Lai Po Heen at Mandarin Oriental Welcomes Chef Thomas Fong from Doha
April 24th, 2024
For evidence that Curry Leaf has captured the imagination of dramatically diverse demographics, simply walk into this Damansara Uptown restaurant on a Friday night – you’ll find families enjoying a biryani dinner, friends of all ages, genders & races sharing platters of tandoori meat, plus couples & solo patrons snapping cellphone photos of their banana leaf rice meals.
The reason for the customer enthusiasm becomes clear once a server stops by & starts doling out the pickles, chillies & veggies like eggplant, okra, pumpkin & cabbage for your banana leaf rice (RM6-RM6.50; choose from white rice or biryani). Curry Leaf’s founders know their stuff, having done this for nearly two decades – their original outlet has operated in Seremban since the 1980s, & their first Klang Valley branch remains run by the same family, serving the recipes they’ve long mastered.
If you’re ordering a la carte dishes, the selection is staggering enough to satisfy a starving battalion, from a luscious claypot fish head curry (starting at RM35 onwards) to creamy-savoury sambal petai prawns (RM13) to sumptuously hearty, protein-powered platters of tandoori chicken (RM19.90) & fried fare of prawns, squid & Chicken 65 (RM28).
We’re fans of Curry Leaf’s striking rendition of Kashmiri naan, crowned with fresh mango & dried fruits (RM6.50). You’ll want lots of bread & rice – naan stuffed with potato masala (RM5) or mutton varuval biryani (RM9) maybe – to partner the likes of chicken tikka masala (RM11), kurma & other gravy-soaked specialities from the 250-item (!) menu. Flavours here feel well-balanced, with fulfilling textures. Wash down with orange, banana or pineapple lassi. Many thanks to Curry Leaf for hosting us.
Curry Leaf
75, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama
Tel: +603-7726-5880
Open daily, 7am-10pm