Delectable banana leaf fare

CHEENI'S Banana Leaf is husband-and-wife team Jasleen Sasha Abdullah and Jasmin Omar Jayaseelan’s first venture into the food and beverage industry.
The idea to start their own eatery at the ground floor of Dorchester Apartments, Plaza Damas in Sri Hartamas, is perhaps due to the fact that both their mothers run their own food business.
Despite opening in an area with many existing eateries, the restaurant fills a void, as it is the sole banana leaf restaurant in the near vicinity.
With opening hours from 8am to 10pm daily, Cheeni’s clientele ranges from university students to office workers, and residents in the nearby apartments and housing area.
Cheeni’s is best known for its South Indian specials prepared by chefs brought in from India and also its own spice blends, although it also serves Peranakan and Chinese style dishes for group booking, catering and delivery services.
Jasleen said: “The dishes are prepared home-cooking style and are MSG-free. All the seafood we use is sourced and brought in directly from villages in Bagan Datuk while 70% of the vegetables we use are grown on our own farm in Lanchang, Pahang.”
Cheeni’s also serves breakfast sets with items such as kaya toast, half-boiled eggs, sausage, omelette and nasi lemak, served with either coffee or tea.
The banana leaf lunch comes in a set of three vegetables and a fried vegetable (like butter gourd), or a set of four vegetables with a fried vegetable, priced at RM7.50 and RM8.50 respectively. Adding on meat or seafood will incur extra costs.
On top of white rice, Cheeni’s also serve tomato rice (on Sundays), briyani (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), as well as lemon rice, mint rice and ghee rice.
Cheeni’s is also slowly becoming known for its mutton and chicken dishes, as well as daily specials such as the succulent ayam masak merah.
During a recent food-tasting session, we were served a sugar cane juice (pressed from sugar cane grown on the farm and frozen), and mango lassi which is made from homemade yogurt. Both were refreshing and real thirst quenchers. Homemade vanilla yogurt is also sold at the restaurant.
Next was the banana leaf special that comes with some meaty sides and okra, snake gourd, french beans (with carrots) and fried bitter gourd, vegetable curry, lime pickles, papadum and mor milagai (sun-dried chillies).
On its own, it is a great vegetarian set, but then came the chicken varuval, a spicy dry curry succulent dish with the right amount of heat.
The mutton 65 (deep-fried marinated mutton) is something different, as this style of cooking is usually reserved for chicken.
We also tried the ikan bulus which was served with some lime and also topped with fried shallots.
The clean taste of the fish was enhanced with the spice rub, enhancing its delicious flavour.
Overall, the meal can be an eye-opener for first-time visitors.