A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan Cuisine

Patricia Podorsek with Monica Tindall
A little digging around on the internet turns up the fact that Sri Lanka has been known for centuries as “Gem Island,” prolific in producing gems of the highest quality for the world market. Stones like sapphires, rubies, and garnets are mined, cut, polished, and delivered to people of discerning taste.
A little digging around at Plaza Damansara turns up the restaurant gem, A Li Yaa, distinct for being the only Sri Lankan restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. Dishes like string hopper kothu, mutton paal poriyal, and brinjal moju are sourced, roasted, simmered, and delivered to people of discerning taste.

The humble storefront and concrete decor of A Li Yaa disguise the gourmet sapphire within. Everything about the place is understated, but classy: cement bar, pebbled floor, leather chairs, all cloaked in black and grey tones with only the occasional splash of red. Black and white photos of Cuban streets and colorful pictures of old Cuban ladies with fat cigars add a touch of vivacity to the otherwise muted atmosphere.

A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan Cuisine
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Bartender

Thirsty from a day at work, we began our tasting with three featured cocktails off the drinks menu. The Colombo Cup blends Mendis (Sri Lankan whisky) with dry vermouth, sweet and sour, ginger ale and bitters for a fun and bubbly refresher. The ginger ale provides a particularly festive kick.

A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Colombo Cup
The KoT, a combination of coconut, dark rum, and malibu, served in or out of a fresh coconut, was delicious and smooth, and had us looking around the room for the sand and palm trees.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
KoT
The Elephant Walk, a fusion of Southern Comfort, ginger ale, bitters and lemon served in a tall
glass, takes a tip from old-school high-ball drinks: it reminded me of my parents playing bridge in the living room with friends.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Elephant Walk
Our culinary invitation for the evening had us tasting the new sharing menu, reasonably priced at RM158+ or RM98+ per person with/without wine. Appetizer number one, Rock and Roll, pairs a mixed cutlet of seafood, herbs, and potato with a spoonful of prawn cocktail. The cutlet begins with a speedy crunch and finishes with spicy heat that catches up like the tortoise after the hare. The prawn cocktail is reminiscent of north American slaw, with a little cabbage and spring onion mixed in with the seafood and tossed in a sweet thousand-island style of dressing.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Rock and Roll Appetizer
Appetizer number two, String Hopper Kothu, takes the Sri Lankan staple of idiyappam, or rice flour noodles, lightly fries them with seafood and vegetables, and serves them with fresh whole prawn and coconut curry. Four sambals accompany the meal, each offering a distinct addition to the subcontinental flavors. My favorites were the onion sambal and coconut sambal, sweet and spicy against the salty prawn.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
String Hopper Kothu
The wine pairing for the appetizers is a zesty Western Australian Semillion-Sauvignon Blanc bottled by Karri Oak. A fresh and easy wine, we found it tropical on the nose with hints of passion fruit and kiwi, and crisp on the palate, slightly tart with undertones of grapefruit and gooseberry.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Karri Oak White Wine
Perhaps more than its reputation for gems, Sri Lanka is also known for its spices: cinnamon, pepper, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, mace and vanilla grace its fields and markets, as well as gracing the curries and sauces of A Li Yaa. The sharing menu spotlights five different exotic main dishes that capitalize on this vast legacy of spice.
a li yaa
A Sri Lankan Feast
The Mutton Paal Poriyal arrives unassumingly to the table, giving little indication of the complexity of its preparation or the depth of its flavor. First boiled, then fried, then rolled in spices and cooked again with a little coconut milk, this dry curry is a hidden gem of its own, not unlike the restaurant itself. The meat is tender and moist without being stringy, and flavorful with some secret magic of spices known intuitively to Sri Lankan chefs.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Mutton Paal Poriyal
The Fish Sothi offers a South Asian-style gravy, enchanting with its blend of coconut cream, spice and tang. Made from the dried assam fruit, it is a little zesty like sauces made from tamarind, but slightly more sour and rounded out with cumin, mustard and other spices. I was so enamoured by the levels of the sothi sauce that I continued to eat spoonfuls of it even after the fish was gone!
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Fish Sothi
The Brinjal Moju takes strips of small aubergine and slow cooks them with tangy tamarind powder, mustard seeds, curry leaf and onion to the point of caramelizing. The resulting sticky dish uplifts the taste buds with deep flavors of sweet and spice, followed by a little chili heat.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Brinjal Moju
The centerpiece mains showcase two regional curry sauces of Sri Lanka. First, the Jafna-style Prawn Curry blankets jumbo tiger prawns in a creamy coconut gravy flavored by raw spices and a something a little tart, possibly tamarind or assam fruit. By contrast, the spectacular Sri Lankan Crab Curry seasons its own rich gravy with roasted spices like cinnamon and cardamom for a dark enigmatic curry experience reminiscent of Mexican mole.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Jafna-style Prawn Curry
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan Crab Curry

Although I couldn’t get enough of the sauces by the spoonful, most guests will find the Doosra Roti a delightful dipping tool for the curries. These flat breads are seasoned with green curry leaf and grated coconut then lightly pan-fried for a crisp exterior and flaky interior. Steamed rice also helps to ensure that very little of the amazing curries go to waste.

A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Doosra Roti
The mains are purportedly paired with Oddfellow Cabernet Sauvignon, but as it was in short supply, our hosts served the amiable Karri Oak Shiraz 2011, a young wine with fresh and simple flavors that remained unconflicting with the complexity of the food.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Red Wine
Fit to burst, we (happily) stretched our stomachs to take in The Sweet Ending times two. The first offering, Sweet Appam, is a dosai-style shell filled with thickened coconut milk and palm sugar atop an idli-style pancake, not unlike eating rice pudding in a crisp cone. The second, Vatila Appam, is a flan-style pudding served attractively in three layers of cinnamon, cardamom, and cream without being too sweet.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Sweet Appam
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar, Sri Lankan
Vatila Appam

The upper floor of A Li Yaa opens later in the evenings as a neighborhood hang-out. The bar is long and inviting and so is the cigar selection. The drinks menu boasts a nice selection of mocktails, including Virgin Mojitos, lassi, fresh coconut, and freshly made juices, in addition to their signature cocktails. A separate room for private parties adjoins the main lounge with its own bar and seating for about 30-40.

If you’re a food miner like we are, digging for the star ruby of Sri Lankan cuisine in KL, turn yourself up at A Li Yaa, the Island Restaurant and Bar, where you’ll find crystal clear reasons to keep coming back.
Reasons to visit: Tangy Fish Sothi, tender Mutton Paal Poriyal, and the dark enigmatic Crab Curry.
A Li Yaa Island Restaurant and Bar
Plaza Damansara
Jalan Medan Setia 2
Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6 03 2092 5378
aliyaa.com

11 Comments

  1. A great looking place with beautiful presentations, and the bartender has a lovely smile. 🙂

    If you ever do get to visit Montreal, there are so many great restaurants here, and so many types of cuisine, I am sure you will enjoy the food, the hospitality and the beauty and activities to be found here. Lots of great attractions, and many at great prices or free. 🙂

  2. Sri Lankan Crab Curry looks so delicious! Looks like you found a great place !

  3. Count me in! I'm all for anything Asian. The crab curry looks interesting – would love to try that! And the prawn curry too – so alluring!

  4. It seems like the guy standing behind was not quite amused LOL

  5. The curries are very thick. Would sure like to sink my teeth into that crispy appam!

  6. Modern take on South Asian cuisine, looks very enticing. that curry soaked prawn!

  7. Yum, looks like something different! Love South Indian food but have never tried Sri Lankan.

  8. Mutton paal poriyal looks so yummy and spicy!

  9. Interesting food, different. Nice photography..

  10. SL cuisine is a combination of Tamils (Idiyappam Appam, Sothi, Puttu – bit similar to Kerala dishes), Sinahlese (Brinjal Moju, dry curries – similar to Malay dishes) and Muslims food (Wattalappam).

    Jaffna crab curry MUST have a handful of Drumstick leaves and the gravy should NOT be thick as shown in the picture. Facepalm.

    String hopper kothu / Idiyappa kothu became a part of our cuisine very recently, like two decades ago. Leftover string hoppers were made into kothu the next day. Kothu roti was there for ages, even before we were born.

    Coconut Roti is widely eaten in SL, however, it is a staple food for highland people. Affordability and satisfying your hunger in hill stations are the main reasons for such high consumptions.

    There are a "few" Sri Lankan restaurants in KL.

    Restaurant Yarl, Brickfields serves authentic Jaffna cuisine and Rasai Machan, Sunway serves authentic Sinhalese cuisine. There was one in Klang, one in Seremban and one opposite to Unitar. I am not sure if they are still functioning but Restaurant Yarl and Rasai Machan are still functioning.

    The was one in Royal Selangor Club area (a bar) too. Former SL captain owned it and they served yummy kothu roti. I heard it is still functioning.

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