Banana leaf rice has become a weekly staple for me, as I love the idea of tucking into curry-laden rice with vegetables and various side dishes. Acha Curry House in Petaling Jaya offers plenty of solace when the craving strikes. I was introduced to this place by rif, who ate here with his colleagues just a few days back.
Frying station
Simple setup
I pestered him to take me to Acha the following day itself and went all out with the curries, vegetables, fried items and daily specials. The restaurant gets pretty crowded during peak hours so be prepared to wait a little for the staff to attend to you. They are a friendly bunch of people and quite accommodating too.
Assorted vegetables
Apart from the usual fish, chicken and dhal curry, Acha Curry House serves salted fish and crab curry too. And unlike many banana leaf rice places, they allow you to help yourself with the curries and vegetables. You can also opt to add more rice if you’re still hungry.
Sambal Ikan Bilis
A basic banana leaf rice meal at Acha would cost you RM6 and it comes with a side of sambal ikan bilis that is spicy and sweet from the onions. While rif and Wei Ni didn’t fancy this much, I liked the caramalised flavour from the onion and the ikan bilis was still crispy despite the coating of sauce.
Curries
Acha’s curries are decent, though not the best I’ve tried. I did what I would usually do when I’m eating banana leaf rice – flood my rice with a mixture of curries for a saucy spoonful each time. Try mixing the salted fish curry and crab curry; I find that combination most delicious.
Fried chicken
Fried tenggiri
Deep fried bittergourd
We also ordered the fried chicken, fried ikan tenggiri, mutton varuval and chicken masala to share among the four of us. The fried chicken and fish was quite decent, though I prefer my chicken more heavily spiced.
Mutton varuval
Chicken masala
Acha’s mutton varuval is different from many I’ve tried before. This was richer (more lemak) in flavour and less fiery, but still aromatic from the spices added. Quite interesting, I thought. I didn’t care as much about the chicken masala as this was a bit too sweet for my liking.
Delicious mess
Rasam
Don’t forget to ask for some rasam to go with your banana leaf rice. Without it, I find the meal incomplete. The bill came up to about RM65 for four, inclusive of drinks. Considering the amount of food we had, I find dining at Acha Curry House quite reasonable.
Ambiance: 5/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Try the mutton varuval and fried ikan tenggiri here. And if you’re a gravy nut like myself, you’ll love it here.
Acha Curry House
Acha Curry House
No.271, Jalan 5/51
Petaling Garden
46100 Petaling Jaya
Selangor.
Tel. 012-273 5096, 016-296 8809
Business hours: 7am to 4pm daily
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