Monday 26 September 2016

RVS Banana Leaf Restaurant @ Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur

I had a meeting this morning in Jalan Pahang and by the time it was over, it was close to noon. Instead of heading back to the office for lunch, I decided on having lunch here itself. As I was walking to my favourite Indian food stall which is located inside a Chinese Coffee Shop, I discovered this new Banana Leaf Restaurant called RVS Banana Leaf Restaurant. Seems that the place is just about a month old and it's located directly opposite the entrance to KL General Hospital right on the Ground Floor of Vue Residences Serviced Suites. 

The Restaurant

A Very English Like Setting

Air-conditioned And Lovely Cafe Set Up

Special Area For Banana Leaf Meals
The restaurant had recently taken over the place from a cafe that had closed down and as such, it had a trendy feel to the overall atmosphere. The entire restaurant was air conditioned. Thanks to the previous cafe owners for having not taken those air-conditioning units with them when they moved out. The staffs were very friendly and chatty. At first I was very keen on trying their Banana Leaf Meals and when I checked, unfortunately they were not ready. That's rather strange as it was already close to 12 noon and I was told that it would take at least another 30 minutes. I did not have that much time at my perusal and so decided to opt for the standard meal on plates. The dishes were all placed on a counter at the entrance and they had already prepared close to 15 dishes which was more than enough for me. In a way this was good as I get to sample more things in smaller quantity instead of having lesser items but a larger meal. The restaurant had two sections. The open seating area which is for all diners and another exclusive section inside which is specifically for Banana Leaf Meals. I had a peek at that 'exclusive' area and it seemed more like a romantic place with all the dim lighting. I guess it must have been a couples only zone when the previous tenants were occupying the place. 

Ice Lemon Tea @ RM 2.50

Iced Tea @ RM 1.80
Despite the place being air conditioned, it was a rather hot afternoon and so I had to go with two drinks. For variety sake, I ordered a glass of Ice Lemon Tea which was priced at RM 2.50 and another glass of Iced Tea which was priced at RM 1.80. It had taken them a while to fix the drinks despite me being the sole customer at that hour and that was because the guy making the drinks was trying to multi task. He was making a Tosai for one of the customers and at the same time fixing the drinks. A rather hilarious scene it was. And yes, the guy that ordered the Tosai was not at all happy with the Tosai. That I could see from his face which he eventually voiced it out to the waiter. And of course, after about 10 minutes, more and more customers started walking in. As for the drinks, the Ice Lemon Tea was really good and for that drink, I would give it a 9/10. The Iced Tea however was just okay. Good but still with some room for improvement and so I shall give it a 8/10. Prices seemed reasonable to me, what more for an air-conditioned restaurant.  

My Lunch @ RM 10.00
I took a little bit of everything that I wanted to taste and the price was RM 10.00 for this lot. Pricey? Maybe for an ordinary restaurant but for one with such a concept and comfort, it seemed acceptable to me. To list the items that I had taken, they were Rice, Chicken Curry, Ayam Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Chicken), Fried Egg, Potato Perattal, Bottle Gourd Perattal and some Mutton Perattal. Now, just hoping that the food would taste as good as it looks. 

White Rice with Chicken Curry
To start off my meal, I tasted their Rice and Chicken Curry first and guess what, it turned out to be quite bad. Seriously, the gravy was not even close to how Chicken Curry should me. I am one who would never waste food and it is my habit to eat till the last grain of rice on my plate but today, I just gave up. However much I tried to force myself, I just couldn't do it and ended up leaving the whole lot of rice and curry on the plate. This is such a surprise as these are the basic curries in any South Indian restaurant and it's just a shame that it's so bad here. I would only give this at 3/10. 

Fried Egg
Having been disappointed with the rice, I had to fill my tummy with just the veggies and the rest of the meat stuff that I had taken. The Fried Egg was okay. Again, it wasn't great but just okay. I wonder how one can even go wrong with frying a simple egg. It was a little soggy and that always put's me off. I would give this a 6/10. 

Ayam Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Chicken)
Their Ayam Masak Kicap was good for a change and thank God for that. It was sweet, mildly salty and spicy and they had used smaller chicken cuts for this which was just perfect. Glad that I had taken this instead of the Chicken Perattal. As for this Ayam Masak Kicap, I would give it a 7/10. 

Potato and Banana (Valakkai) Perattal
The Potato and Valakkai Perattal was another one that pissed me off. Not because it lacked flavours, even that can be pardoned but simply because it was not fully cooked and that's a sin that is not permissible for a chef. Being one that cooks in restaurants, how can you make such a mistake. Come on, it was not just one in the whole lot that I took but it was each and every piece. Terrible! I would deem 0/10 to be a very generous marks for this preparation. 

Bottle Gourd Perattal
Just when I was about to say luckily the Bottle Gourd Perattal was properly cooked, another terror struck me as it tasted so bland. Yes, so flat in taste it was that I felt like I was chewing on some fiber pills. Don't they even taste the food they prepare? I would only give this a 2/10.

Mutton Perattal
Their Mutton Perattal was nice, yes really nice. Quality meat cuts that were lean and fat free cooked in a thick aromatic gravy with potatoes added to give it a really nice flavour. The only setback was that it could have been a little spicier. Well, after having tried some disastrous food items, this seemed like a boon from God and so I would not complain. As for this preparation, I would give it a 7/10. 

To cut a long story short, I guess this would be my last visit here. It is such a shame that the food sin't up to acceptable levels as I really liked the environment as well as the staffs who were so friendly and nice. Even the prices seemed very reasonable to me. Sad to say, if the food continues to be like this, I dread that they too would not last long. Hopefully, they would do something about the cooking and may it be done soon. 

Address: No. G-08, Ground Floor, Vue Residences Serviced Suites, 
                102, Jalan Pahang, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0800 - 2230 Daily

Telephone: +6010 291 5353 

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