EATING banana leaf rice at least once a week satisfies our cravings for good, spicy and savoury indian food.
There are many restaurants that serve banana leaf rice in the Klang Valley. One of them is Joe’s Upstairs restaurant and bar, located in SS2/24, Petaling Jaya.
The outlet serves some mouthwatering sets of banana leaf rice with various types of indian cuisine freshly cooked by the restaurant’s owner himself, chef Velavan Thangavelu.
To start off the meal, the chef offers his famous rasam served in a small metal cup at RM3 each to help diners digest their food.
The soup contains tons of herbs and spices, and what’s special about Joe’s rasam is that it contains crab meat, which enhances the flavour of the soup.
Joe’s basic banana leaf rice set usually includes high quality Indian rice, three sets of vegetables, a mint chutney, onion sambal and also papadam, all for only RM8.
According to the chef, the vegetable menu is rotated daily to offer more variety to diners.
The restaurant is also known for its signature spicy and savoury mutton varuval (RM12 per plate), which the chef says is made from the shoulder meat that has less fat and bone.
Another signature item is the fried squid and prawns that come with crispy fried onions, priced at RM26 per serving.
Joe’s Upstairs also serves five types of briyani – chicken, mutton, prawn, squid and fish – on weekends.
Nasi lemak is also served from 6pm till 11pm, as well as bar snacks such as fries, sandwiches, spring rolls, and samosa.
For more, visit Joe’s Upstairs Facebook page.
