Restaurant Aunty Manju's @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

I have heard a lot of positive feedback about this place called Aunty Manju's in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail that serves excellent Banana Leaf Meals but hadn't got a chance to visit them. I also heard that they have Mutton Bone Marrow and Crab Curries during the weekends, both of which are my favourites. Having postponed this visit too long, my brother and I decided to drop by and check the place out this evening. 

Aunty Manju's In Taman Tun Dr Ismail

We were here at about 5.30 pm and even though it was an non peak hour, they did have a very encouraging number of customers. This restaurant is located along Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1 which is right opposite the open car park where the Ramadhan Bazaar happens every year.

Basic Banana Leaf Meal Set @ RM 8.50

Their Basic Banana Leaf Meal Set is priced at RM 8.50 and this comes with five vegetables, free flow of curries, Rasam and Appalam. I won't consider this to be expensive as it came with quality vegetables. 

5 Vegetables Comes With The Set

Most restaurant would only serve three of four vegetables but these guy's serve five quality vegetables with the basic set. Today, it was Brinjals Koottu, Beetroot, Snake Gourd Perattal, Tofu Sambal and Cucumber Acar. Yes, I was impressed to even see Tofu Sambal being included in this. Usually, restaurants would charge for it separately as a vegetable add on at RM 3.50 . In terms of taste, I was impressed. For me, this was perhaps the best vegetable line up that I have come across in a Banana Leaf Restaurant and they all tasted just excellent. My rating for these would be 10/10. 

Sambar

Chicken Kulambu

Their Sambar however was not that great. Despite is being thick, I felt that it slacked in terms of taste as I found it to be rather bland. My rating for this shall be 6/10. Their Chicken Kulambu was sufficiently spiced but it was also slightly on the salty side which wasn't to my liking. This, I would rate it at 7/10. It's just sad that the curries didn't click well as I was very impressed with the vegetables. 

Rasam

I am a huge fan of Rasam and it is like a must to have it after a good South Indian meal. This Rasam again was on the salty side. Not only did I find it to be such, so did my brother. Though my salt tolerance is high, this was just too much for me. I would rate this at 5/10. 

Pepper Chicken @ RM 8.50

We had ordered a number of side dishes and shall be speaking a little about them as well. Their Pepper Chicken was very good. I loved the infusion of spices but again, it was a tad too salty for me. The chunks however were meaty. My rating for this shall be 7/10. 

Mutton Bone Marrow Curry @ RM 12.50

We wanted to have crabs as well but sadly it was sold out for the day. The Mutton Bone Marrow Curry that you see above is half portion and it comes with two large cuts. If you go for the full portion, then it will be four. This dish was just heavenly. The bone marrow had been perfectly cooked so much so the meat was so tender and it easily peels off from the bone. There were some chewy tendons for those who love to bite those off the bone. The marrow was fresh too. Coming to the gravy, again it was heavenly. I absolutely fell in love with this dish. It won't be wrong if I say that this is one of the best Mutton Bone Marrow dishes that I have tasted. 10/10 it is for this!

Mutton Masala @ RM 10.00

Their Mutton Masala is another dish that I would highly recommend. Lean cuts of mutton were served in a spicy and thick gravy and it was an absolute treat. The blend of spices were just perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed this dish. My rating for this shall be 9/10. 

Fried Tenggiri Fish @ RM 12.00

They have a variety of fish to choose from and we went for this Tenggiri Fish cut which had been freshly fried. The fish was crispy and we loved the marination. 9/10 for this as well!

Deep Fried Squid with Onions (Half Portion) @ RM 10.00

Another excellent dish that should not be missed here is their Deep Fried Squid. In most restaurants that I have visited, they would have topped this with mostly onions and there would have been a few pieces of squid but that was not the case here. Besides that, they had fried it to a golden brown perfection and the marination was superb as well. 10/10 would be my rating for this. 

The Bill For The Day (We Did Some Takeaways Too)

Some may say that the prices may be on the high side and I don't disagree with that. However, except for one or two small items that slacked, the rest were a treat. Their Mutton Bone Marrow Curry, Fried Squid, Mutton Masala and Fried Tenggiri Fish was heavenly. Their Basic Banana Leaf Meals that comes with five vegetables definitely had the best line up of vegetables that I have come across. Not only that, they tasted great too. If you don't mind paying slightly more for a hearty meal, I would definitely recommend this place. Good food, speedy service and lovely ambiance. 

Address: No. 18. Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2300 Daily