Nearing Diwali celebration, I visited Lebuh Ampang, KL's Little India, searching for the Prasad Mess that I read about in The Star paper. According to the writer, Sam Cheong:
To the first-timer, locating this eatery would be an interesting trip. But before we delve deeper, here’s the low-down: a worker’s mess is a no-frills eatery where people come and go with the intention of filling up. There’s no room for small talk as the outlet is, literally, small.
Having heard about it from S. Panirselvam, an old friend, I decided to check it out.
“Eh, Sam, if you want to get to know Southern Indian food, you'd better locate the mess and, I tell you, this is a place which is managed strictly by Indian nationals that are hairy and burly,” Panirselvam joked.
With the notion of good food and efficient service in mind, it didn’t take long for me to make my way up a narrow and dimly lit footpath at the far end of Lebuh Ampang.
To the first-timer, locating this eatery would be an interesting trip. But before we delve deeper, here’s the low-down: a worker’s mess is a no-frills eatery where people come and go with the intention of filling up. There’s no room for small talk as the outlet is, literally, small.
Having heard about it from S. Panirselvam, an old friend, I decided to check it out.
“Eh, Sam, if you want to get to know Southern Indian food, you'd better locate the mess and, I tell you, this is a place which is managed strictly by Indian nationals that are hairy and burly,” Panirselvam joked.
With the notion of good food and efficient service in mind, it didn’t take long for me to make my way up a narrow and dimly lit footpath at the far end of Lebuh Ampang.
Called Prasad Chetti Naadu Mess, it’s on the first floor of a pre-war shop lot. Now, this makan place has fewer than a dozen tables with banana leaves and metallic goblets laid neatly in anticipation of walk-in patrons.
It’s also a place where they don’t take reservations. What’s interesting is the speed and efficiency of the workers who serve customers.
At RM6 a helping, one cannot complain. There’s a generous serving of white rice, dhal gravy, vegetables and a small plate of curried mutton to go with it, while the papadum crackers were served as a literally bottomless helping.
This is the place to be to practise eating banana leaf rice with your hands.
K. R. Ganesan, a mess regular, said he has been eating there for more than 25 years. The retiree travels from his home in Ampang Jaya to Lebuh Ampang on a daily basis and one of his unbreakable routines is having lunch at Prasad’s.
“Ah, young man, you must observe closely. Slowly mix the meat and vegetables in small portions and you’ll get to enjoy life’s little pleasures,” the 67-year-old said.
His skill was a sight to behold as I tried to emulate the moves. At the worker’s mess, different dishes are offered on a daily basis and this includes turkey curry on Wednesdays.
Ganesan recommends the weekly specials such as Kudal mutton on Saturdays and Chicken Briyani on Sundays.
Unfortunately, I just had my lunch. Thus, I didn't have the chance to savour the Head Mutton or Crab Soup that are served on that day, i.e. Tuesday!
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I just got this message in my mailbox. It's a funny one but also a good reminder note to all of us of the gloomy global economic situation facing us in the coming new year. The message from my banker friend, says:
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Christmas song is not spared.Wishing all the best and looking forward for a brighter 2009.
And always remember to pray… pray hard for all the good of ourselves, family, friends, relatives, neighbors, nation and everyone surrounding us, past, present and future.
P/S: Our God may be more busy lately and running on thin bandwidth due to more prayers and requests. Response may also be delayed in correspondence to overwhelming requests. We shall continue to upgrade to support your today and future. Therefore, pray more to get the attentions, don’t give up.
Latest Christmas carol for 2008 for you.
Sing to the music of Santa Claus is Coming To Town:
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.
It's hitting you once,
It's hitting you twice
It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise
Recession is coming to town
It's worthless if you've got shares
It's worthless if you've got bonds
It's safe when you've got cash in hand
So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town!
Finance products are confusing
Finance products are so vague
The banks make you bear the cost of risk
So keep out for goodness sake, OH
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.
It's hitting you once,
It's hitting you twice
It doesn't care if you've been careful and wise
Recession is coming to town
It's worthless if you've got shares
It's worthless if you've got bonds
It's safe when you've got cash in hand
So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town!
Finance products are confusing
Finance products are so vague
The banks make you bear the cost of risk
So keep out for goodness sake, OH
You'd better watch out
You'd better not cry
You'd better keep cash
I'm telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.
1 comment:
Yes, I saw many of these little shops when I was there. But I dare not take photos of the shops cause I am not sure if the owners like it or not. They have lots of customers and the food looked yummy and spicy.
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