SHANKAR’s mystery curry box during MCO 2.0 was what first drew me to The Fire Grill in TDDI Kuala Lumpur. It’s a complete rice and south Indian curry meal that the owner, Shankar R. Santhiram, cooks himself based on the main ingredient (meat, fish or vegetables) that is available and in season at the market.

I was lucky with my first mystery curry box (RM29). The stingray curry or thirukkai meen wowed me. It was distinctive, with cumin, curry leaves and garlic. It had a little tartness and the right heat in it. There was basmati rice stirred with coconut oil, thairu vendikkai (okra in yoghurt) and poppadom.  It was a satisfying lunch.

On my subsequent mystery hunts, I looked for a lamb or mutton curry but to no avail. My second mystery curry box offered kanava (squid) peratal, ikan bilis sothi and potato peratal. I enjoyed the squid and the ikan bilis sothi, a mild, fragrant and piquant coconut curry.

When collecting this, I met Shankar, and persuaded him to do lamb for the next box. He did! I shared the aadu peratal, stir-fried French beans and home style onion dhal gravy, with a friend who had been looking forward to lamb curry.

“My cooking style is a mix of south Indian and home-style cooking inspired by my mother and grandmothers,” said Shankar. “We are from Penang, where south Indian food is quite unique, with Indian Muslim and even Hokkien influences.” Now that dining in is allowed, the mystery curry box will appear only on Fridays and Saturdays.

The a la carte menu at The Fire Grill has enough variety to please most palates, including some well-loved Malaysian dishes and Indian-spiced western staples. We zeroed on lamb varuval pizza (yes, we are that fond of Indian-style lamb), spice rubbed Australian black angus ribeye, chicken chop and prawn mee goreng.

For starters it was the bay-salt grilled prawns – tiger prawns grilled and sprinkled with a mix of pink salt and dried bay leaf and served with a house-made sweet chilli sauce (RM19). The salt was all that was needed to complement the sweetness of the fresh and springy prawns.

The lamb varuval pizza (RM39) was a work of perfection, with a thin crispy crust topped with melted mozzarella, deliciously spicy knobs of lamb varuval scattered evenly over it, together with jalapeno and basil.  We loved the crunchy crust, the cheese, the lamb and the chilli in combination.

Our medium rare spice-rubbed Australian black angus ribeye (RM39 per 100gm) stood out for the fragrant masala “blend of Indian herbs and spices from cumin to mace, with many things in between” according to Shankar. “It’s almost a tikka blend.” I did pick up nuances of these in the flavoursome beef accompanied by a rocket salad with yoghurt dressing.

The legendary chicken chop, Hainanese style (RM29), lived up to its name. The chicken thigh turned out crispy outside and moist and tender inside. The oriental sauce had the right seasonings, a little sweet and a little tart, and there was enough of it on the chicken without drowning it. Peas and cherry tomatoes completed it, together with thick fries, which we liked.

The prawn mee goreng (RM29) turned out a little too wet though the flavours of the sambal blend came through. The yellow noodles were fried with tofu puffs, chives and bean sprouts and topped with five grilled tiger prawns.

We loved the pandan panna cotta (RM19), a wobbly, smooth and creamy one, naturally aromatic with pandan.  A lightly sweet gula Melaka syrup gave it a heavenly lift.

Besides being the owner of The Fire Grill, Shankar is also the managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting Malaysia and the chief executive of two institutions of higher learning. He has a daily radio segment on Lite Malaysia called “The Right Perspective with Shankar Santhiram”, and writes a weekly column called “Work, Matters!” in the New Straits Times. He’s also co-owner of the Crackhouse Comedy Club – Malaysia’s first dedicated stand-up comedy club.

“Through our meals initiative, we offer more than 250 dinners a week to the hardest hit in our community through OKU Sentral and Kechara Soup Kitchen. The funding for this comes from well-wishers, and a portion of our overall revenue. So, every time a patron dines with us, they will help someone who needs a meal,” said Shankar.

The Fire Grill is at 24 Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur (03-7492 2197). – February 27, 2021.

* 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.