Authentic Sri Lankan food – try Lankan Cafe at Jalan Gasing PJ

Sri Lankan restaurants are few and far between in the Klang Valley but in recent months two (2) Sri Lankan restaurants popped up in PJ area.

What got my attention was the prices.
Yes, that may seem unusual to you but the first and last Sri Lankan meal I had in Klang Valley was at Aaliya which can lighten your wallet considerably if you’re from the middle income group.

In fact, to date, if you were to ask your friends in KL for recommendations for a Sri Lankan meal, you’re likely to encounter a blank stare and if you’re lucky, someone might mention Aaliya, since it has been around for a long time and likely the first “known” Sri Lankan food joint in KL.

So when Sean posted about Lankan Cafe, I read about their set meals which starts from RM13.90 and thought hey, this I can afford!
Besides, Lankan Cafe offers set meals for single pax so that suits me perfectly.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-001

Then came the CNY season where food options were slightly limited due to closure of many hawker stalls.

Now if you’re new to Sri Lankan cuisine, names like puttu, kottu and iddiyappam might be a tad confusing.

It didn’t help that the menu here doesn’t even have some blurry images to help you out.
Nope, it was all black fonts with nary a description.

Lankan Cafe menu: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

IMG_3224

IMG_3223

IMG_3222

I only know of putu as in putu mayam (string hoppers) or putu piring (steamed white flat disc), both normally eaten with sweet condiments like palm sugar and fresh coconut.

Here puttu is brown, cylinder-shaped thing that is eaten with savouries like curries and vegetables!

As a matter of fact, it is a main course.

BELOW: A puttu meal that I shot from another table.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-008

iddiyappam is string hoppers or what we normally know as putu mayam.

Kottu is actually a roti-canai alike flatbread. It is popularly eaten chopped up and fried together with vegetables and meat.
Yup, like fried bread pieces.

I know, Sri Lankan can be a bit weird for the uninitiated.

But Sri Lankan recipes make copious use of strong spices and hell lot of chillies; resulting to dishes that are fiery, utterly delicious and rich in flavours.

If you pursue the 3 page menu I shared above, you would notice that the offerings are limited and pretty set daily.
You can only get kottu at night, 6 set lunches in the afternoons and some basic grub for breakfast.

Oh, I forgot the tea menu, which starts at 3 pm after lunch.
I had the RM9.00 dual apam set and I loved both apam.

apam sri lankan PJ malaysia

The edges of the appam were crispy while the center is wobbly soaked in rich coconut milk. It is sweet and fragrant. I love apam and I love it even more with an egg!

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-009

My lunch here was the Rice Set with Mutton (RM16.90). I opted for rice (you can select iddiyappam or puttu for additional RM2).

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-004

BELOW: The brinjal, one of the vegetable side.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-007

Both vegetables were bloody spicy (cabbage and brinjal). The rice was normal while the yellow, sweet tapioca curry was delicious.
The mutton curry portion was decent with about 6 -7 small chunks of meat.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-003

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-005

I ordered a milk ginger tea to douse the heat in my mouth and enjoyed the rich mouthfeel of the tea.
I suspect they use fresh milk.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-006

For dinner, I had the Puttu Kottu Mutton (RM11.90).

This was my first time eating puttu and I enjoyed it a lot!
It wasn’t as spicy and it reminded me of fried couscous. It was like a flavoured fried rice with chunks of  meat.
It came with a side of sweet chutney and some crackers.

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-010

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-012

Will I be back?
Well, I don’t see anything that appeals to me on the breakfast menu nor the lunch.
Lunch is simply rice (or puttu /iddiyappam) with sides while dinner is just kottu again, though with choices of puttu, iddiyappam or roti.

However, I don’t mind returning on a Sunday for their RM38/pax Sunday lunch buffet.
I was promised authentic Sri Lankan crab curry and unlimited curries.

So yes, anyone wants to join me for the Sunday buffet?
I hope you are game to have your tongue on fire!  🙂

lankan cafe PJ - authentic sri lankan food kl PJ-002

 

Lankan Cafe,
388, 1st Floor, Jalan 5/59,
Bukit Gasing, PJ, Selangor.
Hours: Tues – Sun, 10 am-10 pm.
Tel: +603-7772-2575


Other Sri Lankan restaurants in KL/PJ:


1. Aliyaa – Damansara
2. Restoran Yarl – Brickfields

3. Rasai Machan (Authentically Sri Lankan)
Ridzuan Condominium, Jalan PJS 10/11A SUNWAY.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Sean EDKL

    ooooo, an all you can eat of sri lankan curries, breads, etc, for RM38 sounds like a great way to spend a sunday afternoon! 😀

    1. Rebecca Saw

      I thought so too! Imagine – all u can eat tasty curries with meat and crab! 😀

  2. Jayakumar

    Went there. Sorry to say but was disappointed with food quality. Portions served were lacking as they were controlled portions. Taste wise, have tasted better elsewhere for the price.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Buy Seafood Online

Get your favourite seafood delivered to you!  The coronavirus epidemic has been taking a toll in Malaysia. People start working from home, restaurant can only