Annalakshmi @ Brickfields

Imagine this, a comfy cozy nicely decorated restaurant, friendly and good service, eat and refill all you want, reasonably good food, bottomless fresh mango lassi..and …u get to decide what you want to pay. Whaaaaaaat ? Like that also can ? Well, experience that when you dine at Annalakshmi  

Annalakshmi is a vegetarian restaurant serving a variety of north and south Indian menu, and with the tagline ‘where vegetarian dining is a cultural experience’   , Annalakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of food .Read more about this from their official website  here.  

The entrance , intricately carved wooden door.

 

Once you walk through the door, you will be greeted by this lovely sight

 

 Checkered tablecloth line the tables

 

The spread

 

It’s self service, first you collect the big steel plate at the beginning of the line, also collect  the steel bowls ( for gravy /curry/dessert). Then u get in line..and fill your plate /bowls…

On that day of our visit, there were 2 different types of rice, plain white rice and rice plus some condiments, was this  Pulao  rice ?   And  if you would like to have  tosai ( plain, ghee, paper, masala or rava) or plain Ootthappam  – which were not served on the buffet table- you can order these from the waiters.

The menu : ( can read ahh ?)

 

 There were various dishes available, I am not an Indian food expert ( not even a regular) , so I won’t attempt to name them, this was what was on Chunny’s plate

 

And this was mine- no points for spotting that I had a bigger portion than my fellow diner ..greedy person that I am…

 

What was on my plate : potato in dried curry ( nice), vegetable chutney ( I like), bittergourd curry ( the first bite into this, when u taste the spiciness, then aiks..the bitterness..wonderful combination), some chopped mixed vege, pampadam ( fried fritters). In the bowls, dhall and something that has a soy-ish, taufoo pok-ish texture thingy.

And guess what, after finishing what was on my plate..i got into line again…had my second helping of bittergourd curry and vegetable chutney, tried some fried bee-hoon as well..

Some of the food, up close, maybe you could name them better than i can..

 

 

 The cozy and nicely decorated environment

 

It was only towards the end of the meal did we realized that the available food is not just what is on the table , but that you can also order some of these stuff on the menu from the waiter ( no extra charge, i.e. still falls in the pay-as-you-eat-category). And although I was very close to full capacity, I had to have my mango lassi..

The lassi was nice –thick and mango-ey..yummyyyy

 

After the meal..that will be where the dilemma creeps in..hmm..how much to pay worr..? we start to work on what we would normally pay for this quality and quantity of food , factor in the nice ambience and good service..and while Chunny visited the bathroom, I was observing (kaypo-ing ) what the other dinners were  paying..i saw this guy ( family of four) counting four fifty dollar bills and passing to his wife ( is that the weekly allowance or to pay for dinner ?), another couple passed a RM50 bill to the waiter behind the counter, but i saw the cashier returning 2 RM10 ..sooo…how..? hahah…anyway, the thing is, be sincere lah..just pay what you feel is right, and at the end of the day, what you give will support the temple of fine arts activities..so, enjoy the food and don’t be too greedy…as mentioned on their website – You cannot put a price on the food prepared by a mother or a wife, and this is why at Annalakshmi you – eat as you like and pay as you feel.

I think this would be a nice place to bring guest ( local and foreign) and being vegetarian..i guess it should be halal as well..

Close on Monday. Operating hours :

Lunch 11:30 am – 3:00pm

Dinner 6:30pm – 10:00pm

Location :

Annalakshmi @ The Temple of Fine Arts

114-116, Jalan Berhala,

Brickfields

50470 K.L

Tel : 03-22723799

(across the road from the side entrance of the Brickfields Buddhist Temple). Map is available here