. But if I have to eat just one, I think I would still go for the roti canai.

Ah, the vadai. They are a must for breakfasts there. I think they make the best vadai in town. Every time we are there, we would pick up a few first and munch on them while waiting for our other orders. And believe you me, they are vadais like no others. The best vadais ever.

All these are eaten with some nice gravies and curries. I like their dhal very much. It is thick and cooked just right. The other gravies in the triple buckets are fish and meat curries.

Vadais and thosai are best eaten with some coconut chutney. The chutney here is thick and creamy. The chutney and dhal make are a good combination for Indian meals.

This is my perfect Indian breakfast - a roti canai, a thosai, a vadai with coconut chutney, dhal and meat curry. Salivate, no?

And of course, you can have other breakfast fares as well. Like a nasi lemak bungkus - which is really not bad at all.

Or some meats to go with your carbos. My favourite is still the deep fried tenggiri. The fish is always so fresh, it breaks up in flakes.

The fried chicken is another favourite in Kanna.

They all go wonderfully well with a nice glass of the teh tarik.

Just don't forget - kurang manis.

Ruchi Spice

My subject in this posting is a nice Indian eating place in Sunway, Subang Jaya. Ruchi Spice Curry House was recommended by one of SP neighbours. They had a neighbourhood makan outing one Sunday afternoon, and SP asked us to go along.

Ruchi apparently means taste. "Tasty Spice" or "Spicy Taste" is located on Jalan PJS 11/28B in Metro Sunway, Subang Jaya, in the commercial area opposite the Sunway Resort hotel.

It is a small one-shop-lot. Like most diners in the Klang Valley, they have smoking and non-smoking (air-conditioned) areas. This was the lunch group that day, occupying most of the non-smoking section.

A food counter in the smoking section had all the food they served. The selection was rather limited.

They had the usual meats and fish. Their Mysore mutton seemed to be the highlight of the day. And it did look very appetising.

The tray of fried chicken looked too oily for my liking.

The fried fish selection was few and lacking variety.

The vegetables looked much better. There was a good selection. Nearly half of their offering was vegetarian.

I didn't manage to get photo shots of all the dishes we ordered. They were immediately snapped up as soon as they arrived on the table. I neither had the time nor the heart to delay the eating just for my pictures. The first shot I got was the curry chicken. The favour was very good - very authentically Indian.

The Mysore mutton was a real treat. The spices in it was wonderful. The meat was tender - not soft or mushy. We could still savour the texture. Certainly the highlight of my lunch.

This was a plate of tofu. Again, the spices in it was wonderful. They made the simple tofu so tasty.

The vegetables tasted as good as they looked. This plate of long beans was fresh and delicious.

So was this humble spinach.

I do not know what exactly this was. It is some sort of gourd. It looked appetising and it tasted likewise.

The deep fried bitter gourd was delightful. Crispy and flavourful, it was the best of the vege selection.

Papadam. No Indian meal is complete without it.

A nice cup of rasam added the kick. I am a big fan of rasam and I know a good rasam from the mediocre. This one was good.

A bit of this, and a bit of that. And my lunch plate looked like this. It was of course eaten with fingers. A yummy indulgence.

After the food, I ordered a cup of susu lembu kopi tarik (fresh milk coffee). It was heavenly. An absolutely perfect ending of a delicious meal.

The use of spices in this restaurant was very complete and flavourful. It was authentically Indian. The boss man was around to greet us and he said the cook is from India. The selection might had been limited. But the food was good. I guess we do not need a large variety for a satisfying meal.