Prasad's Chetty Nadu Mess @ Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

I am sure that most Banana Leaf Meal fans have not heard of this place called Prasad's Chetty Nadu Mess which is tucked hidden along Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. This is one of the last remaining 'real' Chetty Nadu Mess here. There are no proper signage that leads to this restaurant. To find this place, look out for Prasad Jewellery which is by the side of the DiGi store and between these two shops, you would see a small entrance leading into a place which looks like a warehouse. Yes, you have reached your destination. Just keep walking inside till you come to the stairs that leads up.

Look Out For This Shop Along Lebuh Ampang

That's The Entrance

The Stairway Leading Up

Directions To The Mess

Daily Specials

Steps Leading Up To The Mess

The Mess

Once you reach the stairs, you would see two signs. One leading you to go up the steps and the other would be a sign listing their daily specials. Take the flight of the stairs and tadaa, you would come to the mess. The mess is just a simple set up but it is clean. Once we reached the mess, we went up to take a table. Please make sure that you come early. Best to be here around 12 noon. This mess operates from 10 am till about 3 pm when they are usually sold out. We were here on a Saturday at about 1 pm. Weekdays are generally very crowded especially by people working around this area. The food here is very good and is priced very cheap. I deliberately wanted to come on a Saturday as one of their daily specials available on Saturday's is their Crab Curry which is one of my favourites. 

At The Mess

Curries Available For The Day

Curries Available For The Day

I then stayed back at the table and let my father and brother go and choose the dishes that they would like to have. Here, there is no price list that is displayed but be rest assured, the prices here are really cheap. Another specialty that they have here on Saturday's is their Sardine Curry. Once they were done with the selection, they came back to the table. The service here is very efficient and at anytime when you call any one of the waiters, they are very fast to attend to you, even if it is crowded.

Basic Banana Leaf Meal

Basic Banana Leaf Meal

As mentioned earlier, I do not know the individual price of items but shall write about the total that we were charged today later in this post. The basic meal comes with White Rice, 2 vegetables and 1 Pudina Thovayal.

Vegetable

Vegetable

Pudina Thovayal

The vegetables were just so so, not the expensive type but they tasted okay. I would rate their vegetables at 6/10 . The Pudina Thovayal however was fantastic and I would rate it at 9.4/10 .

Sambar

For my first helping of curry, I went for their Sambar. The Sambar was really good. It was thick and the spices had a zing factor. I would rate their Sambar at 9/10 . Very good stuff!

Vegetable Kulambu

Their Vegetable Kulambu again was awesome. Just look at how thick the gravy is. Absolutely delicious and I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Fish Curry

We also asked for some fish curry and they served it in a small container like the above. Their Fish Curry again was extremely good and I would rate it at 9.7/10 .

Crab Curry

Regardless if you buy their Crab Masala or not, if you ask for Crab Curry, they would dish out any amount for you without a fuss unlike other places which would not usually adhere. Their Crab Gravy is to die for. Absolutely delicious. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Thayiru

As my next curry, I asked for some Thayiru. I must say that their Thayiru here is very fresh and thick. Very good stuff. At most other places, it's slightly diluted but here it's thick and good. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Tapioca Chips

Tapioca Chips

To go with our meal, we also ordered a plate of Tapioca Chips. The Chips were crispy, thinly sliced and slightly spicy. Very nicely prepared and I would rate this at 9.3/10 .

Chicken Varuval

Chicken Varuval

We also ordered a plate of Chicken Varuval and they were very good, probably the best that you get in Lebuh Ampang. The Chicken was mostly meat with very less bones and the gravy was just superb. I would rate this at 9.8/10 .

Mutton Varuval

Mutton Varuval

We did not stop with just their Chicken Varuval but also ordered a plate of their Mutton Varuval. The Mutton Varuval too was awesome. You should taste it to know how good it was. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Plate of Fried Fish

Plate of Fried Fish

We ordered two plates of the above Fried Fish. The fish was wonderfully marinated and fried to a golden crisp. Very good! I would rate this at 10/10 .

Crab Masala

Crab Masala

The Crab Masala was truly heavenly. A must try for crab lovers. The gravy was thick and the meat was soft and sweet. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Rasam

The Rasam too was awesome. One of the best Milagu Rasam's that I have tried and this deserves nothing less than 9.6/10 .

A Blown Up Poster At The Mess

It was an awesome meal that we had today. To list the items that we had, we had 3 Banana Leaf Rice Meals, 1 plate Tapioca Chips, 1 plate Chicken Varuval, 1 plate Mutton Varuval, 2 plates of Fried Fish, 1 serving of Thayiru, 1 plate of Crab Masala and 3 glasses of Rasam. This of course was accompanied by a number of gravies and they were free flow. For drinks, we all had a glass of warm water each. The total bill was a mere RM 33.00 for the entire meal which is an extremely good deal. The food is great here and I would highly recommend this place. Worth travelling all the way to Lebuh Ampang just for the food here.

Address: No. 36, Lebuh Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 1500 Daily