The banana leaf set offers four types of vegetables, one fried vegetable and an assortment of curries to choose from.
WHEN you are in Bangsar and you notice a colourful rickshaw hanging outside a window, head to the first floor for slightly upscale south Indian food.
Riksha is a boutique banana leaf meal restaurant that prides itself on serving South Indian cuisine from four states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The interior is cosy and warm, decked with wooden tables and benches, flanked by chalkboards on the walls.
This is not the typical banana leaf restaurant as you will not find side dishes like tauhu sambal, cabbage, cucumber salad or bean sprouts.
“We are focused on South Indian culture in our food which is cooked on the spot so customers can enjoy the food while it’s hot,” said owner Kantha Raj, 36, whose background is in business and finance, but passionate about sharing the dishes of his ancestral homeland.
The Calamari Pakora is crunchy, spicy and makes for a great snack.
The four southern states have their own specialities, he said.
For example, Andhra Pradesh is famous for its use of chillies, Kerala for coconut-laden dishes, Tamil Nadu for everything masala, and Karnataka for mild-flavoured meals.
Kantha said his cooks are Malaysians, some of whom were hired after they were laid off at the height of the pandemic.
The restaurant survived three lockdowns and will celebrate its second anniversary on Aug 31.
Kantha said the recipes used are mostly from his mother, grandmother and relatives in India, adding that it has taken a lot of effort to adapt these for a restaurant.
“We specialise in seafood and meat dishes,” he said, adding that the restaurant sources its seafood from Kuala Selangor.
“Consistency of the curries depends on the grammage, from the amount of onions and chillies to how many tablespoons of spices are used,” he explained.
“Curries call for a lot of onions and spices so it’s costly to make a good curry.”
Chettinad Hot Plate Mutton Masala hits the spot for spice level, flavour and freshness.
He said the restaurant has its own blend of spice pastes and powders, and no MSG is used.
He added that the cooks do not use coconut milk to enhance flavours in the curries, except for the sodhi (a coconut milk-based vegetable dish).
We tried the banana leaf set (RM16) which offers a choice of white rice or parboiled rice, four types of vegetables, one fried vegetable and a selection of curries.
The accompanying condiments are house-made garlic pickle, papadam and thogayal (chutney).
For vegetable dishes, the cooks’ forte is in cooking gourds, namely snake gourds and bottle gourds. Dishes change according to the rotating menu.
“Malaysian customers like their masala potatoes, so we have maintained that (on the menu). Fried vegetables include small bitter gourd and ladies’ fingers,” said Kantha.
The Masala Prawn Briyani has succulent, fresh tiger prawns.
Curry options include chicken, mutton, fish and either crab, salted fish or prawn curry, while the vegan/vegetarian options are sambar, venthayam curry (onion curry), thanni saaru (a dish made with moringa leaves and dhal) or sothi and rasam.
The curries are indeed good and wholesome with a balance of flavours.
The vegan side dishes include plant-based mock chicken dishes, mushroom masala and vegan briyani that is cooked with mushrooms, served with curry, coconut raita and papadam (RM30).
Kantha said the papadam is fried in sunflower oil, and coconut milk is used to replace the yoghurt for the raita, but there is regular yoghurt-based raita on the menu, too.
The Masala Prawn Briyani (RM45) served with curry of one’s choice, raita and boiled egg as well as the Karaikudi Prawn Masala (RM38) were definitely notable dishes that had succulent, fresh tiger prawns.
Which foodie would not get excited at the sight of something sizzling?
This is why the menu includes weekend specials such as Chetinad Hot Plate Mutton Masala (RM35) and Ernakulam Mixed Seafood Hot Plate (RM60) with prawns, butterfish and squid.
Both hit the spot for spice level, flavour and freshness.
A rickshaw propped up outside a window acts as a beacon for finding the restaurant in Bangsar.
Still salivating, we could not resist ordering the Calamari Pakora (RM20). It was crunchy, with just the right amount of spice and makes for a great snack.
Kantha mentioned that omelettes with meat are popular dishes in Chennai and Tamil Nadu.
Ricksha’s enticing egg side dishes include Kunnur Junction Omelette with a choice of mutton (RM16), chicken (RM17), prawn (RM24) or fish (RM25), and the Erode Egg Podimas (RM9). (Kunnor junction and Erode are both located in Tamil Nadu.)
The Erode comprises mashed hard boiled eggs sauteed with masala spices.
After all that food, the Ginger Bru Latte (RM15) appealed to me.
Soothing and comforting, this drink, the Bru Latte (RM15) and Masala Tea (RM10) are best enjoyed on a rainy day.
Ricksha opens for dinner after 6pm, serving a variety of thosai, vadai and paratha.
Coffee lovers will love Ricksha’s Signature Coffee Appam that has bittersweet, caramelised flavours and is served with brown sugar and coconut milk (RM9). Understandably, this is a hit with customers.
RICKSHA, 9A, Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2202 0770). Business hours: 11am to 10pm (Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Monday).
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
