Where oh where should I go for dinner this evening? Perhaps some marinated chicken charred in a tandoor, yes... that sounds good... Tandoori that is not done well is disappointing to say the least so it's with bated breath I await my dinner at Jassal...

Brickfields is a bit of a mystery for me. I've lived in either KL or PJ for my entire life but have yet to explore the depths of this place. The smell of curry on every street, the colors everywhere, the people who smile as they jostle through the crowd. Like I said, I'm not particularly brave. But if I want good Indian food, this is probably the place.

I had trawled the Internet the night before, and the name Jassal Tandoori Restaurant popped up. Tandoori. Promising. I haven't had tandoori in a while. Plus it is barely a ten minute walk from KL Sentral which means I don't have to drive! Always a good thing.

I make the trek and arrive at the smallish but very cosy restaurant. I place my order for sizzling chicken tandoori, palak paneer (a weakness of mine), garlic naan and paneer paratha. I couldhardly wait. Smells were emanating from the kitchen, driving my saliva glands crazy. Patience is a virtue, I scold myself. When the dishes arrive, my stomach is going bonkers.

I tear into the naan with abandon. The garlic naan is absolutely delicious, loaded with enough garlic to ward off vampires or your date. It's not as fluffy as most other naans you get, but I rather like this version as the ratio of garlic to roti is in my favour. The paneer paratha is a bit of a conundrum. Last I checked, paneer meant cheese, but the menu says it contains herbs and chilis so I order it anyway. This, I thoroughly enjoy. Stuffed with chopped herbs, it is both crispy and chewy, a feat for any respectable roti maker.

"Flavours linger on your tongue"

My favorite for the evening is the palak paneer. Granted, I love anything with any kind of cheese. Palak paneer, however, is a kind of magic that can only come from the genius of marrying cheese, spinach and spices. Their version does not disappoint, with bite-size chunks of paneer swimming lazily in a thick gravy of pureed spinach. The tandoori is not on a sizzling hot platter as advertised, but is delicious anyway. The marinade is slathered on so thick that every bite of the chicken bursts with flavor. I like that they serve it with a chopped salad of carrot, cabbage and onions, sort of like an Indian coleslaw. The mint sauce is a nice and zingy, providing a cool ying-yang contrast with the chicken. Everything was washed down with a mango lassi, a not-too-sweet yogurt drink that I quickly become a huge fan of.

I wanted to order a briyani but have to stop myself from succumbing to the greedy-eyed gluttony so prevalent of foodies like me. “Let's leave some things on the menu to order for the next time, shall we?” I tell myself. I make a promise to myself to come back after Raya with a table full of friends. The bill came up to about RM50, which isn't bad for quality Indian fare. I leave with a bag of crumbly palkova, a milky Indian sweet that I adore to snack on for the rest of the night.

On the train home, I cannot help but think how true their slogan is. The flavors of the evening were still lingering on my tongue, and I am starting to miss the smells. It really is the taste that stays.

Hours: Monday to Thursday: 11:00am - 11:00pm, Friday to Sunday: 11:00am - 11:30pm

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Jassal Tandoori Restaurant

                   

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