I’M crazy about appam, whether Chinese, Indian or Sri Lankan.

And so, there we were at Yarl Restaurant in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, at 4pm, for that’s when it serves appam.

There was no question about which to choose. We had all three – the Paal Appam, Sweet Appam and Egg Appam.

The Paal Appam is plain. It’s crispy around the edges, with a soft, creamy centre touched with grated coconut and coconut milk. This appam is more on the savoury side.

The Sweet Appam is basically the Paal Appam sprinkled with brown sugar.

I was a little surprised by the Egg Appam, which has a broken yolk that I thought was overdone, but that’s how Yarl serves it, in the Jaffna style.

Of the three, I liked the Sweet Appam best for the bits of brown sugar melding into its milky centre. Crunching into the crispy sides, I was in appam heaven! I should have saved it for dessert, to go with masala tea.

The Egg Appam, which has a sprinkling of black pepper, is amazing paired with a delicious mutton curry from the buffet counter.

Warning: all the appam are best eaten hot from the pan, not after you’re done snapping pictures of them!

Kottu roti is a popular street food in Colombo. Onions and vegetables are fried on a hot griddle, eggs are scrambled, and then, pieces of flatbread are thrown in.

The cook works with two metal spatulas, cutting and stirring the ingredients in rhythmic fashion. We imagined the Jaffna chef doing the same with the Kottu Roti Mutton at Yarl.

We dug in with relish, loving the pieces of flatbread enhanced with spices, onions and eggs, as well as small chunks of tender mutton. Cardamoms add a fragrant burst, and chillies lend heat. This dish is much like a spiced version of our fried kway teow.

Both kottu roti and appam are typically taken for breakfast in the Sri Lankan capital.

We couldn’t resist ordering the Millet Puttu, a steamed cylindrical roll packed with the grain and grated coconut, and served with pol sambol, dhal curry and mint chutney.

Pol sambol is made from fresh grated coconut, shallots, dried chillies and lime juice. Usually, Maldive fish, a smoked and cured tuna, is added.

The pol sambol, though a little salty, is addictive. We enjoyed it with the Millet Puttu, dhal and chutney.

However, the dish still needed a curry to tie it together. We found that the mutton curry went incredibly well with it.

My friend Andy reminded me that I had eaten 3¼ appam on my own, since we decided to have a hot Paal Appam at the end of our “tea”. It just shows how good the appam here are.

For all that we ordered, including Bru coffee and masala tea, plus four appam for takeaway, the bill came up to only RM55.

The mutton curry is just RM8, while the Kottu Roti Mutton is RM12.

Yarl Restaurant is open from 7am to 10pm. During lunchtime, 15 vegetarian and eight non-vegetarian dishes are served.

The eatery is located at 50, Jalan Padang Belia, Brickfields, 50740, Kuala Lumpur. It can be reached at 010-360-6624. – September 21, 2019.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.