Pure Saiva has established itself as a leading destination for vegetarian Indian cuisine, thanks to its holistic and clean eating approach. With two outlets in the city, I often visit their PJ New Town branch, which can become quite crowded during peak hours. It is noteworthy that they have now expanded to a larger space to accommodate their growing clientele.
Yes, Pure Saiva has moved. It now occupies a space just a few doors down in the same row of shops. Regulars will recognize that the previous establishment was Me’nate Steak Hub, which has closed its doors, making way for the exciting new Pure Saiva. Expect the same clean, white ambiance, now even bigger and better.
Menu
Thali Set, RM 10.80 each
For a hearty meal, the Thali Set is perfect, featuring rice, payasam, rasam, papadam, three vegetables, gravy, and more. We chose tauhu sambal, pumpkin, spinach, chickpea, and mixed vegetables, with the tauhu sambal being my favorite for its flavorful balance of slight spiciness, sweetness, and sourness—ideal to eat with rice and pumpkin. The potato cutlet was a satisfying meat substitute, packed with flavor and a great complement to the thali set.
Pandan Nasi Lemak, RM 9
I have good memories of this dish from the old outlet and truly enjoyed it. While the flavor remains delightful, the serving size has shrunk, missing fried items like tempe and chips. The sambal is still enjoyable, though not as spicy as it once was—I even requested an extra serving. When paired with rice, kacang, and crispy mushroom strips, it was quite satisfying. This dish is good, but I strongly believe they should reinstate the variety in the Nasi Lemak, just like they used to.
Address: 24, Jalan Yong Shook Lin, Bandar Baru Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Recently, someone ‘belanja’ me Indian food at Chai. At that point, I knew nothing of this Indian restaurant but I was told, food was delicious. Ara Damansara is an area I rarely venture into but the prospect of discovering a new Indian restaurant is certainly something I anticipate with enthusiasm.
The restaurant features a contemporary setting and an inviting ambiance, making it an ideal venue for hosting friends and family during celebrations such as birthdays and other special occasions.
It was fortunate that we visited after the lunch hour, as I anticipated a crowded restaurant during peak hours.
Menu
2 Plates of rice with vegetables and meat
Plate 1: Rice with cabbage, pumpkin, bittergourd, pumpkin and chicken parathalPlate 2: Rice with cucumber, pumpkin, fried bittergourd and chicken varuval
After noticing a selection of appetizing dishes on display, I became a glutton and ultimately acquired a plate full of vegetables and meat. My stomach was full by the end of this meal; however, I cannot express any regret for this indulgence.
The pricing structure is based on individual dishes served on a plate. For the vegetables (small serving), a charge of RM 3 per dish was applied, while for the meat (large serving), the charge was RM 10 per dish.
Food was delightful and richly flavored. Although I seldom like vegetables, those served here were excellent. The meat dish, particularly the chicken varuval, was my favorite. It was prepared in a dry gravy style, exhibiting an abundance of flavor and featuring tender pieces of meat.Yum!I’ll likely be revisiting Chai again in the near future.
Address: 3A, Jalan PJU 1A/7A, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
One of the popular Indian restaurant on this side of town is Masala Wheels and since we were in the mood for Indian food, off we headed to there. Upon our arrival, we found that Masala Wheels had relocated to another shoplot, a few doors down. In its previous location, a new Indian restaurant named Kavitha Banana Leaf has now taken its place.
While Kavitha Banana Leaf currently occupies the corner lot within this row of shops, it is not a new establishment; it has merely relocated. Previously, it was situated in the ‘Medan Selera’ down the road for several years before moving to its current location. Now, this particular row of shops is home to two popular Indian restaurants instead of just one. I enjoy visiting this area for lunch, appreciating the relaxed and tranquil atmosphere it offers. Situated within a relatively quiet neighborhood, away from the usual hustle and bustle, it has become a preferred spot for me. Whenever I am in the vicinity and in the mood for Indian cuisine, I usually choose to dine here. In addition to Masala Wheels, I have discovered another Indian eatery that offers delightful food.
Plate 1: Rice with Chicken Varuval, 2 VegePlate 2: Rice with Chicken Varuval, Curry Chicken with 2 Vege
During the midday meal, the establishment offers Banana Leaf Rice and mixed rice. I found that the mixed rice option suited my preference for selecting individual items. The Chicken Varuval was exceptionally flavorful, with tender, succulent meat infused with spices. The experience of combining the meat with rice and curry was delightful. The assortment of vegetables, including brinjal, spinach, pumpkin, and bittergourd, was equally pleasing to the palate.
In summary, our experience at this establishment was positive. The quality of the food, the level of customer service, and the cleanliness of the restaurant were all commendable. Additionally, its strategic location further added to our satisfaction. Therefore, I intend to revisit this establishment in the future.
Address: No. 2, Jalan 1/3, Seksyen 1, PJ Old Town, Petaling Jaya.
Every once in a month now, I attempt to be a vagetarian. The word here is ‘attempt’ lol, because I only last till lunch. By the time it hits evening, I am craving for them chicken 🤣🤣 I suck at being a vegetarian, my success rate is perhaps 20% but I shall keep trying lah.
Anyways, this time we dropped by Pure Saiva for a visit. It opened doors last year, having been operating for 15 months so far. It sure does not seem like it when you step into the restaurant. Everything was so pristine and white that I thought the most it could be was a few months old.
Everything is organized and structured. As you head in, you immediately start lining up at the mix rice section. There is a standard fixed price for the rice and all the items on the plate – RM 10.80. There was basically about 20 items to choose from. So, you simply tell them what you want and they’d put it on your plate. Then, you sit and eat. Once you are done, you clean up after yourself, take your plate and leave it in the designated area.
Seeee, as I said, everything was structured and organized.
2 plates of rice, RM 10.80 each
Plate 1Plate 2
Food was delicious. Between the two plates, there was some pumpkin, brinjal, tauhu cubes, ladies finger, tomato chutney and green vegetable with some coconut spinkle. Each plate had a serving of papadum, payasam, rasam, dried chili and chutney. There was 2 choices for rice – white rice and Ghee basmati rice. I decided to try the latter. Ooooo yum. The ghee + basmati rice combination was a delight by itself, it had its own flavor. I enjoyed eating it by itself without any curry.
I’d be back here soon, for sure 😍
Address: No. 34, Jalan Yong Shook Lin, PJ New Town (few doors away from Affin Bank)
Opening hours: Everyday. Weekdays, 7 am – 6 pm. Weekends, 8 am – 3 pm.
If you enjoy Indian food, especially of the banana leaf variety, we all tend to have our favorites. There are specific restaurants that we tend to visit whenever the cravings strikes. My go-to would be Aunty T’s, Asian Rice Pot, Puchong Chettinad Mess and Masala Wheels. I’ve been visiting these guys for years but this time, I was in the mood to explore something new, preferably in Subang Jaya since I was already in the area. After some online search, I came across Moorthy’s Mathai. It had an average rating of 3.8/5 from over 670 votes. Seemed pretty good to me and so, off I went.
As soon as you enter, you’d get to see the dishes on display and choose whichever meat and vegetables you fancy. Prior to MCO, you’d be able to sit in that area. During MCO, if you are dining in, customers are seated in the inner section, which I appreciate. Why? This is clearly a well loved neighborhood restaurant and so, lots of folks drop by to ‘bungkus’/ take away too and the last thing I want is to sit in that same area while people move in and out regularly. Being seated in the inner section allows me a separation due to it being located in a different area. Much appreciated.
During my time of visit, the eatery was mostly occupied. Bustling with activities. Lots of chatter and movements. The servers, waiters were obviously busy running around but when you try and get their attention, they do stop and pay attention. There were several times I thought they’d forget my order but nope, they delivered. I was even more impressed when I saw the boss man himself taking orders from customers and helping out. That is a rarity, isn’t it?
Two Banana Leaf Set + Chicken Varuval + Two Fish Cutlets, 33 ringgit
When I placed my order, I requested that they give me ‘chicken breast’ for my chicken varuval, which basically translates to “give me chicken with more meat on it.” I was yet again impressed because they actually listened. Many restaurants do not and considering how busy these guys were, I was hoping to be lucky enough to be given some but besides a few bones here and there, I was given plenty of flavorful, meaty and juicy pieces of chicken, way more than I anticipated. Me like.
Another point to like was their serving of vegetables. More often than not, it is already bad enough that some restaurants use table spoons to serve because the amount served will be little, by the time that spoon reaches your banana leaf though, half of its content would have fallen back into its container. When you ask for a refill, even though it is within your right, they give you attitude. I had no such problem here. First of all, they use the right kind of utensil to scoop the right amount of vegetables to serve you. Secondly, if you do request for a refill, they scoop the same amount of vegetables they did prior for this time too. There was no stingyness or attitude. I liked this very much.
The Banana Leaf Set comes with rice + 4 vegetables + papadum + rasam + curry. During my time of visit, the vegetables were taugeh, cucumber with onions and yogurt, cabbage with lentils and pumpkin. My favorite was the pumpkin and cabbage as evident from my request of refills, lol. It was yummy. The chicken varuval had plenty of flavor and plus the meaty pieces I received, it was da bomb. The cutlets were tasty. It was crispy on the outside and dense on the inside. There was a nice blend between fish and mash potato. Nice flavors. Overall a yummy meal. Burp! The only downside was their curry, it was a lil diluted for me. This is strictly a matter of personal preference. I for one like my gravy thick and packed with flavors. The ones here while had flavor, it was a tad watery. Besides this, everything else was pretty good.
