ALiYaa means ‘elephant’ in Singhalese and also synonymous with a restaurant that serve authentic Sri Lankan cuisine nestled at Bukit Damansara .
A LI YAA|Island Restaurant & Bar
The restaurant has adopted a simple but classic black & white theme and dressed with romantic dim yellow light.
Some really nice framed photos adorning the walls.
A bar counter at the end of the restaurant.
A Li Yaa serve quite an extensive range of beverages included some interesting mojitos and cocktails, do ask recommendations from the staff.
We were introduced to this “Heart-Healthy Eating” menu which approved by National Heart Foundation on our visit. All dishes in this special created menu are 0% oil and no coconut milk is used.
Vella Muddai (RM 8.00)
Echoing the tagline of healthy diet, we were served with the most unlikely food to replace our usual carbohydrate intake such as rice, noodle or bread~ egg white that was! The egg white hash lightly stir fried in olive oil and spiked with Sri Lankan spices.
Bendi Oli (RM 12.00)
Pieces of lady finger lightly sauteed with slices of onions, tomatoes & mustard seeds.
Fish Curry (RM 24.00)
Chunks of fish fillet simmered in rich, tangy and spicy fresh milk gravy with a blend of onions, tomatoes & pandan leaves.
My “Strong Heart’ combo!
Sambal Set (RM 12.00) : (from clockwise bottom left) Karupillay sambol – curry leaf , Katta sambol – spicy red chili, Pol sambol – grated dried coconut flesh & Seeni sambol – sweet onion
A Li Yaa’s signature sambal set appeared to be very versatile to go with any of the dishes we had that evening. My favourite would be the Karupillay sambol which made from curry leaves, the taste was surprisingly very refreshing without any “raw” flavor.
Fish Cutlet (RM 15.00)
Crispy outer with mashed fish filling accompanied with various spices and herbs, a great snack indeed
Plain “Doosara” Rotti (Pol Roti) – (RM 8.00)
Pan grilled flat bread with grated coconut, onion & mild chili.
Lumprais with Chicken (RM 24.00)
It might look unappealing but trust me, it was awesomely tasty with bursting flavors. Oven baked rice wrapped in banana and served with devilled dish of your choice, fried egg with roasted cashew nuts & vegetables. Albeit not being a fan of “mushy” food, I found myself enjoyed this immensely!
String Hopper Kothu Chicken – (RM 20.00)
String of unprocessed brown rice flour dough squeezed rough a sieve onto small oven trays then steamed to perfection. The texture was very much similar with rice vermicelli aka “bee hoon”, fried with assorted ingredients such as chicken, carrot, onion, spring onion and various of Sri Lankan spices. It was palatable and I can’t help but nibbled it non-stop until polished clean 😛
Sri Lankan Colombo style Crab – RM13.90/100g
The gargantuan Sri Lankan crab definitely stole the limelight of that evening! Sufficiently drenched in dark and thick sauce which really hit the high note on spicy and the complexity of flavors from the myriads of spices and herbs literally burst in my mouth! One will definitely consoled by this fresh and fleshy crustacean in pure contentment!
Mutton Paal Poriyal (RM 23.00)
This slow cooked lamb was tender and emphasizes on robust tastes with many aromatic spices that incite your taste bud.
Appam Egg (RM 6.00)
Bowl-shaped pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice flour & coconut milk, one can have it plain, with egg, sugar or coconut.
As I told earlier I had mine with the sambal set and they work wonder!
Appam Sugar (RM 6.00)
The Restaurant Manager was kind enough to let us tried the elevated version where a shot of Brandy was pour on the appam then followed by a light of fire!
Vatilaapam (RM 8.00)
A rich pudding made of coconut milk, brown palm sugar, eggs and various spices including cinnamon. This dessert is to me an incarnation of creme brulee with more dimension of flavors.
Verdict: For me, the Sri Lankan food had much similarity with Indian food with the using of variety of herbs and spices. For those who prefer your food redolent with spices, food here will definitely tickle your fancy!
A LI YAA|Island Restaurant & Bar 48 G & M, Jalan Medan Setia 2
So that’s egg? I thought it was some popcorn-alike thingy haha
Yes, it was egg white, very surprise right?
Lumprais with Chicken seems special, looks like otak-otak but it is not..haha
It is rice, very flavorful and tasty rice!
wow, the food looks very yummy lo!
For those who prefer their food with plenty of spices, this is the place!
I haven’t never try any Sri Lanka cuisines before but these are looking scrumptious.
Sri Lankan cuisine really rare at Klang Valley, bot sure about other states though~
oooh, very nice atmosphere and good too.. those appam are really special leh..
Yea, the appams are must try items!
The crab certainly is the killer of the night..ahhaha. So appealing and feel like diving into it.
Yeah yeah, the crab was the star!
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