Brickfields is famous for its curry houses. Basically, southern indian food. In Kuala Lumpur, one mention of Banana Leaf Rice will leave one imagining the sumptuous spread of food served on a banana leaf. No plates used. As for utensils, you shall have to use your paws for best effect. Somehow, using a fork and spoon does not taste as nice.

Here in Restoran New Lay Sin, there is one stall selling good Banana Leaf Rice. The stall belongs to Murthi. His stall is located next to Peter's Pork Mee. If you see the top left hand side of his stall, you will find a review done on his stall by the Star Newspaper. I am not the first to review his food. It is good!


This stall was originally opened by a guy called Mathai. It is well-known for its fried fish [black pomfret (bawal hitam) or mackerel (tenggiri)]. Murthi took over and has been successfully maintaining the quality of the food. The fish is marinated in a secret recipe of herbs and spices and tastes absolutely "out of this world"!


Apart from fried fish, you can have Curry Fish Head (Tenggiri), dried chicken curry, mutton rendang, fried chicken or fried fish roe as the main dish. There are other types of main dishes but being an amateur food reviewer, I did not take notes. The rice is accompanied by an array of vegetables eg. long beans, pumpkin, bean sprouts, gourds (don't know the name), potatoes, cucumbers, etc. The type of vegetables available differs from day to day.



When you first order the rice, expect to be served like a king. A banana leaf will be laid on the table and the stall assistant will bring a three-in-one container (I should have taken a photograph of that!) which contains the vegetables. The three types of vegetables of the day will be scooped and placed on your banana leaf.


Next, comes the rice. If you are feeling famished or intend to have a great workout later that part of the day, banana leaf rice is the way to go! The stall assistant will heap scoops of white rice on your banana leaf. Remember to say "stop" when you have enough. Otherwise, you'll end up having Mont Blanc in front of you.

Then, just order your main dish and voila! It will also be placed on your banana leaf. Add a couple of pieces of papadums and top it off with a pour of your favourite curry over the rice. I had a piece of fried tenggiri cutlet today as my main dish. Side vegetables are long beans, cucumbers and some type of gourd.

Price for today's lunch? RM7.00. That's less than USD$2.00. Well worth the money and the experience!