The SS3 neighbourhood is often overlooked when compared to its more glamourous neighbours and their pseudo hawker food and themed cafes. However, it is also a blessing in disguise to the residents and locals who are in the know of its hidden gems. For a fraction of the price, customers are rewarded with the real deal –bigger portions with unadulterated flavours and friendly smiles, without the ego of bigger establishments. Such is the allure of the understated.

I used to label the banana leaf rice meal (BLR) as a once-in-a-blue-moon treat. Though I’m a huge fan, this sumptuous affair usually left me feeling overly bloated and my wallet a whole lot lighter. Unfortunately, many BLR joints put a premium price tag on their fare, especially when meat or seafood is involved. Some even have the audacity to charge for extra orders of vegetables!

Although Brickfields remains my economical pick when the BLR craving hits, I recently found a yummy alternative closer to home. Located within a residential enclave in PJ, this nondescript food court holds a local secret which is popular with the lunch crowd, comprising mostly of residents and office workers.

Upon entering the food court, I noticed only a few stalls are open, but the burgeoning crowd occupies more than half of the food court tables. Following the trail, my eyes focus on this one stall buzzing with activity. The kitchen is constantly churning out dishes, while staff hurry back and forth to feed the hungry hoards. The meat and fish dishes are displayed within the stall. However due to space constraint, the trays of vegetables are laid out on the food court tables fronting the stall. The turnover of the vegetable dishes is fast, as workers replace empty trays with piping hot dishes fresh from the kitchen.

Go to the stall and a staff will hand you a metal plate filled with rice. Then walk around to survey the full offering. The system here is Do It Yourself (DIY) ie you take as much as you like, chap fan style. Fret not if you notice some trays almost emptied. The kitchen replenishes it soon enough with a fresh batch, ensuring there are 5-6 vegetable dishes on the table for customers all the time. With the piping hot curries and fresh vegetables before me, I had a hard time deciding what to put on my plate.

Peak lunch hour (1-1.30pm) can be rather daunting, as I competed with the hungry masses while balancing my plate filled to the brim with steaming hot veges and aromatic curries. Noticing the nearest tables were filled, a helpful staff ushered me to share a table with a customer who was almost done. Once seated, he filled my already heaving plate with crispy pappadums and promptly brought a stainless steel cup filled with water. I love water served this way, it tastes so refreshing.

"Extremely affordable banana leaf rice"

My side dishes consisted of fried gourd, tofu and potatoes. Hubby chose spinach, pumpkin and fried gourd. I love the subtle flavours of the tofu with hints of spices and tomato; the gourd had a nice crunch, meaning it was cooked just right. I promptly added dried chilli to my curry rice to spice it up. I noticed the vegetable curries came with ‘drumstick’ (murunga), an old-time favourite of mine which grew in abundance behind my childhood home. My grandmother used to cook this vegetable curry and it is just as perfectly cooked here. Split the inedible hard outer layer and scrape out the tender flesh and beans, it goes so well with rice.

I polish off my plate in a jiffy and hubby heads over to the stall to get some rasam. Again, it’s DIY and it’s worth the walk... The rasam is the winner, just the perfect balance of spice, sour and salty. I liked it so much, I went for seconds. We also picked up a fried donut from a tray of fried goodies. On Fridays, they even serve payasam on the house.

The best part is the owner, Mr Pandian runs a trust system here. He does not keep a tab of what or how much you take. When you’re done, just tell him what you ate. He’ll take your word for it and charge you accordingly. Everything came to a mere RM10, inclusive of snack and top-ups. What a steal, try pulling that off at the more famous BLR joints!

A quick chat with Mr Pandian revealed that his family business has been running for 12 years. There is another branch at Kelab Golf Negara Subang (KGNS) and outdoor catering is also available. I guess this establishment’s repute is an open secret after all. Thosai and capati are also available for breakfast and lunch.

For picky BLR fans who prefer waiters to serve them at the table, this may not be your cup of tea. But if you can forego these luxuries, the essence of a good BLR is here. Fluffy rice, piping hot curries, fresh simple dishes and really awesome rasam - a meal which won’t cost you an arm and a leg. All hail the no-frills BLR!

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