PETALING JAYA, June 12 — PJ fans of The Ganga Cafe's wholesome Indian vegetarian food no longer have to trudge to Bangsar as the cafe has just opened a second outlet in the Seapark area.
Since they first opened in 2014, they have won over many — including diehard meatarians — with their delicious food.
Chef/owner Meeta Sheth, together with her husband Prabodh, opened up their hearts to serve food cooked without any artificial colouring, MSG or eggs. Devout Buddhists can also specially request meals cooked without any onions and garlic.
Currently, the new outlet is serving a scaled-down pre-launch menu as they are still in their soft opening stage.
Throughout the day, they will be serving two choices of thali — standard and a G-light version. You can opt for brown rice or chapati with the thali set.
Staples like nasi lemak, murtabak and mee goreng are also available. There's also the Hyderabad dum biryani with its fluffy rice grains scented with cumin and layered with mixed vegetables.
Of course, one must tuck into their made-to-order thosai, naan and roti. Snacks such as pakora, pani poori and aloo chaat are also available.
A full menu will be introduced after their grand opening slated for June 21. This would include their crowd favourite, the Tawa Masala Sizzler served on a hotplate where ladies fingers curry is paired with vegetables, cottage cheese curry and cumin rice.
In addition, Meeta will be including a small selection of Western vegetarian items, popularised at Barat, their sister restaurant. This includes their roast pumpkin soup, creamy avocado sandwich and a Mediterranean vege burger.
And for future Sundays, look forward to The Ganga Cafe's iconic buffet spread. Meeta tells us that they will definitely start offering their vegetarian buffet once they are settled in.
So why Seapark? "I like a challenge," Meeta said with a smile. What she noticed at their Bangsar outlet was their clientele were mainly Chinese and Europeans. She added, "We thought why don't we open here rather than Mont Kiara or Brickfields."
Unfamiliar with the area, Meeta took the time to survey the surroundings and discovered there's a gap here for The Ganga Cafe. "We see a synergy as there's no proper Indian vegetarian restaurant around here."
At the end of April, this shoplot landed on their laps. Previously another restaurant, Meeta even inherited their furniture.
After some renovations, they opened their doors this week. With a bigger kitchen space here compared to Bangsar, Meeta also has plans to do catering.
The Ganga Cafe, 24, Jalan 21/19, Sea Park, Petaling Jaya. Open daily from 10am to 10pm. Tel: 03-7494 3826. https://www.facebook.com/thegangacafe/
