Restoran Yarl @ Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

Restoran Yarl needs no introduction these days. Having started as Yarl Corner, a quiet little stall near the Petronas Station along Jalan Tun Sambanthan, this enterprise has grown into a full blown restaurant, serving authentic Sri Lankan (Jaffnese Tamil) Food and they are now located along Jalan Padang Belia. This is at the same row as YMCA, just opposite the Rukun Tetangga Base. I have been here before and have blogged about them too, that was mostly in the late evenings and this is the first time that I am coming here for lunch. 

Restaurant Yarl...located along Jalan Padang Belia

A Crowded Afternoon

The Place Has Been Renovated

This place is run by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who are here under the emblem of UNHCR. Having taken away food from here before, my parents loved the food and requested me to bring them here sometime, and that is why we are here today. I have seen this place literally grow before my eyes. Between each of my trips, there is always some new renovation that has taken place and now the place looks simply perfect. I believe that they are doing this in phases so as to not burden the cash flow of the restaurant, which is a very wise move. Being a weekend, the place was packed with customers. The only setback here is that parking is a major hassle. Even this afternoon, I had to park somewhere around 500 meters away from the restaurant. Even though it was 2 in the afternoon, the place was still crowded and more and more people were arriving, quite a number of them being Chinese and food was just being sold so quickly. 

A Great Spread Was Available

Shark Varai and Cuttlefish Sambal

More Dishes In Claypot

Yummy Crabs

There were at least fifteen to sixteen items and they were all prepared the authentic Jaffnese (Yalpanam) way, hence the name Yarl. It is good to see that some of the dishes were being prepared using clay pots and were kept on burners to continuously keep the food warm. Selecting the dishes was a huge challenge for us as everything seemed to look so good. Finally, with the selection being done, we returned to our tables with plate full of food.

My Lunch @ RM 9.00

I had White Rice, Tofu Sambal, Mutton Perattal, Parappu (Dhall) Kadaiyal and some Venthaya Kulambu and this was priced at RM 9.00 .

My Dad's Meal @ RM 8.00

My Dad had some White Rice, Crab Curry, Kirai (Vegetable) Kadayal, Tapioca & Pumpkin Kadayal, some Fried Bitter Gourd and some Fried Fish and his meal was priced at RM 8.00 .

My Mom's Meal @ RM 7.00

My Mother had some White Rice, Crab Curry, Paruppu (Dhall) Kadayal and Chicken Perattal and her's was priced at Rm 7.00 . As for the drinks, all three of us had Warm Water which was priced at RM 0.20 per glass. 

Papadam and Pickled Dried Chilies 

The waiter had noticed that we did not take Papadam's and therefore he brought over a plate containing some Papadams and Fried Pickled Chilies. This was an on the house item. The Papadam's were freshly fried, not the foldable type and the Fried Pickled Chilies were quite good too. It was at this point that someone (in this case, if was the Chef himself) comes over to the table and calculates the price of the dishes taken and then slides the paper under one of the plates at the table. Now time, to taste and review the dishes.

Venthaya Kulambu

I must agree that their Venthaya Kulambu was very good. It had lot's of small onions and potato's in it that made it taste even better. Spices were lavish and it tasted superb. I would rate this at 9/10 .

Crab Curry

Their Crab Curry was awesome, a typical Yalpanam style of preparation. Thick curry with a perfect blend of spices and condiments. Loved it! I would rate this at 9.8/10 .

Paruppu (Dhall) Kadayal

This is another one of my favourites that tasted so good with the rice. It was delicious and having added ghee into the preparation, made it tasting heavenly. One that I would also recommend. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Fried Bitter Gourd

As always, the smaller Bitter Gourd is preferred for this and they had used exactly that variety. Thinly sliced, marinated in a slightly spicy gravy and fried to a golden brown perfection. I would rate this at 8.7/10 . 

Tofu Sambal

These were really delicious. A spicy preparation and comes with a slight sweet aftertaste to it. I could go on eating this all day long. Fresh tofu's were also used for the preparation and I would rate this at 9/10 . 

Tapioca and Pumpkin Kadayal

This was nice but I would have preferred if they had only used either one of the vegetables. This would have been definitely better if it was plain Tapoica and prepared with mashed anchovies. For me, this was just so so. Perhaps, not to the liking of my taste buds. I would rate this at 7.5/10 . Nice, but not great. 

Kirai Kadayal

Their Kirai Kadayal was indeed good. Made the authentic way, it was a true delight. All of us loved it and I would rate this at 8.7/10 .

Fried Fish

My Dad simply loves this kind of Fried Fish compared to the sliced Tenggiri Fish and he truly enjoyed this preparation. These little fishes were coated in a good marination and deep fried to a crisp. That's exactly how it should be where even the fish head becomes crunchy and no one has to worry about any bones. Perfectly done and I would rate this at 9.8/10 . 

Mutton Perattal

Oh, their Mutton Perattal was awesome. It reminded me of my Grandma's cooking. Lean boneless chunks of meat cooked in a thick spicy curry. A treat for all mutton lovers and the meat was so tender and juicy!  Amazing dish and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Spicy Chicken Perattal

Another excellent dish but not for those who can't handle spicy food. This was a mixture of meat and bones cooked in a thick spicy curry with a dash of black pepper to increase the heat. It was finger licking good! Highly recommended too and I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

The Bill

Contact Details

Some may feel that the prices here are on the high side but I do not think so. It takes quality ingredients to bring out the best in a dish and quality ingredients do cost more than the cheaper alternatives. It is just slightly more but worth the price manifold. The taste of every item tried today was excellent and I would definitely be a recurring customer here. It was so good that on our way back, my parents did indicated that they would like to be back here soon. That says that they too loved the food. A place that I would definitely recommend if you love Jaffnese Tamil food. Some people that I know of, who are very used to the Malaysian Tamil cooking did not like the food here and that is simply because there are differences in cooking styles. Do take that into note and as I said, ask any Ceylonese friends of yours and they would say that the food here is simply awesome and you might just get a different answer from a Tamilian of Indian origin. 

Address: No. 50, Jalan Padang Belia, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2030 Daily

Telephone: +6010 360 6624 & +6016 272 4009