Deja Vu? (Banana Leaf Curry Rice @ NS Curry House & Ritter Sport Chocolates from Langkawi)

Since we're on a roll here, let's review another restaurant serving banana leaf curry rice (BLR - sc's the one who coined this, not me!) in Ipoh .... but feel free to look away if BLR's not your thing. But Malaysians being Malaysians, who can say NO (!!) to heaps of white rice on a banana leaf, generously doused with curries, served with a meat of choice, and unlimited servings of vegetables. And a piece of those addictive, crunchy papadom for good measure.

Unlimited gravies, and vegetable side dishes, one can have a VERY heavy lunch and suffer the consequences. The post-lunch syndrome x 10 = Logs @ Work.

Previous experience at Samy's left us wanting for more, Mr Z & FCOE recommended this outlet on Maxwell Road in Ipoh, simply named NS Curry House, an unassuming choice given the far from city location, as well as the lack of publicity thereof. But wait, since they're foodies in their own rights (=P), we took their words for it, and ventured to this outlet one fine afternoon. (P/S : See? Mr Z/FCOE ; I'm skipping all backlogs for this post, dedicated to you guys .... hehehe ...)

The Elixir of Sin ....

The restaurant is opened from breakfast til lunch, according to Mr Z. Specializing in Indian Curry Food, they cater to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Needless to say, you can already safely place yours truly in the latter category, championing the rights of all carnivores all around the world ... Wait, I meant OMNIvores. =)

Dry Curry Mutton

Compared to Samy, the dishes may pale in terms of variety, but tastewise, NS did not disappoint. Excelling in fact, in aspects even Samy faltered.

The side dishes of vegetables (cabbage, long beans and snake gourd) were all tasty, without being overly salty nor bland. My personal preference was the snake gourd cooked lightly with lentils. And yes, you can ask for unlimited refills of rice and vegetables, FOC. And the compulsory curries came in a trio of steel pots, so you can either 'banjir' (flood) your rice, or practise self-constraint.

Chicken Varuval - Dry Curry Chicken

The accompanying mains of dry curry chicken and curry mutton were delicious, brimming with flavour and spices, while maintaining the freshness of the meats, yet moderately spicy. Therefore, even if you're not a fan of spicy dishes, you can be assured that you won't be breathing fire/required to be exhumed from ashes/drenching yourself with H2O in the midst of the meal.

Minor gripe? The serving size being a little on the smaller end of the scale, when compared head to head with Samy, and even Sri Asoka. But sufficient for lunch, nonetheless. And at a cheaper price too, my banana leaf set with curry mutton, and a glass of Teh Susu Lembu (Tea with Cow's Milk) amounted to only RM7.80. A paltry sum, as you're seated in an air-conditioned room, with commendable cleanliness level, and impeccable service (OKlah .... but don't expect napkins and violins).

Location : NS Curry House @ 10F, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak (Maxwell Road), 30100 Ipoh, Perak. Tel No : 019-576 7354/019-514 1004.

NS Curry House provides catering service as well, in the form of Naidu Food Catering, and serves wedding parties, buffet luncheons/dinners, birthdays, etc. Another branch (or sorts, didn't get to confirm, sorry) of theirs is at Restoran Simpang Pulai @ 808/810, Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah (Jalan Gopeng), Taman Chandan Desa, 31300 Simpang Pulai, Perak.

## Now, now .... since NS does not serve any traditional Indian sweetmeats, what's for DESSERTS then? ##

Pick. Your. Poisons.

With THAT many flavours to choose from, Ritter Sport Chocolates all the way from Germany (but of course, Motormouth can't fly that far without sponsors ..... shucks). So this time around, the loots from Langkawi consist mostly of imported Ritter Sport Chocs (3 for RM12.50), Cadbury's, etc. TWO trips to Langkawi within TWO weeks .... I'm spent, in every sense of the word!

Now here's a $$$ Million Dollar Question $$$ - What would you like to see in the upcoming post? Langkawi? Halong Bay? (been AGES, right? LOL) Ipoh? Kuala Lumpur? Kuala Sepetang (bad trip @ the wrong time!)?