Friday, August 28, 2009

Spice & Everything Nice, My Spicy Kitchen, Sungei Way

Banana leaf love is hard to beat. After inflicting too much abuse on one's constitution, BLR is usually, undoubtedly the only route to revival.

I've been impressed with how the enterprising siblings currently running My Spicy Kitchen have been engaging spicy food lovers via very current and relevant channels specifically Twitter and Facebook. So when Saturday morning called for BLR therapy, I was keen to give it a whirl, despite having to grapple with maps, directions and whatnots to get to Sungei Way, an area in PJ that was completely foreign to me.

We find the unassuming corner lot in the depth of Sungei Way with little trouble, thanks to the map here.

Here, banana leaf rice serving comes with a tray of the requisites - 3 x vegetables, 1 x dhal, 1 x fish curry and 1 x rassam. Bring on the healthy heap of rice, top up with poppadums and go crazzzeeee!! I appreciate that it's a tidier way of serving the reqs but I still much prefer the ceremonious, haphazard serving right on the banana leaf itself.

The chicken actually offered poultry freshness, not stale, hardened fibrous mass that I've learned to expect from the BLR side dish line-up.

While the BLR did what it was supposed to do, what stole my heart was the Samosa preceeding it. The triangular pastry was beautifully crafted, with the right balance of spice and everything nice. This snapped me right out of Hangoverville!

If I had to absolutely gripe, my one and only would be the absence of fried bitter gourd. We ordered it, gotten it misinterpreted by the helpful service staff, and learned much later that fried bitter gourd was in fact, not on the menu. BLR without fried bitter gourd is a concept difficult to stomach so here's hoping they'll add it on soon!

Also found out about My Spicy Kitchen's upcoming World Vision initiative, where customers will contribute towards helping the poor help themselves to build sustainable futures for their children, families and communities. Right on!

13 comments:

Nahri said...

Sigh...Banana leaf rice lunch...sniff, sniff... :(

Sean said...

intriguing! if i ever find myself in sungai way (looks tricky to get to, especially in evening traffic!), i'll be sure to seek this place out...
am ashamed to say i've probably eaten blr less than a dozen times in my lifetime...

Rebecca Saw said...

wah..really good? Hehe..i block him frm my twitter. Was like "who is this?? atr advertiser..yeeshh" ;p

worldwindows said...

Good curries! The Samosa can be a so good yet reduced to ordinariness if lack of ingredients. Good snacks.

Big Boys Oven said...

wow you so fasdt oldei visit him! lol! I also must drop by for lunch soon! Nice chap! I think he is bring chefs!

Timothy Low said...

Oh yeah, I went to this place before. Not too bad .... can consider going back again soon ....

Bangsar-bAbE said...

I agree. No matter how good the BLR is, without the fried bittergourd, it loses the shiok factor!

minchow said...

Nahri, time for you to get some!

Sean, the area is mystifying somewhat. The one way entrance fr Fed Hwy was confusing and we couldn't find our way out!

The Nomad Gourmand, it's one way of promoting a biz but he does it transparently and genuinely engages with his followers, not like some others shoving ads down our throats!

Worldwindows, absolutely! I've been let down by the Samosas at so many BLR places - just because they have the right spices in the kitchen don't always mean they use them in the filling!

BBO, I had to go during the weekend - no way I would've found my way in that area on a weekday!

Timothy, they have specials on certain days... and also Portugese Grilled Fish on the menu, thinking about going back to give that a go.

Bangsar Babe, no fried bittergourd is an incomplete BLR meal right?? I hope they fix it!

HairyBerry said...

NO bittergourd?? *gasp*

ok, a bit too dramatic here. the set still looks good, of course. it's great when restaurants engage in some activities that benefit the community. i hope to pay a visit when i'm in town!

Selba said...

So nice! So yummy!

Sounds that everyone loves bitter gourd so much here, LOL

beetrice said...

ok, i'm so giving their delivery service a try! *drools*

Unknown said...

Oh wow, what a review! Thanks Min Chow. Definitely look forward to having you back @ My Spicy Corner. We have fried bitter guard daily, but maybe it ran out that day. Its my personal fav too ;) the rest of ya'll are more then welcome to check us out. ps: we organize tweetups occasionally where we offer a 10% discount on the bill. so follow me on twitter and i'll holla when it happens. Take care and thanks again guys.

minchow said...

Nic, yes, like how can rightttt?? But apparently they DO have it on the menu, just not on that day!

Selba, it's funny because if cooked any other way, I absolutely detest bitter gourd. But when fried and eaten with BLR, WHOA!!

Beetrice, yes really need to try that! I wonder how they pack BLR for delivery?

SpicyGuy, hey no worries! I enjoyed the meal! :-)