Want to add some culture – and lots of flavour – to your next lunch break? Then head on over to Brickfields – a haven for lovers of banana leaf rice, and home to dozens of beloved Indian restaurants. Amongst them is a relatively-new F&B outlet called Maya Mess, which has already established a great reputation for itself in the region.
We’re pretty sure you’ve come across the famed Maya Bangsar – well, Maya Mess is the growing chain’s newest branch. The latest outlet had its grand opening yesterday (10th November), when it showcased the dazzling traditions of authentic Chettinad cuisine. So, if you’re craving a banana leaf meal, this is the spot to be, because it provides authentic banana leaf dishes crafted with fresh, flavourful ingredients, and served in generous portions to satisfy your demands.
The Maya Mess banana leaf package includes two types of rice (white or parboiled), as well as your choice of vegetables and curries, much like any other banana leaf rice restaurant. Along with standard dishes, it also offers varuval chicken, varuval mutton, kurma chicken, fried fish, fried chicken, squid curry and a variety of other side dishes.
Lipstiq was glad to be part of the grand launch – and promptly put the banana leaf rice meal to the taste test. Since it was only the opening, there wasn’t a menu yet. Still, the options were endless. To make the event super-special, Maya Mess offered a grand opening promotion of Ghee Rice with Chicken Kurma, which was available only for that day. So, of course, we had to try the promo!
For starters, the waiters served us a huge green banana leaf. Since it was a special occasion, they gave customers a scoop of sweet ponggal. Then there was ghee rice served with three types of veggies, papadom, cucumber acar and chicken kurma.
The ghee rice was simply delicious and you could even eat it on its own! It was buttery and sweet. The veggies were fresh and tasty too. My favourite was the cucumber acar, particularly the sauce. It was sweet and full of flavour, and it paired so well with the ghee rice. As for the chicken kurma, it was delicious! The meat was so tender that it fell right off the bone! I do wish they would cook the meat for even longer, as there was a bit of redness in the chicken meat. I mean, if you’re okay with red meat, then it’s absolutely fine.
For drinks, we ordered Milo Ais, Teh Tarik and Bru Coffee since there weren’t many beverage options available for the opening. To end the hearty meal, we tried their ponggal. The ponggal is a mixture of rice, milk, moong dal, jaggery, and ghee that are brought to a boil. Although this meal is served mainly during the Ponggal celebration, most Indians serve it on happy occasions too. It was super sweet and full of spices – so if you love Indian spices, particularly green cardamom, you would definitely enjoy this ponggal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkxIRp2SE15/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Overall, our time at Maya Mess was great. The staff there were super friendly and made sure to attend to every customer’s need. Interior-wise, the restaurant was bright and had a good colour combo. Literally the entire restaurant was filled with chairs and tables from the front to the back! I did wish they would allocate more space between each table, as it was quite congested.
If you happen to be in the Brickfields area, do give Maya Mess a try. Starting Monday, all sorts of set meals will be available at affordable prices. A quick note for our Muslim readers – Maya Mess is a halal-certified, Muslim-friendly eatery.
Follow Maya Mess on Instagram for more updates.
Maya Mess
Location: Opposite Menara Allianz Sentral, near Hong Leong Bank Brickfields
More on food? Read:
