Big on Indian at Bangles

BANGLES RESTAUrANT (Pork free) 270 Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur Tel: [phone] 

Bangles, the oldest Northern Indian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur which started out in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman 35 years ago, has since relocated to a stately bungalow along Jalan Ampang.  

It has been there for the past six years and still draws a sizeable lunch crowd, thanks to its splendid weekday buffet of 40 Indian specialities at only RM15++ per person. 

Besides personal dining and corporate entertainment, Bangles is carving a name for itself in the catering business. Dinner banquets, weddings, special events and company dinners are part and parcel of the restaurant’s speciality now that it has a lush one-acre garden and a patio that can easily accommodate groups of 200 – 650 persons. In addition to Indian cuisine, the catering team can also whip up popular local dishes.  

Step into the restaurant and you can hardly miss the 150,000 colourful glass bangles dangling from its ceiling. According to Bangles’ managing director Herukh T. Jethwani, the imported Indian trinkets never cease to delight his patrons. In the mellow lighting, the bangles decorate the surrounding walls with pretty circular patterns, further enhancing the ambience. 

Situated in a spacious bungalow, Bangles hascarved a name for itself in the catering business.

Each dining section also boasts a wall painted in a bold colour and adorned with the artistic works of local painter Sivarajah Natarajan whilst strategic corners are filled with eye-catching Indian artifacts. 

Jethwani explained that Northern Indian food is heavily wheat-based, hence a wide variety of ‘roti’ or breads are usually eaten with accompanying side dishes. These are churned out fresh by a team of Indian chefs.  

The menu comprises an extensive yet reasonably priced range of breads, appetisers and salads, grilled meat items, curries, spiced stews, kebabs and briyanis.  

The Chicken Sashlik isakin to satay.

A must-have dish is the Roomali Roti (RM5.90) or Handkerchief Bread – so called because of its feather-light, paper-thin texture. The perfect accompaniment for this is the sublime Dhall Makhani (RM10.90), a thick and spicy curry cooked with specially imported Indian black bean dhall. 

The Palak Paneer (RM9.90) or Pureed Spinach with Cottage Cheese was equally good. We thoroughly relished its creamy texture with little dices of Indian cottage cheese. It paired well with the oven-fresh, puffy Garlic Naan (RM4.90, unleavened bread cooked in a ‘tandoor’ oven and topped with freshly chopped garlic). 

Contrary to popular belief, Indian cuisine can be relatively healthy if you stick to the grilled or tandoor-cooked meat items which are usually skinless and lean.  

My favourite is the juicy and intensely flavourful Tandoori Chicken (RM8.90). Marinating the chicken with spices for two days enables the enticing flavour to penetrate the meat. 

Seafood lovers will need little persuasion to sample the Tandoori Prawns (RM35.90), which retained their springy texture.  

Those who are partial to chicken will be torn between the Chicken Tikka Hariyali (RM12.90, grilled chicken in mint and yoghurt marinade) and Chicken Sashlik (RM12.90). Bangles serves five types of tikka but our favourite is the mint tikka. We had no complaints after tasting the subtle yet refreshing mint overtones.  

The Chicken Sashlik is akin to local satay except the skewers of cubed boneless chicken are lightly grilled and basted with a delicious nutty sauce. 

The Indians are known for creating a wonderful array of mutton dishes. At Bangles, the Mutton Sheek Kebab (RM10.90) is deftly prepared by a chef who apparently used to work for New Delhi’s best kebab restaurant. 

For rice lovers, the Mutton Dhum Biryani (RM11.90) will leave them replete. The rice dish with chunky mutton pieces is steamed in a dough-sealed pot to retain its mouth-watering flavours.  

Known for their sweet tooth, most Indians must end their meals with dessert. Our choice of Gulab Jamun (RM6.90) and Pistachio Kulfi (RM6.90) were spot-on. The deep-fried sweet milk balls in scented syrup were light enough without being cloying. The other confection also passed with flying colours – its nutty taste and creaminess left us happily satiated.  

We look forward to returning to Bangles soon.