Nirwana Maju is our default banana leaf rice shop being so accessible and the nearest to both of us.
Of course it does help that they serve one of the best banana leaf rice that we know.
Nirwana Maju's vegetable sides vary from day to day but the fried bittergourd is a staple. The staff here are occasionally cheeky and try to pile up more rice and vegetables on your 'plate' even though you tell them to stop.
I like the mixture of dhall and chicken curry and Nirwana Maju's go very well together. Their sides are quite good and mild in flavor to compliment the meaty sides and seafood that are full of flavor. Unfortunately, I find their bittergourd a bit soggy and it's cut rather thick therefore they don't crisp up enough.
I do however love their mutton varuval - we order this every time we're here. This time around, we tried the sotong goreng and it was good! The squid was not overcooked and rubbery and the batter was crisp.
We also ordered a piece of fried chicken which looked like it was double fried, once before and after chopping it into pieces but the chicken was still moist and tender. I'm impressed!
LC and I tried another banana leaf rice place down the road from Nirwana Maju based on the recommendation of the 'Best Thing I Ever Ate- Malaysia' segment on Food Network. The post will be up next week so stay tuned to see if we agree with Isadora Chai! :)
More reviews for Sri Nirwana Maju on Foodspotting and Venusbuzz