This place is packed tighter than a can of sardines. People jostle in to have their curry fix. Whether it is fish, mutton, duck, mud crab and even turkey, they have it in all kinds of curry form. After 50 years in business, Samy certainly has the right curry mix to bring people flocking into this sleepy town of Chemor.

Chemor is a sleepy town 25 minutes from Ipoh. If you don’t know what you are looking for, you might just pass by Samy Restaurant with its rustic, worn down blue blinds with the words SAMY RESTAURANT hardly visible in yellow. But looks can be deceiving. Behind the blinds hides one of the best banana leaf places in Perak. Mr. Sundram is a third generation Samy running the joint. His grandfather Samy, opened the business at the same spot about 50 years ago, passed it down to his dad and now to him. Their specialty? Southern Indian cuisine passed down three generations and further refined as it passes from father to son.

This place has one of the widest varieties of curries a Malaysian curryhouse can offer. Fresh fish, mutton, duck, mud crabs, chicken, ayam kampung and even turkey. Yes, all curried. If you are a curry fan, this is one place that you want to be. You order in front where all the curries are displayed and the dishes come to your table served in small stainless steel bowls.

"Crabby curry goodness in a banana leaf"

The bit that I like about the curries here is that they use different curry mixtures with different meats. Turkey is cooked in a curry that is slightly korma’ish, crab curry is drier with a stronger curry smell perhaps to balance the strong seafood odour and there are more gravies and potatoes in their mutton and chicken curries.The best way to have Samy’s banana leaf is to order several curry dishes and mix them on your leaf.

Not to be missed with the banana leaf is their rasam gravy. You can either drink this straight up and clear your sinuses instantly (warning!) or pour it on your rice . Different amounts of rasam will flavour your curry differently. Also, grab some of their multi-coloured keropok (crackers) to give your meal a bit more crunch. And we have to say that the mango acar here is top notch! You can buy it in a jar and take home.

Sundram says that all his ingredients are sourced fresh from the markets around Chemor. This place is busy lunchtime and sometimes there is a beeline outside the restaurant. Several months ago, this place can be packed tighter than a sardine can but now, Samy’s got the adjacent lot, renovated it and put some air condition in so that his customers can eat in comfort. Still packed during lunch though. Finish off with some sweet dessert, most if not all made in-house by them. Oh and come on Wednesdays and Saturdays when the mutton is super fresh.




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Samy Restaurant

                   

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