Madras Cafe @ Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur

This evening, we had originally planned to go to Thalapakatti Briyani Restaurant along Jalan Ipoh. We ended up going in circles and could not find a parking space and since we were already in the vicinity, we decided to head to Madras Cafe instead where parking is much easier. It has been more than 15 years since I last came here, at that time it was good.

Madras Cafe along Jalan Ipoh

Entrance to the Restaurant

Indian Sweets

This restaurant is located directly opposite the Thandayuthapani Temple in Jalan Ipoh. The place has not changed much over the years and it looks exactly the same.

Interior of the Restaurant

Private Dining Room At The Far End

Water Served Complimentary

The interior of the restaurant was very much the same too, with just some slight renovations done. This restaurant occupies two shop lots and is air-conditioned. There is also a small private dining room that can hold a small crowd of around 20. All the staffs are from Tamil Nadu, India. I would not say that they were not friendly, but they were just like machines doing their routine jobs. Water is served complimentary to all customers, in fact, they have a jug of water at every table for customers to refill. The waiter came to us asking what we would like to have and instead we asked for the menu. It took him around 5 minutes to get the menu for us, maybe he had to go searching for it. He he. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The menu was simple, just a two sided laminated card and it had a good spread of Tamil dishes priced reasonably. 

Masala Thosai @ RM 4.00

One thing that I appreciate here is that they still serve on Banana Leaf's instead of plates. This goes even for simple tiffin items like Thosai. Their Masala Thosai was priced at RM 4.00 each. It was not too huge and the filling was minimal, just spread to about half the thosai when it should have been across the full length. The filling was only potato perattal. Nothing too impressive. I would only rate this at 6/10 .

Rawa Thosai @ RM 2.00 each

Rawa Thosai @ RM 2.00 each

Rawa Thosai @ RM 2.00 each

The Rawa Thosai too was small had very limited spices added to it. I could only sight a dash of cumin seeds, two slices of chilies and two basil leaves. Taste was just average. I definitely would except more spices to be added to any Rawa Thosai as this comes at RM 2.00 each. The price is definitely not reflected in the quality. I would rate this at 5/10 .

Sambar

Sambar was provided with the Thosai. I must say that the Sambar was once again above average only. It had a very bitter taste to it, not sure why, there must have been some ingredient which was over added. I would rate this at 6/10 .

Tomato Chutney

This Tomato Chutney was very good. It was spicy, thick and delicious. I could just scoop out the chutney and eat it on it's own. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Coconut Chutney

Contrary to the earlier one, this was diluted and tasteless. I guess they must have run out of it and added some water to make do for dinner. It was horrible and deserves a rating of 2/10 .

Idli @ RM 2.40 per set

Idli here comes in sets of two and is priced at RM 2,40 per set. The Idli was about the right size but it was hard and sticky. If this was India, this would be reject quality but we Malaysians are generally very calm and accommodating so much so we accept such sub-standard food. Definitely this was not to my liking. I would rate this at 5.5/10 .

Mushroom Special @ RM 4.00

This dish is called Mushroom Special and there was nothing special about it. Typically Button Mushrooms coated with flour and deep fried. They were tasteless and for the portion, the price is expensive. I would rate this at 5/10 .

Sora Puttu @ RM 6.00

This is supposedly to be grated shark's meat pan fried with onions and chili's but in that saucer, 60% were eggs and 40% was fish and for this, we were charged RM 6.00 . A real rip off! I would only rate this at 2/10 .

Crab Cutlet @ RM 4.50

Crab Cutlet @ RM 4.50

The Crab Cutlet was hmmmm how shall I say it. It was 30% mashed crab meat plus 70% mashed potatoes  but the good part is that the spices added were good. That brought about a good taste to it but you actually had to search for the crab meat when most of the time, we were just chewing potato. I'd rate this at 3/10 only, not because it tasted bad but because it was a misrepresentation of the name itself. This is not crab cutlet, should have been potato cutlet instead. 

Fish Cutlet @ RM 4.00

Fish Cutlet @ RM 4.00

This again was the same case as the previous crab cutlet. There were minimal traces of fish in it and it is clearly visible in the above photo. Taste wise, it was quite bad too. At least the earlier potato masala was way better than this. Not something that I'd order again here. I would only rate this at 1/10 .

Madras Coffee @ RM 3.00

The coffee was good and luckily I had it towards the end. At least something good lingers on my palate when I leave the restaurant. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Contact Details

In a nutshell, the food has deteriorated terribly from my last visit more than a decade ago. This would be a no go restaurant for me. Do note that this review is solely based on the food items tried and not their Banana Leaf Meals as we did not get an opportunity to try them tonight.Even then, it is sad to see the quality drop as it was so good then. Hope that they can improve on the food or else, Madras Cafe shall only remain a name from the yesteryear's. 

Address: 343, 2 1/2 Mile, Jalan Ipoh,

                51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2230 Daily

Telephone: +603 4043 9000