Restoran Basil Leaves @ Kajang, Selangor

Having traveled to Kajang today, I telephoned a few of my friends from Kajang to get their feedback on where I could get a good Indian meal and they suggested me to head to a restaurant called Basil Leaves that is located in Taman Kajang Sentral. Thanks to Garmin, I was able to find the place without going astray.

Restaurant Basil Leaves in Kajang, Selangor

Entrance

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

Interior of the Restaurant

From the main road, this restaurant is clearly visible and there was ample of parking spaces, even during business hours. The restaurant occupies two shop units and it is very nicely maintained. The place was air conditioned and very clean. The staffs were all from Tamil Nadu and they were chatty and helpful. While chatting with them, I learned that every Fridays for lunch, they have a vegetarian buffet spread for only RM 11.00 and that includes a spread of 21 items and it is eat all you can concept. Well, if I had known this earlier, I would have made my journey on a Friday. Anyway, since I am already here, it's time to check out the food here.

Their menu is very comprehensive and there is a huge list of dishes to choose from. Some good breakfast variety is also available. These food items have become scarce to find these days and it is great to know that they have them here. The waiter left us with the menu for about 10 minutes and then returned to get the orders.

Warm Water @ RM 0.30

Coca Cola @ RM 2.00

Teh O @ RM 1.50

The drinks were reasonably priced, except for the warm water which was charged at 30 cents. Taste of the tea was good and I would rate their Teh O at 8.5/10 .

Thali Set @ RM 7.50 per set

My father and I went for their Thali Set. Priced at RM 7.50 per set, it came with a good 9 dishes, rice and papadam. Looks good, now time to taste them one by one.

Tamarind Rice

The Tamarind Rice was nice, had balanced flavours and I would definitely say that this is a well prepared Tamarind Rice. If you compare this to what you get in India, then this may seem not as good but compared to what you get around here, this was decent. I would rate this at 8.3/10 .

White Rice & Pickled Chili

The portion of white rice provided was really huge, good to feed two moderate eaters and besides that,  pickled chili was also placed in the platter.

Vegetable

This vegetable was prepared well. The greens were still crispy and they were not stingy on the spices. Nicely done and I would rate this at 8.4/10 .

Tomato Curry

The Tomato curry was very nice and you actually can find chunks of tomato's in it. The taste was good and the portion decent. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Vegetable

This vegetable was just so so, not bad, but it didn't have the impact that it should have had. Slightly on the watery side, otherwise it was okay. I would rate this at 7.3/10 .

Kara Kulambu

The Kara Kulambu, though looking slightly oily, tasted good. Not up to the level that you would get at those Chettiar Mess's, nevertheless for a common Indian restaurant, it was good. I would rate this at 8.8/10 .

Rasam

Their Rasam, which was a plain and simple Rasam, tasted pretty good too. The spice's were sufficient and tasted good to drink after a good meal. I would rate this at 8/10 .

Mooru

The Mooru was very nice. I loved the fact that it was made with lots of spices and chilies added to it.Very good preparation. I would rate this at 8.9/10 .

Payasam

The Payasam was too diluted. Not good at all. I would only rate this at 4/10 . Overall, their Thali Set was definitely very satisfying.

Chicken Briyani Set @ RM 11.90

My brother wanted to try their Chicken Briyani. For the price of RM 11.90, it came with a huge platter of Briyani Rice with Chicken and one boiled egg, some Chicken Gravy, Cucumber Acar and one Papadam.

Huge Platter of Chicken Briyani

Very Lavish Portions of Chicken Chunks

The amount of Briyani rice provided was a lot. Besides that, the amount of meaty chicken chunks (not bones like some other restaurants) was also very lavish. The rice tasted absolutely delicious and the chicken was heavenly. It was only then that I had wished if I could still eat and order myself a plate of Mutton Briyani too. Having tasted a little of this, I would rate this at 9.4/10 .

Cucumber Acar

The Cucumber Acar provided was also pretty good and most importantly of all, it was fresh and crispy. Not some material that was stored in the fridge. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Chicken Kulambu

Their Chicken Kulambu was also good. Slightly on the oily side, otherwise it tasted nice. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Black Pepper Mutton @ RM 10.90

Black Pepper Mutton @ RM 10.90

Besides the mains, we also added some side dishes and this Black Pepper Mutton is one of them. If you are expecting the usual mutton that you get at Indian restaurants, then you would not like this. For a change, imagine the Black Pepper Venison that is served at Chinese restaurants and imagine the meat being swapped for mutton, that is how this dish tasted and for me, it was good. The good thing with this dish is that it comes with loads of black pepper gravy and besides the mutton, there is a lot of sliced onions in the dish which goes perfectly well with the black pepper. The mutton too have been thinly sliced, quite similar to how venison would be sliced instead of the usual chunks. Definitely a fantastic preparation and I just loved this dish. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Prawn 65 @ RM 10.90

Prawn 65 @ RM 10.90

Another fantastic dish. The prawns were coated in a spicy batter and deep fried to a golden orange colour. Each bite was heavenly and that is not an overstatement. I have never tasted Prawn 65 that is this good. Excellent! My only complaint is that the portion is perhaps a little small for the price, more always would have been better. He he. I would rate this at 9.8/10 .

The Bill

On the whole, it was a fantastic lunch and I do not regret coming here today. The Thali Set was good, the Briyani and other individual dishes that we tried today were simply fantastic. Definitely a place that I would return despite the distance. Just loved the food here.

Address: 85G, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral,

                43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2230 Daily

Telephone: +603 8739 9415