The Travellist's journal

By TheTravellist

Big curry in Little India

I did some research and found one of the best 'banana leaf rice' restaurants around. Unfortunately it's not near any train stations so I had to walk at least half an hour in the crazy heat, which was a mistake. By the time I arrived, I was exhausted, overheated and starving! As a result I definitely ordered too much food and was full for the rest of the day.

Banana leaf rice is a South Indian dish where your plate is a big banana leaf sheet and a large helping of white rice is placed on top along with piles of various vegetables, pickles and whatever other tasty items they have. Then a (traditionally vegetarian) curry sauce is added to the rice. It's then eaten by hand and afterwards the leaf is folded in half towards the eater to show appreciation.

Not only did I chicken out of using my hands (I was too hungry to mess around) but I accidentally folded the leaf away from me (a sign that the meal wasn't satisfactory) because I'd read that you fold the leaf "inwards" and assumed that mean in towards the middle of the leaf itself. Oops!

The meal was delicious but I'm not sure it was much better than the many banana leaf places much closer to my hostel. The standard here is so high. I got a taxi back (which cost less than £1) and walked around Brickfields before recovering back in my dorm. 

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