So yeah, the question is: who are these KariGuys?
Well, they are these 2 Indian guys (brothers) who are running a restaurant in Lucky Garden, Bangsar serving curries which are not the typical spicy Indian fare. Sounds a bit confusing, I know. I was kinda confused too when I stepped into the restaurant because its deco and furniture were quite unlike any typical Indian restaurants. Well, for one, they have very Chinese-looking marble-topped tables and ornately carved oriental chairs.
As Dinesh explained it, the restaurant’s history went back a long time. His grandfather started it in 1951 selling Indian food on a push cart in a small village called Pintu Padang in Raub, Pahang. It then expanded into a wooden restaurant in Sempalit, Raub – the residents of which are predominantly Chinese. So, to cater to the customers who are mainly Chinese, Dinesh’s grandfather tweaked his recipes to be less fiery yet retained the special flavours. That explains why “Kari Ayam Sempalit” is their signature dish!
Together with his brother Ramesh, Dinesh expanded the business to Petaling Jaya in 2007 and this year they shifted to Lucky Garden, Bangsar.
So, what about this Kari Ayam Sempalit? Well, for one, its scarlet hue is quite misleading. It’s not as fiery as it looked. It tasted kinda home cooked, with a full spectrum of spiced flavours though. The chicken pieces in it were cut into pretty big pieces and the serving is charged at RM6.50 per piece of chicken. Dinesh told me that they cooked the curry in several small batches throughout the day to ensure freshness. Personally, I prefer spicier curries with more heat.
Noodles with the broth from Kari Ayam Sempalit & added condiments
Have a Roti Paratha with Kari Ayam Sempalit
The KariGuys serve their Curry Noodles (RM8) using the same curry from Kari Ayam Sempalit, adding in slices of fishcake, squids, tofu puffs and green chillies. It tastes similar to curry laksa, really.
The Fried Chicken (RM6.50/piece) had been marinated in a blend of 8 spices for 12 hours before being fried to a golden crisp. There is no flour coating in the chicken pieces and I enjoyed the tastiness of every bite of the drumstick and thigh.
Sempalit Rojak
A must-order item is their Sempalit Rojak (RM7.50) where Sempalit peanuts are used in the smooth sauce. It’s quite unlike the usual rojak sauce with chunky peanuts. The smooth fragrant nutty sauce is unique and it’s so good that I practically spooned up every drop of it.
I love curry fish head and in The KariGuys, there are several choices of fish heads: tenggiri, red snapper and salmon at different prices, of course. Again, the curry is milder than the usual Indian-styled curry. A nice Chinese touch is the addition of tofu puffs in the curry and not just any tofu puffs but the excellent dense ones from Bentong. The shallow bowl is filled to the brim with ladies fingers, brinjals and tomatoes. The thing is, they really need to serve this curry in a bigger deeper bowl!
Curry Fish Head
I tried the Sempalit Mutton Peratal and Prawn Sambal (both at RM8.50) which go very well with white rice. I particularly like their vegetables (RM6) which are stir-fried with Indian spices but are not overcooked. My favourites are the Wok Fried Ladies Fingers and Wok Fried Brinjals.
Sempalit Mutton Peratal
Prawn Sambal
The KariGuys serves very affordable set meals for both lunch and dinner. And if you are planning a party, check out their catering services too.
Wok Fried Ladies Fingers
Wok Fried Brinjals
At the front of shop, there are bottles of cold-pressed fresh juices to quench your thirst and some divine butter and sugee cake for dessert.
Dinesh with his mother (chief cook in the restaurant)
The KariGuys
24 Lorong Ara Kiri 2
Lucky Garden, Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2201-9388/017-812-6595
Open daily from 8.00am to 9.00pm
Facebook Page: here