Cheap breakfast the Malaysian way

Staying at the Hilton Sentral, I had a variety of Indian restaurants to choose from in Brickfields (also known as Little Indian), which is just walking distance. But out of convenience, I chose to go to Devi’s corner in Bangsar as I wanted to go shopping at the Bangsar village mall which is just across from the establishment.

One cannot come to Malaysia and not try the Malaysian-style Indian breakfast. It is cheap and good!

The food at Devi’s corner is good but not the best. As I was traveling alone, as long as I got my favorite roti boom (roti with loads of margarine and sugar) and Teh Tarik ice, I am satisfied!

What I liked about Devi’s corner was that it was clean and not overly crowded.

For me, a cup of cold Teh Tarik (ice pulled tea) with roti boom is the perfect combination. There are many varieties of roti. If it’s your first time trying it, go for the basic roti Canai first as all other variations are based on this quintessential flatbread. All rotis are served with dhal curry and either fish or chicken curry.

Teh Tarik is considered Malaysia’s national drink. It is made from black tea and condensed milk. Teh Tarik got its name from the “pulling” process as the tea is poured from one mug to another. This process gives the tea its smooth texture and thick frothy top.

The dishes that I have mentioned above can be found in almost all similar Indian establishments (or known as Mamak stalls locally).

Devi’s corner

Opening hours: open 24 hours

Telephone number: +60 12-267 6714

Bala’s Banana Leaf

The restaurant is very clean compared to many banana leaf places I have been to.

The basic banana leaf meal is RM 7.5 ( about 1.8 USD), consisting of white rice, 4 different types of vegetables, fried chili, papadom, and a choice of dhal, chicken curry, fish curry, and mutton curry. If one prefers a different type of rice, there is a choice of Indian rice or biryani (extra charge). There are also other types of curries, varuval, kurma, and masala, that one can order (extra charge).

The waiters were friendly. We were spoiled for choices, so one of the waiters recommended some of their popular dishes, and they were all flavorful. Overall, the dishes were good. My family and I enjoyed our meal.

Banana leaf meals are usually eaten by hand. However, if you don’t mind digging your hands into gravies, do give it a try; it’ll definitely be an interesting eating experience.

Certain etiquettes would be good to observe and be aware of. Banana leaf is folded inwards after the meal as a sign of gratitude; folding outwards is considered rude.

Bala’s banana leaf

Opening hours: 8a.m to midnight

Telephone number: +60 3-2201 7107

Address: Lucky Garden Bangsar, 21, Lorong Ara Kiri 1, Lucky Garden, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

El Mesón

I came to this restaurant two days in a row. I was meeting a friend for lunch. The restaurant she wanted to take me to was under renovation. So we randomly picked this place which was across the road. This modern rustic open space bar/restaurant serves Spanish food and tapas. I enjoyed my dining experience that I brought my siblings the next day for lunch.

During the weekdays, the restaurant offers a 2-course lunch special for RM29. You get a starter, main dish, and a choice of either coke, sprite, or ice lemon tea. There is also a tapas special for Rm49 for 3 tapas and 1 side.

Since my siblings and I were there on a Tuesday, we decided to go for the 2-course lunch and tapas special.

As we were waiting for our food, we were served a plate of warm slices of bread with garlic aioli spread. The aioli was delicious!

Croquetas Caseras de Jamon

Piggy in a Blanket

Bacon Mashed Potatoes

Champinones A La Trufa

For the tapas, we ordered the croquetas caseras de jamon (deep-fried croquettes with jamon iberico), champiñones a la trufa ( sautéed mixed mushrooms in garlic wine, cream & truffle paste), piggy in a blanket (pork sausage wrapped with bacon served with honey mustard & carmelized onions), and bacon mashed potato (side dish).
The piggy in the blanket and mashed potatoes were decent. The croquetas were simply fabulous! These little creamy potato morsels were light yet rich and flavorful. The sautéed mixed mushrooms were delightful! It was cooked in such a way that the mushrooms absorbed the flavors from the sauce.

Ensalada espanola

Pumpkin soup

We had the ensalada española with tuna, tomato & olives, and 2 pumpkin soups for starters. The salad was refreshing. The dressing was light and sweetish. The soup for me was the highlight. It was different from the usual pumpkin soup. It was more savory and creamier with a hint of the pumpkin flavor. The bacon bits accentuated the soup. It was really flavorful.

seafood marinera spaghetti

Fish of the day

Pollo Asado

As for the main course, we had pollo asado, grilled spatchcock spring chicken served with homemade fries and mixed mesclun salad, fish of the day, and tagliatelle marinera with smoked garlic scallop, prawns & chili.
The tagliatelle marinera was good; it had a slight spicy kick to it. The seafood was cooked just right. The fish was tender and moist. The tomato-based sauce complimented the fish well. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the grilled spring chicken. It was bland and uninteresting.

Two waiters served us. One, in particular, an intern, was very friendly; he had a constant smile and attended to our table on different occasions to ensure that everything went smoothly. We enjoyed our food so much, so we asked the waiter to give our compliments to the chef.

We were overall delighted with the service and our meal.

I highly recommend this restaurant for an enjoyable Spanish experience.

El Mesón

Website: http://www.elmeson.com.my/

Telephone: +60 3-2282 8290

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.