THE first time we were at Jamun, a new Indian restaurant in Glo Damansara, we had with us a friend who is a vegetarian. But we found enough dishes on the menu to please both him and us.

Jamun offers a banana leaf rice menu but we opted to have lunch with a la carte dishes.

As there were just the three of us, it was handy that we could also order the smaller dishes from the banana leaf menu – we took fried bitter gourd, egg masala and mutton varuval.

We added to that the mutton briyani that had got some rave reviews, and paneer malai tikka and vegetable pulao rice for our vegetarian friend.

We crunched happily on fried bitter gourd, which had been dipped in a batter of gram flour, rice flour and spices, and then deep-fried.

We liked the slices of grilled cottage cheese with peppers and tomato drizzled with a yoghurt sauce in the paneer malai tikka.

The mutton briyani was a flavour bomb, with chunks of spiced tender mutton buried in the fluffy rice. Every grain was coated with the meat’s aromatic juices and it was delicious.

The briyani was served with raita. We asked for some mint chutney and the rice tasted even better with it.

The vegetable pulao rice had carrot, peas, long beans, raisins and cashews. It was aromatic with spices and ghee, and paired well with the spiced gravy from the egg masala.

On our second visit, it was still the mutton briyani as the main course for us. Chettinad chicken, eggplant masala, lachha paratha, fried tenggiri, mutton varuval and fried bitter gourd were also in our lunch.

The last three items (in smaller portions) were from the banana leaf menu.

Chettinad chicken was a hot and tangy curry. Its light sour note came from the marinade of yoghurt with chilli paste and spices for the chicken.

It was served garnished with coriander leaves. It was a good choice, the curry went so well with the slightly crispy and flaky lachha paratha, a flat bread made with whole wheat flour.

We satisfied our craving for the rich mutton varuval, which was done well here. We relished the soft, tasty chunks of eggplant cooked with tomatoes, chilli and garam masala, which was good to eat even on its own.

We finished lunch with masala tea. Though we asked for tea with less sugar, it was still sweet!

The food is reasonably priced here. The mutton briyani is RM29.90, chettinad chicken and eggplant masala RM14.90, fried bitter gourd RM6.90, fried tenggiri RM12.90 and mutton varuval RM13.90. Masala tea is RM7.90 each.

The basic banana leaf meal (lunch) with rice, three vegetables, curry, chutney and rasam is RM9.90 and is available daily. It’s best to have an early lunch there by 11.30am, before the office crowd comes in.

Jamun is at Unit LG-06, Glo Damansara, TDDI, Kuala Lumpur. Call 012-231 9115 for enquiries. – October 21, 2023.

* 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.