Idli Only Cafe at Maarof, Bangsar: Snapshot

A restaurant dedicated to idli – the savoury South Indian rice-&-lentil cake – in its many variations: Idli Only Cafe goes beyond steamed idli & rava idli to also serve Butter Podi Idli (RM8 for three pieces; butter-fried & spiced for a crisp, flavoursome batter that conceals a densely textured interior), Manchurian Idli (RM8; idli turned into dumplings, prepared in a mildly sweet-sour gravy with onions & capsicums) & Idli Upma (RM8; crumbled idli, looking a bit like scrambled eggs but supplying a firmer, starchy chew). Each serving is cooked fresh to order, with a 10-minute wait. The idli is accompanied by ‘sambar’ vegetarian soup & chutney – the restaurant proclaims on its signboard that it serves 30 kinds of chutney, but in reality, only two different types are offered each day, which might include tomato chilli chutney, coriander chutney, onion mint chutney, coconut chutney, pesto peanut chutney or roasted brinjal chutney. All in all, these make for pretty tasty snacks – Idli Only Cafe appears to be a spin-off of Bangsar’s long-entrenched Indian Kitchen, so these folks know what they’re doing. Uttapam & thosai, & small, steaming-hot servings of Bru coffee (RM2) & panankalkandu paal (RM3; milk with palm sugar & spices), are also available.