Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly, Brickfields

A pillar of Brickfields' culinary community for three years now, Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly keeps the romance burning for meat-free Indian favourites. Thousands of patrons have fallen head over heels for the restaurant's imaginatively extensive menu, plus weekday lunch buffets at wallet-pleasing prices - it's no surprise to see customers of different cultures and backgrounds mingling here over midday meals.

This is cooking with heart - nothing is wasted, since the kitchen also provides complimentary sustenance to people who require it (a sign outside reads 'Free food for the needy, not the greedy'), often sending nourishment to neighbours as well. So while South Asian eateries are abundant in this area, Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly stands out as a love letter to the lushness of Indian fare, a match made in paradise for fans of this gastronomic genre.

Note that some of these food photos are for illustrative purposes, as this visit was in March 2020.

Start with snacks to whet the appetite - crave-worthy chaats (savoury treats) like bhelpuri (spicy puffed rice, fluffy-crispy to the bite, enriched with onions and tomatoes, enlivened with pomegranates and sour mangoes, with tangy chutneys on the side).

Classic staples are accounted for - pani puri (a DIY experience here - crack the hollow puri to fill it with the chickpea mix), plus an array of samosa and kachori (the latter stuffed with yellow lentils soaked and parboiled for creaminess, laced with fennel seeds, coconut and coriander, with pronounced masala spice notes).

Indecisive folks, beware: The selection is head-spinningly wide and long. 

Even Indian-inflected sliders and sandwiches hit the spot here - vada pav might be nicknamed 'the poor man's burger,' but there's nothing impoverished about its rich taste and textures, courtesy of the plump potato dumpling at its core between house-baked bread. 

The aloo tikki burger is also alluring, with a garlicky, masala-spiced potato cutlet as its patty, while the the cheese-layered aloo chutney grilled sandwich rounds out this carb-loving triumvirate of potato-with-bread pleasures.

If you've rustled up the entire gang for a feast at MNMI, rest assured you're in for a belly-busting epic eat-out. Order your fill of sesame-studded kulcha and garlic naan, roti and paratha, available in assorted flavours, to accompany an assortment of curries, dals and kormas.

Lip-smacking enough that you won't even miss the meat, from ladies finger-loving bhindi masala to eggplant-ecstatic bhaingan bharta and cashew-creamy, spinach-with-fenugreek methi masala. Other possibilities include the paneer butter masala (with house-made cheese, the vegetarian's alternative to chicken tikka masala) and never-boring dal (tadka or makhani? order both!).

The kitchen is also capable of whipping up a monumental tandoori platter - without an ounce of chicken or lamb, but comprising wholly vegetarian-friendly ingredients, assembled in interesting ways. If you relish mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots and much, much more - the harvest of the earth in its full, flowering bounty, taking pride of place to bask in the limelight - this plate will put a spring in your step and bring the fragrant flavours of summertime to your palate.

Our meal soared to sizzling heights with mounds of rice that surface steaming at the table - have these grains in all their glory, butter-cooked with vegetables in a sultry sauce that's simmering with fresh, juicy tomatoes, or fried with a side of noodles in an Indo-chinese serving, jazzed up with sweet-sour Manchurian vegetable balls.

Remember when we said MNMI boasts a long menu? If size matters to you, take on the challenge of the four-foot dosa, a paper-thin, two-arms-length delight, served warm from the hardworking kitchen, completed with a potato filling and plenty of sambar and chutneys.

Of course, with Idly in the eatery's name, the idli rice cakes are also a scrumptious should-order, tinged with pure ghee for easier digestion, made flavourful with bowls of sambar lentil stew, coconut chutney and tomato onion chutney. If you prefer a fluffier, doughier delicacy, order the bhatura, fried bread rounded out with white chickpea chana masala.

MNMI's menu takes inspiration from multiple corners of India, from North to South, bringing together beloved classics that generations have grown up on. The khichdi is the subcontinent's ultimate comfort food, considered one of the first solid foods that babies consume - a congee-like concoction of rice and lentils, gently spiced, partnered with yogurt-based kadhi chickpea flour gravy. Also soulful is the vada, dunked with vegetables in a light, mellow stew.

Surprise! Even pizzas make a special appearance at MNMI, though not quite in the quintessential Italian fashion. We particularly like the larger one, featuring a crunchy dosa base, a light-crusted novelty that's prepared on a massive tava griddle, showered with grated cheese and chopped vegetables. If you like creative fusion inventions, bookmark this one-of-a-kind Indian-Italian pizza.

You'll also discover a handful of Indo-Chinese dishes here, the initial creation of Chinese restaurants that opened in India in recent decades. The Manchurian vegetable balls are popular, laden with carrots, cauliflower, cabbage and spring onions; of course, fried noodles are also a staple, while the Dragon mixed veggies will suit fans of battered munching.

If you live or work around Brickfields, make a beeline for MNMI's weekday lunch buffet - every Monday through Friday, 1130am-3pm (except public holidays), you'll find an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of smashing vegetarian specialities to soothe the spirit. Wholesome and freshly cooked home-style stuff, free of MSG, preservatives, artificial flavouring and colours.

At RM15 per person, this is sumptuous value, popular with the nearby office crowd. The selection changes daily, showcasing at least a starter, salad, two curries, two vegetables, one lentil dish, rice, chapati, chutney, dal, pappadum and rasam. Build your own lunch platter with tasty temptations that might span jeera aloo to palak corn, black chana to onion curry. Fridays are particularly notable, since you'll find additional sweets to celebrate the end of the workweek, as well as special vegetarian dishes like gatta sabji (dumplings in yogurt sauce) and kheer (flavoured pudding).

Speaking of sweets, save space for these - MNMI's sugary confections and bonbons could be irresistible, with everything from chocolate bharfi to dates-laden bharfi (a vegan treat with no added sugar, sweetened simply by the dates), kesar milk-based bharfi to the festival favourite of saffron-rich boondi ladoo, milky globules of motichoor ladoo to pancakes of malpua stuffed with thickened curdled milk, cardamom-scented malai peda to creamy malai mini-sandwiches, the Bengali sweet of chum chum that's similar to syrupy rasgulla dumplings, cashew-nutty kaju katli, and much, much more. You could make a meal purely out of desserts here if desired.

A meal at MNMI won't be punishingly fiery, but the spices will still linger - cool down with a chilled conclusion of saffron ice cream scattered with pistachio slices, paired perhaps with almond or carrot halwa. Don't skip the ras malai, India's closest equivalent to cheesecake, featuring curd balls soaked in clotted cream and cooked with milk.

Beverages are also reviving, in varieties like mint with coriander or dates with tamarind. But if you want a cross between dessert and drinks, falooda is the ultimate quencher, layered with rose syrup, vermicelli, sweet basil seeds and ice cream.

Many thanks to Mr. Naan & Mrs. Idly for a lunch that could be legendary.

Mr. Naan & Mrs Idly

190, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 019-261-7070

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Havana Dining, NU Sentral

Havana Dining has serious Cuban credentials: This restaurant on the rooftop of NU Sentral launched on Nov. 16 this year, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Cuban capital's founding, in a ceremony officiated by the Cuban ambassador to Malaysia.

Its menu, however, takes equal inspiration from Mexico and other parts of South America, Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Start with the classic Cuban snack of mariquitas, green plantain chips served with salsa (RM45; for this price, these crisps could be crunchier and fresher).

Service is warm and eager to please, rolling out a braised oxtail fritter for a complimentary amuse-bouche. Some of Havana Dining's specialities were unavailable when we visited, including Cuban sandwiches, so we opted for citrus-marinated chicken fillet with pistachio-crusted chicken pate, roasted peppers, onion confit, avocado puree, and a textured roasted mushroom sauce - heaps of effort went into assembling this dish, though the portion might not quite suffice as a main course for RM88.

Cuban cigars are reconfigured into a meal of spring rolls packed with pulled beef and chilli jam - it's a fun, playful tidbit (RM38) that can be partnered with cocktails like the whiskey-based Havana Jack or the rum-loving Dirty Dream in Havana (RM35.90; if you're a table of adults, Havana's bartender can tell you the PG-13 stories behind these drinks' conception).

All in all, Cuban fare is so rare in our city (outside of, say, Changkat Bukit Bintang) that it's nice to welcome this restaurant to KL; but if only the kitchen here could lean in more strongly into its cuisine, we might indeed leave half of our heart in Havana.

Havana Dining Kuala Lumpur

Level 6, NU Sentral, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 019-278-8218

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

MTR 1924 Malaysia @ Brickfields

By Aiman Azri

When Vivek Tholasi was barely a teenager in Bangalore, his family's cherished weekend traditions included a visit to his aunt's home, followed by lunch at Mavalli Tiffin Room, better known as MTR. Decades later, Vivek still vividly recalls the snaking queues outside the restaurant, as patient crowds flocked for their fix of the finest dosas, idlys, chandrahara, pakodas and pongal.

The younger Vivek never suspected that he'd someday become linked to the MTR legacy, representing an Indian institution whose heritage stretches back nearly a century, when two brothers first opened a small eatery they called the Brahmin Coffee Club in 1924. In the 1950s, their younger sibling succeeded in modernising the business, turning it into MTR, after touring Europe to explore how restaurants there upheld hygiene and disciplinary standards.

MTR is now run by the third generation of the family that founded it, with nine locations in Bangalore. So far, they've ventured outside the southwestern Indian city only occasionally, each time with closely trusted collaborators, in Singapore, Dubai, and now, Kuala Lumpur, where Vivek and three of his fellow Bangaloreans (Dr Arvind, Praveen and Adarsh) have come together with Jayanthi from Malaysia to launch this country's first MTR 1924.

Given the near-legendary reputation of the brand, it's no surprise that MTR Malaysia hums with life even on a sleepy Friday morning, with a consistent tide of families, friends and curious backpackers. Building a bridge between Bangalore and Brickfields, this venue brings beautifully soulful vegetarian fare to one of KL's most historic neighbourhoods, promising Malaysians an uncompromisingly authentic taste of the culinary experience that has long enraptured countless MTR loyalists in Bangalore and beyond.

As Vivek enthusiastically pointed out to us when we visited, there are no shortcuts to the taste of tradition, illustrated by posters across MTR's wall that articulate its practices and philosophies. At the back of the restaurant, an open kitchen with griddles galore lays bare the meticulous work performed by the culinary brigade, whose every member either hails from Bangalore or was vigorously trained by MTR on its home turf - their tutelage can take up to eight years, nearly equalling the methodical perseverance of sushi chefs.

The result - epitomised by a flagship recipe like masala dosa - might seem deceptively basic, but much like Japanese fare, there's supreme sophistication in this simplicity. Core components of the cooking are imported from India, more regularly than necessary simply to ensure freshness. From the pulses to the ghee and the heady spices, if you weren't visiting MTR in Brickfields, you'd probably need a plane ticket to India's Karnataka state (or at least, to MTR Singapore) to experience these ingredients at their pinnacle and prime. Quality genuinely is paramount.

Back to the masala dosa (as well as the aforementioned ghee), it's a firm favourite for remarkable reasons - the triangle-shaped, golden-hued surface looks like pure perfection, and it tastes so too. Smoothly crisp to the bite, this pancake made of rice batter, black grams and other grains and cereals conceals a velvety stuffing of potatoes, a multi-dimensional pleasure even on its own.

But take the thimble of ghee - pure clarified butter, brought in from Bangalore for its peerless viscosity - and splash it over the pancake, and you'll be making a moreish marvel of even richer depth and nuance. The green chilli chutney and lentil sambar on the side help bring an invigorating sense of balance to the medley. For RM8.50, it's a treat to keep returning for.

More dosa? Sinful as that might sound, you probably should also sample the Pudi Dosa (RM10.50), originally conceived in MTR Singapore, a thicker, circular crepe for folks who relish a lusciously fluffy, flavoursome chew, blanketed in a turmeric-spiked spice mix, also married immaculately to ghee, chutney and sambar. With every dosa here freshly prepared in small batches throughout business hours (customers might need to wait up to 15 minutes at peak times), it's a dose of reliably delectable goodness each time.

All in all, there's no shortage of dosa varieties in MTR's arsenal (more than one for every day of the week), from benne dosa to onion rava dosa, each displaying distinctively different batters that take two to three hours to churn out, rounded out with the likes of unsalted white butter, chopped onions, cumin seeds and more. That painstaking mastery of batters is a prerequisite for MTR's cooks, partly explaining the extent of their skills, hitting it passionately out of the park for taste and texture.

The Rava Idly (RM7.50) has an intriguing background that belies its rustic appearance; it originated in MTR in the throes of World War II, when rice was rationed and food prices were strictly controlled. MTR's trail-blazers had the ingenuity to turn to semolina instead of rice to concoct these steamed savoury cakes, flavoured with masala seasoning, finished with yogurt, coriander, cashew nuts, curry leaves, and mustard seeds, with accompaniments that include potato curry-like sagu. Born creatively out of necessity, now widely imitated in India and elsewhere – the stories behind the food here are often compelling, capturing the breadth of an entire region’s cultural and culinary history. 

The MTR magic extends to the rest of its menu, spanning bajji to uttapam to the uddin vada (RM3.30 each) - fried urad dal (black gram lentil) doughnut-shaped fritters, their firm exterior yielding to indulgent softness within. Exceeding expectations in every respect, from conception to consistency of execution, it's a teatime snack to keep in mind.

Comfort fare at its nurturing best, the Bisi Bele Bhath (RM9) conveys the essence of how our favourite foods can taste so intimately personal, sustaining us through tough times. Rice, lentils, vegetables and spices, cooked together with nutmeg, curry leaves and tamarind pulp, paired with a curd-and-onion raita, blending the virtues of stews and porridges in a manner that evokes the warmth of home and hearth. At below RM10, it's a bargain.

Some customers come in purely for coffee, which is no head-scratcher either, since MTR's Filter Coffee (RM5.20) is revered as anything else offered here, made with Arabica beans that have been sourced from the same southern Indian coffee estate since shortly after the nation's independence, brewed with a time-honoured Indian filter, mixed with frothed and boiled milk. Guaranteed to get you awake and going.

Alternatively, you won't go wrong with the reviving allure of the Pistachio Lassi, a soothing duet between the tangy and the nutty (RM11), or the Cold Badam Milk, with its harmonious notes of almonds, saffron and cardamom (RM9.50).

If you're the sort (like us) who want to sample a lot in one sitting, the Special Mini Meals are your best bet - more mighty than mini, the thali-style platter is heaving with an encyclopedic ensemble of (deep breath!) kosambari salad, palya, vegetable sagu, bisi bele bhath, plain rice, curd rice, sambar, rasam, papad, pickles, payasam and dessert, plus your choice of dosa, poori, or chapati - again, not a bad deal at all for RM18, available during lunch (11:30am-3:30pm) and dinner (7:30pm-10:30pm). It's a voyage through a ravishing spectrum of classic cooking, a journey we'd eagerly embark on repeatedly.

MTR has more than stood the test of time in its home country; while it's impossible to forecast whether the brand will endure beyond our own lifetimes in KL as well, we think many Malaysians will fall in lust and love with the captivating food here too. Many thanks to MTR for having us.

MTR Malaysia
69, Jalan Thambipillay, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.
Open Mon-Fri, 8am-330pm, 5pm-1030pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-1030pm.

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