KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — A stop away from the bustling hub of KL Sentral, the Tun Sambanthan Monorail station is quiet and generally overlooked. I walked out of the station one afternoon and did my usual 500m walk; ready to devour anything in sight.
When it comes to food, Restoran Yarl’s humble beginnings from a roadside shack to the current bricks and mortar outlet are testament to its food. Cooked with no MSG, the curries and vegetables are delicious but it is its sweet apam that got me hooked.
For simple, authentic Indian food, I recommend Lawanya Food Corner. The small stall is clean and the food served is so authentic that one can easily imagine oneself at a friend’s house.
Lawanya’s food is served on a plate so if you really must have your Indian rice and curries on a banana leaf, head to Vishal Food & Catering or any of the Chettinad restaurants listed below. Vishal, however, remains a firm favourite for many.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, consider Gandhi’s Vegetarian Restaurant. The diverse menu here extends to tom yam, a large array of vegetarian mock meats cooked in many ways plus yong tau foo, chicken chop and even assam claypot fish. Regular Indian breads like chappati and paratha are prepared to order.
Colourful Indian sweets have always fascinated me. Raju has been manning his stall for the past 12 years and if you need a lesson in Indian desserts, you will find a chat with him enlightening.
One of my best discoveries here was also Zul’s nasi kerabu and nasi kukus. Each rice portion for the nasi kukus is steamed individually, as it should be.
* For more gastronomic adventures — keep up with Rebecca on www.RebeccaSaw.com and instagram.com/wackybecky.
Getting there:
1. Ayanar Curry House,
2. Restoran Vishal Food & Catering,
3. Restoran Visalatchi’s,
4. Sri Rajavel Chettinad, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk along Jalan Tebing. You will see Komplex MAB (Malaysian Association for the Blind) opposite you. Go straight for about 300m and you will see a temple on your right. Turn left into Jalan Scott. Walk straight and you will see a row of shops and another temple on your right. The four Chettinad restaurants are located in the same row of shops.
5. Lawanya Food Corner, 1077/8 Lorong Scott, 54700, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk on Jalan Tebing. You will see Komplex MAB opposite you. Walk for about 300m and you will see a temple on your right. Turn left into Jalan Scott and continue walking until you see a row of shops and another temple on your right. Keep going straight until you see Hotel Classic Inn. Turn left into Lorong Scott and you will see Lawanya Food Corner.
6. Restoran Yarl, 50, Jalan Padang Belia, 54700 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4. You will see Komplex MAB opposite you and Methodist College on your left. Continue walking for 200m until you reach YMCA. Jalan Padang Belia is behind the building. Turn onto this road and walk straight for 50m. Restoran Yarl is on your right.
7. Gandhi’s Vegetarian Restaurant, Scott Sentral Serviced Apartments, Jalan Scott, 54700 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk along Jalan Tebing. Komplex MAB will be on your left. Go straight for about 300m and you will see a temple on your right. Turn left onto Jalan Scott and continue walking until you see Gandhi’s at the right corner.
8. Patiala Punjabi Sweets, Jalan Scott, 54700 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk along Jalan Tebing. Komplex MBA will be on your left. Walk straight for about 300m and you will see a temple on your right. Turn left into Jalan Scott and continue walking until you see a row of temples on your right. Patiala Punjabi Sweets is a stall in front of a temple.
9. Zul Nasi Kukus, Jalan Padang Belia, 54700 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. From the station: Once you exit the fare gates, turn left immediately and walk along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4. You will see Komplex MAB opposite you and Methodist College on your left. Keep straight for 200m until you reach the YMCA building. Jalan Padang Belia is behind the building. Turn onto this road and walk straight for 50m. Zul Nasi Kukus is on your right.
Fast facts on Jalan Tun Sambanthan (Brickfields)
The Tun Sambanthan monorail station, located at the south side of Jalan Tun Sambanthan on the banks of the Klang river, is named after the late Tun V.T. Sambanthan, an illustrious politician that held several ministerial positions including health minister, labour minister and national unity minister between 1955 and 1974. More importantly, he was one of the country’s founding fathers alongside Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
Brickfields is home to a number of noteworthy landmarks, one of which is Kuala Lumpur’s Little India. Brickfields received a major facelift with the construction of a lavish fountain, elephant statues, a grand archway, colourful pavements and fancy streetlights in October 2010. To commemorate the launch of the “new” Little India, then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh was invited to take part in the ceremony alongside his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), located just a few metres away from the station, was set up in 1951 by Major D.R. Bridges, an ex-officer in the Welfare Services Department of (then) Malaya. MAB’s role is to look after the welfare of the blind in the country. Among other things, MAB provides skills training and job opportunities for the visually-impaired, one of which is a training course in massage and reflexology.
Because of its proximity to MAB, you’ll find a number of healing centres in the area, particularly along Jalan Thambypillai, which includes therapeutic massage by the visually-impaired.
The eye-catching Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, a Hindu temple which is more than a century old, is located about a 15-minute walk from the station along Jalan Scott. The imposing temple is interesting because of its architecture as well as its ornate and colourful sculptures. The prominent Sri Lankan Tamil temple is a popular tourist destination. It has been said that the temple’s building design was modelled after the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
Another building of yore in the area is the Vivekananda Ashrama, an institution created by Jaffna (Sri Lankan) Tamil immigrants in 1904 as a tribute to Swami Vivekananda. Built in 1908, it pays homage to his contribution to giving education and spiritual development to youths and the community. There’s a bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda on the building grounds.
Also in the vicinity of the station is the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building, which came into being in 1914. The building housing the leading Christian youth and community organisation is a popular lodging option among backpackers and travelling youths because of its reasonable rates (starting at RM88 per night for a single room), and safe and clean amenities.
