Bakti Woodlands @ Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Bakti Woodlands is a South Indian restaurant that has been around for many years now. They are located along Lebuh Ampang and specialises in South Indian vegetarian food. Besides tiffin items that you get all day long, their Thali Meals are the highlight and these are specifically available during lunch hours daily. 

The Restaurant Along Lebuh Ampang

Free Drinking Water

They do have both ground floor and first floor seating areas but most of the time, I prefer sitting on the ground level. This space can be a little cramped during peak hours but if you don't mind that, then it would be a rather comfortable dining experience. Service is speedy and in a matter of minutes, your Thali Meal is served. 

Thali Meals @ RM 8.00

Their Thali Meals are priced at RM 8.00 and these come with ten food items. rice, three vegetables, Kesari, two gravies, Moor, Rasam, Pickled Lime and Appalam. A wholesome vegetarian meal for RM 8.00 is a pretty good deal in the city centre.  

Keerai, Veggie and Tofu

Pickled Lime

To be honest, the Keerai, Veggie and Tofu was very average quality for me. Definitely lot's of room for improvement. Their Pickled Lime however was fantastic. I would rate the previous at 6/10 and the latter at 9/10. 

Sambar, Moor, Venthaya Kulambu & Rasam

Kesari

Their Sambar and Moor again seemed very average to me. These, I would rate them at 6/10. Their Venthaya Kulambu was awesome. The spices were perfect and it was a taste to remember. As for this, I would rate it at 9/10. Rasam was pretty nice as well and I shall rate it at 8/10. Their Kesari was absolutely heavenly. One excellent way to wrap up a meal. I would rate this at 10/10. 

Bakti Woodlands is a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant that has been around for many years. One of the highlights at this restaurant is their Thali Meals that is available for lunch. For RM 8.00,  you get ten varieties on a platter and it's totally worth it. If you're looking for a vegetarian restaurant around the city centre, this would be a good place to visit. 

Address: No. 55, Lebuh Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.

Business Hours: 0730 - 2230 Daily

Prasad's Chetty Nadu Mess @ Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

I am sure that most Banana Leaf Meal fans have not heard of this place called Prasad's Chetty Nadu Mess which is tucked hidden along Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. This is one of the last remaining 'real' Chetty Nadu Mess here. There are no proper signage that leads to this restaurant. To find this place, look out for Prasad Jewellery which is by the side of the DiGi store and between these two shops, you would see a small entrance leading into a place which looks like a warehouse. Yes, you have reached your destination. Just keep walking inside till you come to the stairs that leads up.

Look Out For This Shop Along Lebuh Ampang

That's The Entrance

The Stairway Leading Up

Directions To The Mess

Daily Specials

Steps Leading Up To The Mess

The Mess

Once you reach the stairs, you would see two signs. One leading you to go up the steps and the other would be a sign listing their daily specials. Take the flight of the stairs and tadaa, you would come to the mess. The mess is just a simple set up but it is clean. Once we reached the mess, we went up to take a table. Please make sure that you come early. Best to be here around 12 noon. This mess operates from 10 am till about 3 pm when they are usually sold out. We were here on a Saturday at about 1 pm. Weekdays are generally very crowded especially by people working around this area. The food here is very good and is priced very cheap. I deliberately wanted to come on a Saturday as one of their daily specials available on Saturday's is their Crab Curry which is one of my favourites. 

At The Mess

Curries Available For The Day

Curries Available For The Day

I then stayed back at the table and let my father and brother go and choose the dishes that they would like to have. Here, there is no price list that is displayed but be rest assured, the prices here are really cheap. Another specialty that they have here on Saturday's is their Sardine Curry. Once they were done with the selection, they came back to the table. The service here is very efficient and at anytime when you call any one of the waiters, they are very fast to attend to you, even if it is crowded.

Basic Banana Leaf Meal

Basic Banana Leaf Meal

As mentioned earlier, I do not know the individual price of items but shall write about the total that we were charged today later in this post. The basic meal comes with White Rice, 2 vegetables and 1 Pudina Thovayal.

Vegetable

Vegetable

Pudina Thovayal

The vegetables were just so so, not the expensive type but they tasted okay. I would rate their vegetables at 6/10 . The Pudina Thovayal however was fantastic and I would rate it at 9.4/10 .

Sambar

For my first helping of curry, I went for their Sambar. The Sambar was really good. It was thick and the spices had a zing factor. I would rate their Sambar at 9/10 . Very good stuff!

Vegetable Kulambu

Their Vegetable Kulambu again was awesome. Just look at how thick the gravy is. Absolutely delicious and I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Fish Curry

We also asked for some fish curry and they served it in a small container like the above. Their Fish Curry again was extremely good and I would rate it at 9.7/10 .

Crab Curry

Regardless if you buy their Crab Masala or not, if you ask for Crab Curry, they would dish out any amount for you without a fuss unlike other places which would not usually adhere. Their Crab Gravy is to die for. Absolutely delicious. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Thayiru

As my next curry, I asked for some Thayiru. I must say that their Thayiru here is very fresh and thick. Very good stuff. At most other places, it's slightly diluted but here it's thick and good. I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

Tapioca Chips

Tapioca Chips

To go with our meal, we also ordered a plate of Tapioca Chips. The Chips were crispy, thinly sliced and slightly spicy. Very nicely prepared and I would rate this at 9.3/10 .

Chicken Varuval

Chicken Varuval

We also ordered a plate of Chicken Varuval and they were very good, probably the best that you get in Lebuh Ampang. The Chicken was mostly meat with very less bones and the gravy was just superb. I would rate this at 9.8/10 .

Mutton Varuval

Mutton Varuval

We did not stop with just their Chicken Varuval but also ordered a plate of their Mutton Varuval. The Mutton Varuval too was awesome. You should taste it to know how good it was. I would rate this at 9.7/10 .

Plate of Fried Fish

Plate of Fried Fish

We ordered two plates of the above Fried Fish. The fish was wonderfully marinated and fried to a golden crisp. Very good! I would rate this at 10/10 .

Crab Masala

Crab Masala

The Crab Masala was truly heavenly. A must try for crab lovers. The gravy was thick and the meat was soft and sweet. I would rate this at 10/10 .

Rasam

The Rasam too was awesome. One of the best Milagu Rasam's that I have tried and this deserves nothing less than 9.6/10 .

A Blown Up Poster At The Mess

It was an awesome meal that we had today. To list the items that we had, we had 3 Banana Leaf Rice Meals, 1 plate Tapioca Chips, 1 plate Chicken Varuval, 1 plate Mutton Varuval, 2 plates of Fried Fish, 1 serving of Thayiru, 1 plate of Crab Masala and 3 glasses of Rasam. This of course was accompanied by a number of gravies and they were free flow. For drinks, we all had a glass of warm water each. The total bill was a mere RM 33.00 for the entire meal which is an extremely good deal. The food is great here and I would highly recommend this place. Worth travelling all the way to Lebuh Ampang just for the food here.

Address: No. 36, Lebuh Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 1500 Daily

Restoran Lakshmi Vilas @ Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Lakshmi Vilas is an Indian restaurant in Lebuh Ampang serving only vegetarian food and has been around for more than 40 years now. It has been many years since I last dined here, probably sometime in 1989 when it was still managed by the previous management. Ever since the management changed, I have not visited this restaurant. A friend of mine recommended me to try them out as he finds the food there to be quite good. Taking his recommendation, I visited them this afternoon.

Lakshmi Vilas in Lebuh Ampang

Entrance to the Restaurant

Full House on the Ground Floor

The place has not changed a bit since my last visit. Even though it was not a Friday when most Hindus observe vegetarianism, the place was still crowded at 12.30 noon. Coincidentally when I arrived, Dato Seri Samy Velu too arrived at this restaurant for his lunch. I have heard before that he is a loyal customer at this restaurant. The manager, seeing that there were no more places on the ground floor, suggested me to go upstairs. 

Air Cond Space Upstairs

Upstairs Dining Hall

Upstairs Dining Hall

The upstairs dining hall is only open from 11.30 to 2.30 pm from Mondays to Fridays. This place is air conditioned but don't expect much as it is a typical Indian restaurant, not a fine dining restaurant. Even upstairs was full and I had to wait for my turn to get a seat. Even my table was shared with another three customers. But not to worry as these waiters are very quick and efficient. They had already taken my orders while I was waiting for a table. Honestly there is nothing much of an order here as it is a vegetarian restaurant and at this hour, all you get is Banana Leaf Meal. The only thing that differs is your choice of rice, be it par boil rice or the standard rice.

Basic Banana Leaf Meals @ RM 6.00

At RM 6.00 this comes with four vegetables, one chutney, papadam, pickles and a variety of vegetarian curries. Sorry as I took the photo before the fourth vegetable was served, nevertheless have a photo of it below.

This vegetable was fantastic. I must admit that it was a perfect preparation and I would rate this at 9.5/10 .

The Carrots were once again perfectly cooked in a sweet and spicy broth and it was delicious. I would rate this at 9/10 .

This mashed potato gravy was simply awesome. A perfect preparation that deserves a rating of nothing less than 10/10 .

The grated coconut and ginger chutney was again a wonderful preparation. First time that I am trying this with rice and it was delicious. I would rate this at 9.3/10 .

Spicy fried potato's were another wonderful dish. Soft and delicious, it deserves a perfect 10/10 . All the vegetables here are limitless and you can go on requesting for more as you finish them.

Sambar

First, I tried their rice with Sambar. My God, the Sambar was simply superb. I thought of asking them to give me some in a glass for me to drink. It was just that good. Highly recommended. I would rate it at 9.5/10 .

Venthaya Kuzhambu

The Venthaya Kuzhambu was another fantastic gravy here. Perfect preparation without the usual bitterness. I would rate this at 9.5/10 . After this, I also tried their Thayir (Curd) as that is also provided complimentary as part of the set. Sorry I forgot to take a photo of that. Their Curd was thick and pure and deserves a rating of 9.7/10 .

Paruppu Rasam

The above Paruppu Rasam was again part of the set. You could have it with rice or request for it to be served in a tumbler like this. The rasam once again was heavenly. I would rate this at 9.8/10 . 

Madras Coffee @ RM 2.50

After a sumptuous Banana Leaf meal, it is never complete without the Madras Coffee. Their coffee here was priced at RM 2.50 per glass and it was very good. Perfecto! I would rate their coffee at 10/10 .

Their Prices

Indian Sweets

I wonder how I had missed this restaurant in all these years. The food was just RM 6 per set and it was absolutely worth it. The food was extremely good, the service excellent and the prices are very reasonable. Besides their meals, I have also heard that their Indian Sweets are quite good. I am not a fan of this and therefore did not try them. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of these sweets, it may be worth a try. If you happen to be in this area or if you are in the mood for some vegetarian Banana Leaf meals, then I would highly recommend this restaurant. I would not mind travelling the distance to treat myself to such great food. Keep up the fantastic work guys !

Address: No. 57, Lebuh Ampang, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Telephone: +603 2072 2166

Opening Hours: 0630 - 2200 Daily