KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Whenever a new place opens along Bangsar’s Jalan Telawi 5, all eyes are on it since that street is so visible with McDonalds and Nasi Kandar Pelita at both ends of the row.  

When the signage came up for Sri Eurasian Cuisine, I was curious since Eurasian food is rather rare in the restaurant scene. 

Don’t be surprised to see Western items like Pot Roast Beef (available for pre-order), Fish & Chips and Shepherd’s Pie on the menu too as the Eurasian community is heavily influenced by Western food culture. 

The egg tarts labelled as Pastel de Nata (RM5) quietly sit behind their counter, unknown to many as seen by Google reviews that highlight their savoury items only. 

Order them for dessert to savour their flaky layers and silky egg custard. 

They also come with all kinds of toppings like Oreo, Biscoff and Nutella, but the classic is already good enough for purists with a Malaysian palate since it’s not too sweet. 

The restaurant is not just a one-hit wonder here as the savoury items also hold their own.

In general, the food veers away from burn-your-tongue spiciness, making it more suited to the general public’s tolerance for heat in their food. 

Most of the Eurasian dishes served here are sharing portions but their brunch menu for weekdays from 11am to 2.30pm lets you sample smaller portions with their Basmati Blue Pea Rice served nasi lemak style with crunchy ikan bilis, toasted peanuts, sambal, cucumber and a hard boiled egg. 

Select from Lamb Vindaloo, Debal Curry Chicken, Ikan Bakar Portuguese Stingray or Frango Frio á Casa or their House Style Fried Chicken for your nasi lemak meal. 

Basmati Blue Pea Rice with Ikan Bakar Portuguese Stingray (RM32) was my pick, where the grilled stingray is slathered with a not too spicy sauce that works well with the rice.  

Their version of Prawn Bostador (RM45) may not live up to its intense name (bostador in Kristang means slap) but the thick curry has a tangy-sweet profile from the use of pineapples.

It’s the curry rather than the prawns that win the game here as one cannot stop eating it with rice. 

While most of the prawns were well cooked, some were a tad past their prime. 

Debal Curry Chicken (RM28) is of course the most famous curry associated with the Eurasians, often reserved for special meals like Christmas. 

The thick curry draws its heady flavours from black pepper, onions, mustard seeds and ground chillies, with an underlying tanginess from the use of vinegar

This version had a prominent ginger flavour, probably from thin strips of ginger found inside the curry. 

It is served with chicken pieces and potatoes, while there’s a choice for enjoying it with a chicken roulade or even as a chicken chop glazed with the debal transformed into a sauce. 

The flavours were muted when I ate the dish at the restaurant but it shone after I kept the leftovers for one day. 

Perhaps it was a freshly cooked batch but this was rectified by leaving it for a day in the refrigerator, allowing the flavours to develop. 

The all-day restaurant also offers a High Tea Set with their pastries, sugee cake and even putugal or steamed rice cake crowned with shredded coconut.

Restoran Sri Eurasian Cuisine

Open: 11am to 10pm (Wednesday to Monday), 10am to 10pm (Saturday and Sunday). Closed on Tuesday. 

Tel:012-2379191

Instagram: @srieurasiancuisine

Facebook: @Srieurasiancuisine

*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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