TeeKaapi Indian Cuisine @ Batu Caves, Selangor

TeeKaapi Indian Cuisine is a restaurant that is located in Eco Sky which is just beside Taman Wahyu, Batu Caves. What attracted me here is the fact that they serve Indian Style Shell Out and that too on Banana Leaf, the South Indian way. Having heard that such a thing is available here, we made it a point to drop by this evening.

The Restaurant in Eco Sky

Since this building is relatively new, parking is easily available as the commercial area is not fully taken up. Their set up is quite posh and the tables are nicely spaced out and that enables you to have conversations without being worried about being noisy. Besides that, private room is available too for private functions. 

Their menu has a mix of North and South Indian dishes and some fusion dishes. Vegetarian options are there but they are relatively limited. Prices seem reasonable for the concept. Since we had made our mind to go for the Shell Out, we did not take much time at looking at the other available options. 

Orange Cordial

White Rice

This shell out set is for four pax and therefore, it comes with four portions of white rice and four glasses of orange cordial. 

Indian Shell Out @ RM 100.00

This Indian Shell Out is available only on weekends and it priced at RM 100.00 per set. It comes with some fish, crabs, squid, shrimps, veggies, corn, chicken, mussels and clams. Please do prepared to wait as this preparation is made from scratch and would take some time. For me, that is good since everything would be fresh.

It is really rare to see this kind of Indian Shell Out and that too one that is being served on Banana Leaves. For me, it was a wonderful meal. The mix of fish, clams, mussels, shrimps, squid, crabs, chicken, veggies and corn that came in a mildly spicy sambal like preparation was just heavenly. It was so good and I wouldn't mind returning again for another round of excellent food. Do note that this is only available during the weekends and a set for four pax is priced at RM 100.00 . Excellent food and lovely ambiance. 

Address: Ground Floor, Eco Sky, Jalan Ipoh, Taman Wahyu, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor.

Business Hours: 1000 - 2300 Tuesday - Sunday

K. R. Mani Curry House @ Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur

K.R. Mani Curry House isn't new to the people who are living and working along Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. This restaurant has been around for some time now and they are located right opposite the Thandayuthapani Temple and also not too far from the old Sentul Cinema. 

The Restaurant Along Jalan Ipoh

Air Conditioned Restaurant

Despite being just a few doors away from the famous Madras Cafe, this restaurant has it's own crowd and is usually very busy during lunch hours. The restaurant is a two floor set up and both floors are air-conditioned for customers dining comfort. The place is also very systematically designed  and despite all the money spent on renovation, their Banana Leaf Meals are a mere RM 5.50 . Another thing that attracted me is their waiters. They were all dressed in Dhothi (Veshti), the cultural attire of the Tamils. I do not remember seeing this practiced anywhere else. For that, my salute to the waiters and the management. 

Banana Leaf Meals (Vegetarian) @ RM 5.50

Their basic Banana Leaf Meal comes with three vegetables, unlimited rice with a variety of curries, Appalam (Pappadam), pickled chilies (Moor Milagai), pickles, Rasam and Payasam. All this for just RM 5.50 . I also adored the way the staffs served. Each automatically takes charge of a table as the customer walks in and the rest seems like a seamless dance. Right from laying the leaves till the last dish served, it was just happening in a blink as if they have been doing this all their lives. Perfect syncronisation of efforts. 

Ladies Finger with Mocha Kottai

Keerai Kadayal

Cabbage

All their vegetables were tasty and none were over cooked. I particularly enjoyed the Vendikkai (Ladies Finger) & Mocha Kottai Perattal. That was really something. The other two were also good. I would rate their Vendikkai at 8/10 and the other two at 7/10.  

Sambar

Mocha Kottai Kulambu

As for the curries, I went for Sambar and Mochai Kottai Kulambu. Of course, you could go for their non vegetarian curries as well at no extra charges. Their Sambar was delicious and their Mocha Kottai Kulambu was excellent. The latter gravy is one that is quite rare these days and I was impressed when I saw these guy's serving this. As for their Sambar, I would give it a 7/10 and their Mocha Kottai Kulambu at 8/10. 

Appalam & Moor  Milagai

Rasam

Payasam

Even their Appalam and Moor Milagai is served in a separate basket and they were quite generous with the portions. Their Rasam was superb, way better than what you mostly get these days in restaurants and their Payasam was tasty too. Perhaps a tad too sweet for me but otherwise it was good. I would rate their Rasam at 9/10 and their Payasam at 7/10. 

Card To Be Handed Over To The Cashier 

Wondering what that door access card is doing here? Well, their entire billing system is automated. Once the waiter is done serving your table, he then keys in the orders into the system and then that information is duplicated on to this card. When one is done with their meal, instead of mentioning the table number or listing down the food items, you just have to hand over this card to the cashier and in a instant, your bill is ready. The only Indian restaurant that I have come across with total automation Way to go guys!. 

In summary, the food was good, very reasonably priced, speedy service, impressive attire and super impressive billing system. If you happen to be in this area, please do give these guy's a try. The only problem here would be parking. If you drive behind the shop, there should be some public car parks very close to the cinema. From there, it's just a 5 minute walk. 

Address: No. 355, 2 1/2 Mile, Jalan Ipoh, 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 4042 5842

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2230 Daily

Chennai Xpress @ Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur

One of my friends had always been urging me to try out this restaurant called Chennai Xpress which is located along Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and since we were in the vicinity this afternoon, we decided to do lunch here. The place wasn't difficult to find as I am quite familiar with this area. This restaurant is located on the ground floor of Viva Residency which is a condominium. The first two levels of this building are solely retail space and they have taken up one of the units there and it is quite a nice place I would say. Parking is easy as one could park inside the condominium and there are bays which are reserved for these retail customers. Besides that, you get more parking on the rear side which is where Tasty Chapati Restaurant is located, which is also part of this very same building. 

The Restaurant in Viva Residency

Indoor Air-conditioned Dining Space

Outdoor Dining Space is Available Too

The restaurant isn't a large one. Indoor and outdoor seating areas are available and in total, perhaps there would have been around twelve tables. They had a very extensive menu covering vegetarian and non vegetarian items. Apologies as I can't share the menu photographs here as somehow they had gone corrupt. Since we were vegetarians today, our focus were specifically on those pages in the menu and truly they had some remarkable dishes that I would only expect to find in Tamil Nadu. All their staffs and cook are from Tamil Nadu as well. Initially we had some communication issues as the staff couldn't really explain but then we managed it somehow. Otherwise, they were quite efficient. 

Banana Leaf Saapadu (Meal) @ RM 7.90

This Thali Meal Set is definitely a steal for the price of RM 7.90 . Just look at the spread. Rice, Urgai (Pickled Lemon), Moor Milagai, Podi, Papadam, Raddish, Peanuts Aviyal, Beetroot, Rasam, Vegetable Kulambu, Sambar, Moor, Payasam and Lemon Rice, all for just RM 7.90 . 

Radish

Peanut Aviyal

Beetroot

Even the choice of veggies served were not the usual cabbage and cucumber and these are pricey items. It's good to see such veggies being served and that too cooked in ways that we don't usual come across in Malaysia and they tasted great.

Vegetable Kulambu and Sambar

Rasam

Moor

As for the curries, Vegetable Kulambu (Gravy) and Sambar were provided. Both were tasty. Rasam was quite good as well and they even went to the extent of including some Moor in the set. 

Payasam

And to finish off the meal, there was some Payasam as well. This isn't the Tamil style Payasam, more like the Kerala style and it was very good. Not too sweet and just nice. 

Lemon Rice

As part of the same set for starters, they had provided some Lemon Rice. For Malaysian standards, this was good but I have tasted better ones in Tamil Nadu. As a complete meal set, the spread was amazing and the taste was good. I would rate this set at 8/10.

Gramathu Kootanchoor @ RM 5.40

Sambar Satham

Here they have named this Sambar Satham as Gramathu Koottanchoor, perhaps just to give it a hint of nativity. Quite a huge portion and it came with some Peanut Avial. I am a huge fan of this dish and honestly, I didn't totally enjoy it here. Everything was okay but a little more ghee would have been ideal. Good but nothing close to the ones that I have had in India. Somehow I expected the same quality as the spices as well as the chefs in this restaurant are from Tamil Nadu. Maybe my expectations were a little high. I would perhaps give this a 7/10. 

Aloo Paratha @ RM 3.90 each

Aloo Paratha is bread stuffed with potatoes and this is another favourite of mine being a potato lover. It was priced at RM 3.90 each and in that basket above, there are two slices. Nothing to complain price wise and the size looked decent. However, the taste wasn't up to the mark. One of the reasons could be because the bread was overdone and charred on the sides and another thing that I felt was the potatoes weren't spiced sufficiently. Nah, wasn't that great and as such, I'd give this a 6/10.

Dhall Tadka @ RM 6.20

This Dhall Tadka was mainly for the Aloo Paratha and trust me, it was the saviour. Excellent would be the right word to use for this dish. Everything was so perfect and there's nothing that I can complain about. This deserves a 10/10.

Kumbakonam Degree Coffee @ RM 3.50

Bru Coffee @ RM 3.50

Their Kumbakonam Degree Coffee was super good. The exact same taste that I was expecting. And their Bru Coffee was good as well. I would highly recommend the Kumbakonam Degree Coffee and give this a rating of 10/10. The Bru Coffee would score a 9/10 from me. 

Jil Jil Jigarthanda @ RM 6.20

Jil Jil Jigarthanda is another favourite of mine which originates from the city of Madurai, India. It's priced at RM 6.20 here but I wouldn't complain even if it is meant to be a poor man's desert in India as it was so good. Another one that I would highly recommend and I would give this a 10/10. 

Based on the food items that we tried today, I am only partially satisfied. Some were exceptionally good and some were just okay. Maybe I should come another day and give their non vegetarian dishes a try. 

Address: Lot A-2-3A, Viva Shop Lot, No. 378 Jalan Ipoh, 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: +603 4051 1132 

Indian Restaurant (Indian Unavagam) @ Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur

When I mention Indian Restaurants along Jalan Kasipillay, many would think of either Chennai X'press, Shankarees or Tasty Chapati but not many know that there actually is another Indian Restaurant there that goes by the name Indian Restaurant. No kidding! This restaurant came highly recommended by a close friend of mine who is a foodie himself. Being convinced, here I am for lunch today.

Located Further In Jalan Kasipillay

Located In An Office Area

Just after the turning to Jalan Ismail Ghaney

Good Variety Of Dishes

Very Friendly Staffs

Getting to this place is quite simple. Once you turn into Jalan Kasipiliay, keeping driving straight past Shankarees till you reach the turning to Jalan Ismail Ghaney, where the Malaysian Brahmin Association is located. If you look straight, you would be able to see some office blocks in front on your left. This is quite a recently built structure. Keep driving straight and once you come to the entrance turning into this office blocks, you would be able to sight this restaurant. Previously, there used to be another Sri Lankan Restaurant up stairs that goes by the name of Restaurant Surya belonging to the very same management but that is now closed due to lack of support. The signage is still there though. Parking is convenient as there are many bays that are mostly vacant. Only thing would be that you need to ensure that you do not park at those reserved bays. It is just a simple looking no frills Indian Restaurant. They had a good variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes and the food looked very good. After having checked out what was available, we then collected our lunch and went over to a table. The staffs then sent us some Rasam and Appalam. I must admit that they were very attentive to customers needs and were serving with a smile. Very friendly too. Keep up the good work guys.

My Lunch @ RM 8.00

My Lunch @ RM 8.00

I had Rice, Mocha Kottai Kulambu, Mocha Kottai and Lady's Finger Perattal, Bitter Gourd Perattal, some Black Pepper Chicken Perattal and a slice of Fried Fish and this was priced at RM 8.00 . My mother had Rice with two veggies, Chicken Perattal with gravy and this was priced at RM 5.50 . And my Father had Rice with three veggies and his meal was priced at RM 4.00 . I would say that it was very reasonable if not cheap. Now, time to enjoy my meal.

Mocha Kottai Kulambu

Their Mocha Kottai Kulambu was simply superb! It was spicy to just the right level, thick gravy, generous amount of spices and came with loads of Mocha Kottai and it was just awesome! One of the best Mocha Kottai Kulambu preparations that I have tasted. I would rate this at 9.5/10 . A highly recommended preparation here!

Bitter Gourd Perattal

Fresh small Bitter Gourd slices were cooked with diced onions, turmeric and chili powder. The Bitter Gourd was fresh and thinly cut to just the perfect cut size. Too thick would have been a put off and so it would have been if it was too thin. Perfect preparation I would say. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Mocha Kottai with Lady's Finger

This Mocha Kottai with Lady's Finger was another good one. I think they had also sprinkled some lime to give a zing to it. Not overcooked, still crunchy and they were good. All of us enjoyed this preparation. I would rate this at 9/10 . Recommended!

Carrot with Spices

My Mother had this as one of her veggies and I took a little just to taste it. Another  excellent preparation. Carrots were perfectly cooked with spices. Not too hard and not overcooked. Sweet yet spicy. Delicious! I would rate this at 9/10 . Recommended!

Fried Fish

The Fried Fish here is the thin cuts version. Some many not prefer this as they would prefer juicy thick cut's like how Mathai's does it. I am okay with both styles and therefore enjoyed it. This cut style makes it more crispy rather than juicy. Their marination was excellent as well. I would rate this at 8.8/10 . If you like thin cuts, then this is a must try.

Black Pepper Chicken Perattal

What can I say about this Black Pepper Chicken Perattal. It was simply divine! One of the best that I have tried in Kuala Lumpur. Decent chicken cuts were cooked in such rich Masala making it truly heavenly. I almost licked it clean. That was just how good this was. I would rate this at 10/10 . A highly recommended preparation!

Appalam

Appalam was decent and not those foldable types. They provided us with three pieces as there were three of us but they obliged when we asked for more.

Rasam

Rasam was nice but it wasn't lip smacking good like the others. Can definitely be better with some mild improvisation. I would rate this at 7/10 . 

Us Enjoying Our Lunch

Bill For The Day

Overall, we were all very happy with the food here. Winners would be their Mocha Kottai Kulambu, Black Pepper Chicken Perattal, Mocha Kottai with Lady's Finger Perattal and their Carrot Masala. The rest were nice too but these really stood out. I am very happy that I came here this afternoon and a very big Thank You to my friend Mr. Joseph Chin who had introduced me to this restaurant. Some excellent dishes, very reasonable prices, amazing staffs and ample of parking spaces. Simply the perfect place for lunch on weekdays if you are in the mood for some good Indian food around Ipoh Road. 

Address: Unit D-021, Jalan Kasipillay, Off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Jalan Ipoh),

                51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 0630 - 2230 Daily