KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — In a sea of Indian restaurants in Brickfields, occasionally there’ll be a place serving Sri Lankan food like the newly-opened Lankan Spices.
It’s just a hop and skip away from Menara Kembar Bank Rakyat, inside a condominium.
I wouldn’t have found it if I was just a passer-by but I had discovered them on the digital world, through a random advertisement when they used to run a home-based catering service in Bangsar.
Now, they have opened their own brick-and-mortar place, catering to hungry souls searching for a taste of Sri Lankan street food and curries.
The all-day eatery offers a wide menu covering morning bites, lunch spread and when night falls, dishes cooked upon order.
Lunch is the easiest to sample a variety of their cooked dishes and curries representing Sri Lanka and sometimes India too, laid out in claypots.
The proteins and vegetables rotate daily to give variety but mainstays include rasam, dhal and fried fish, paired with ponni rice, softer grains believed to give healthier benefits.
Chicken Chettinad (left) has spicy tones while the Chicken Chukka (right) has bold flavours tempered with onions. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
What I like about their food is their curries tend to be drier and they’re packed with spices, leaving your tummy happily humming after a meal here
As they are just starting out, it’s not a large spread of food at this moment but once word gets out, I am sure they will scale up their offerings.
Like any new place, it’s fun to discover dishes unknown to us like the Sri Lankan dry curry known as Devilled Chicken, an almost doppelganger of the Chinese sweet and sour dishes we usually enjoy at our local dai chow.
You get the sweetness from the tomato sauce but rather than sourness, here it’s a hint of spiciness as the pieces of chicken are marinated with curry powder and there’s onions and green chillies too.
Creamy Dhal (left) is best with rice and Mutton Korma (right) uses tender meat cooked in a creamy curry. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Chicken Chukka is a bold dry curry with lots of sliced onions tempering it with sweetness while the Chicken Chettinad was spicy with peppery undertones.
Chicken Biryani impresses with its moist grains and chicken, lightly infused with spices. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Distinct to Sri Lanka, the Black Mutton Curry with black pepper and tender mutton cut into cubes and their rich, creamy dhal with vegetables are the ideal sidekicks for the fluffy ponni rice.
Other vegetables on the table include spinach with grated coconut and the creamy brinjal dotted with mild green chillies.
Chicken Biryani (RM15) served during the weekends, uses long grain rice, infused with a mild flavour and a surprise of soft cooked vegetables mingling with the grains,
It comes with a piece of chicken sans skin for a healthier bite, where the meat tears off the bone easily.
What impresses is the grains and meat aren’t dry but moist, making it easier to eat together with a whole hard boiled egg and yoghurt chutney on the side.
Two types of street food items like Fish Rotii and Chicken Rotii (left) can be enjoyed here where it’s filled with a curried potatoes and chicken or fish filling (right) . — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
So far, they have not started their Lamprais, but that will be a weekend special once it’s launched.
For tea time, there’s Chicken Rotti or Fish Rotii (RM4 per piece), popular street food items found in Sri Lanka.
The snacks are essentially flatbreads rolled up with a filling and at Lankan Spices, it’s a tasty mix of curried potatoes with either shredded fish or chicken.
Try the Cheese Chicken Kothu (RM18), a fast food item in Sri Lankan circles, where flatbread is cut and stir fried with a variety of ingredients like chicken, cheese and spices.
It’s a great way to eat as it’s a myriad of different textures and flavours, where the cheese gives a gooey pull effect that always puts a happy smile on my face.
Chicken Fried Rice was fluffy and dotted with shredded fried chicken meat and paired with a killer amazing chilli. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Apparently in Sri Lanka, fried rice is super popular as seen on the menu here, represented in a few varieties with egg, chicken, sausage and even a veg chopsuey.
Chilli fiends may want to try out their spicy version which is said to be crazy spicy.
We were recommended the Sri Lankan Chicken Fried Rice (RM12) that turned out to be a pretty good rendition with fluffy rice and shredded fried chicken.
While it lacks wok hei, what made it a dish I couldn’t stop eating was the chilli served with it.
That chilli resembled the crisp chilli sambal served with spicy pan mee, except this version had a slight sweet taste mingling with its fiery heat.
Cheese Chicken Kottu (left) is the best kind of food with various textures and flavours while Sweet Appam (right) needs some work as can be seen by those burnt edges. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
From 5pm onwards, they serve appams, a choice of plain, coconut milk, egg and sweet.
The Sweet Appam (RM3.50) has a lovely thin lace-like side – soft centre with jaggery – but it’s a little burnt on the edges.
Those burnt bits may not be everyone’s cup of tea so hopefully, improvements can be made to perfect this.
For a touch of Sri Lanka, try the Samahan (RM2.50), a warming herbal tea concocted with a multitude of herbs and spices, which helps digestion and soothes the palate with all the spicy flavours.
Even their Signature Lime Juice (RM5) is different, where it uses a whole lime, juice and segments to give it more oomph than your typical air limau. A choice of salty or sweet is also available too.
Limited parking is available inside the condominium compound, once you register your vehicle.
Or just order via Foodpanda, if you’re feeling lazy to emerge from the comfy cocoon of your home.
Dining in is pleasant with the vast space (left) and you can find the restaurant (right) at the ground floor of Sri Impian Condominium. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Lankan Spices,
Sri Impian Condominium,
38, Jalan Ang Seng, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
Open: 7am to 10.30pm (Monday to Friday), 8.30am to 10.30pm (Saturday and Sunday).
Tel:011-12061306.
Instagram: @lankan_spices
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
