Salameander.com

Han's mom and her older sister took all the kids out for lunch today, so we took the train into the city to have Chettinad banana leaf rice.

I felt like a tourist. My little clutch bumping on my waist while we walked through swathes of foreign workers once we arrived at Masjid Jamek station and walked out onto the street. Seeing other tourists gathering at a meeting point, excitedly sharing their travel plans in KL. And me taking a snap of one of the many old shoplots fronting the alleys:

(New phone with a new camera! I'm very grateful for the gift.)

As usual, I was so absorbed in the details of my surroundings (the few stalls that were open along an even narrower alley hawking flower garlands, a young couple squatting along a five-foot-way with a smiling fortune teller...) that I didn't know which roads we took to arrive at Betel Leaf, just a few minutes' walk away from the LRT station.

It was simple fare, but still a veritable feast. Each of those little bowls contained dishes that had very distinct tastes. See that picture on the top right hand corner? It was the most logic-defying dish I've tried recently--wonderfully flavourful cauliflower. I'd go back to the restaurant just for that again! The mutton curry was pretty good, and the palak paneer was subtle but rich, and very generous with the goat's cheese.

Our bill came out to about RM79, including our drinks. I think it was a reasonable price to pay for such hearty fare. We rolled out of the establishment to get back on the train.

After a short break, we hopped in the car back in PJ to try out Softsrve in Damansara Uptown.

Simple menu (just 3 main flavours, with some variations as sundaes), simple interior, good soft serve ice cream that isn't too sweet. We'll definitely be visiting this place again with the kids in tow.