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Dinesh Nair with his mom who's the chief cook at KariGuys |
Once upon a time back in 1951, Damodaran
Nair began plying his Indian food from a push-cart at Pintu Padang in Raub,
Pahang. The former cook for British settlers soon made good on his food
business, expanding it to a wooden restaurant in Sempalit – Raub’s largest
village.
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Do the sambal...with prawns |
To please his largely Chinese clientele,
the savvy Domadaran tweaked his curry recipes, toning down the heat to suit
their palate. The rest, as they say, is culinary history.
Today, Damodaran’s
famed repertoire of dishes are capably replicated by his daughter-in-law at
KariGuys, a modest Indian restaurant tucked away in a corner of the Bangsar suburb.
Owned and run by brothers Dinesh and Ramesh Nair, they are now the proud custodians
of their grandfather’s precious recipes. Walk in and you'd find Chinese-style marble and wood-topped tables, chairs and stools set against an exposed brick wall and further in, a chalkboard feature wall.
I’m a big fan of Indian
rojak and the Rojak (RM7.50) at KariGuys is surprisingly up to scratch. One can
easily down double servings of it in one sitting thanks to the irresistible
combination of shredded yambean, beancurd puffs, fritters and hardboiled egg doused
in that scrumptiously smooth, rich and well-spiced Sempalit peanut sauce.
That aptly paved the
way for the restaurant’s signature dish of Kari Ayam Sempalit (RM6.50 per pc).
The large chunks of chicken is lean and juicy while the mildly creamy but flavourful
curry gravy sets the tastebuds tingling; drawing its robust nuances from dried chilli, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and curry leaves, enriched with coconut milk.
Likewise, the Sempalit
Fried Chicken (RM6.50 per pc) is ‘to-die-for’. Marinated in a special house
blend of eight spices for 12 hours, we can’t get enough of the super-crisp skin (look Ma, no
floury batter!) and moist, tender meat.
Nasi lemak fans should
try the sublime Nasi Lemak (RM9.50) here which comes with a choice of chicken
curry or fried chicken.
If you prefer white
rice, the Sempalit Mutton Peratal (RM8.50) and Prawn Sambal (RM8.50) are great
accompaniments to spice up your meal. The former uses a signature blend of 11 different
spices to cook that piquant dish while roasted and pounded dried chilli lends the
latter its toasty chilli accent.
Those who have friends
in tow will do well to sample the Fish Head Curry (RM65 – red snapper, RM75
salmon). Bentong’s famous taufu pok (beancurd puffs), ladies fingers, tomato
and brinjal wedges lend extra substance to this mildly hot offering.
Diners can complete
their meal with vegetable dishes (RM6 per portion) available. Take your pick
from spiced brinjal, stir-fried cabbage or French beans with carrots or ladies
fingers.
While the Sempalit Curry
noodles (RM8) doesn’t float my boat, it’s a viable option for those who eschew
rice.
For dessert, try the
Sugee Cake – a luscious, buttery slice of sublime heaven to wrap up your meal
on a subtly sweet note.
Set lunch and dinner from
RM12.75 onwards per person comprising 1 main course and 2 vegetable dishes with
rice are also served daily. The restaurant also offers catering services.
Check out KARI GUYS at 24, Lorong Ara Kiri 2, Lucky Garden, Bangsar,
Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2201 9388; 017-812 6595 from 11.45am-8.30pm daily.