KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — When it comes to restaurants serving family-style Malaysian food, Plaza Damansara is a desert.

Instead, the area is peppered with watering holes and restaurants representing the other side of the world, like Italy, Sri Lanka, France, Japan, Mexico and the list goes on.

You do get local fare but it's casual spots like Nasi Lemak Tanglin, the mamak stalls and food trucks.

Hence, GulaiNya feels like a breath of fresh air in the neighbourhood, especially if you're seeking a comfortable place to feed your family.

The menu is reflective of Malaysia's melting pot of cultures. There are Peranakan favourites like Ayam Pongteh and Gulai Tumis Ikan sitting alongside local favourites like Salted Egg Sotong and Asam Sambal Petai .

There's even a sprinkle of Thai with Mango Kerabu and Pandan Chicken too.

It's also refreshing to see how vegetarians aren't left out. With some signature items, you can swap the meat with vegan protein.

As they don't serve pork, chicken, mutton and seafood take centrestage. A surprise addition is venison.

Since they're still in their soft opening stage, some menu items are unavailable. For instance, only the Cendol is available for desserts.

As GulaiNya just opened, not many know of its existence yet — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
As GulaiNya just opened, not many know of its existence yet — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

GulaiNya — at least in name — seems to have no relationship with Little Yum Yum, an institution in Kota Damansara for their take on Peranakan food, but one dish gave it all away... Creamy Basil Chicken.

Combined with the presence of Cendol and Gulai Paku — the other signature items one associates with Little Yum Yum which also offers a pork-free menu — one begins to suspect this is no coincidence.

The owner explained that GulaiNya is indeed a sister restaurant of Little Yum Yum. They wanted to venture into this area as many of their regulars live nearby, making it more accessible rather than trekking all the way to Kota Damansara.

Spot GulaiNya from the street, where it's located between Domino's Pizza and Grill Haven — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Spot GulaiNya from the street, where it's located between Domino's Pizza and Grill Haven — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

At GulaiNya, you get additional dishes like Ayam Buah Keluak, Itik Tim and Perut Ikan.

If you live or work around the area, GulaiNya definitely offers more dinner opportunities with bigger groups. For lunch, they hope to capture the appetites of those who work nearby with their upcoming set meals.

Back to that iconic Creamy Basil Chicken (RM28 for regular). It's one dish that wins all the time. After all, who can resist chunky pieces of pan fried chicken mixed with a creamy sauce fragrant with fresh basil leaves.

It's the type of dish where you'll be fighting for that last smear of the sauce with the four angled beans, to finish up your plate of rice.

Somehow, it tastes better if you let the chicken sit in the sauce a little longer.

Of course, you must order the Signature Egg (RM22 for regular). Sure, it's simple but it hits the satisfaction jackpot all the time.

Signature Egg is simple but satisfying with the fluffy fried egg doused with the savoury onion gravy with minced chicken — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Signature Egg is simple but satisfying with the fluffy fried egg doused with the savoury onion gravy with minced chicken — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

Here, fried eggs are boosted with crispy edges and a savoury onion gravy dotted with minced chicken. Runny egg yolks were absent but it still made the clean plate club.

You also have Gulai Paku (RM22 for regular) where fern fronds are served swimming in a bright orange gulai. This is the type of dish, where you flood your rice with the creamy gulai that has just a whisper of chillies to tingle your tongue.

Flood your rice with the Gulai Paku, where fern fronds are paired with creamy, mildly spicy curry — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Flood your rice with the Gulai Paku, where fern fronds are paired with creamy, mildly spicy curry — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

I was tempted to order their Gulai Ikan but since there were only two of us, the Tamarind Prawn (RM48 for regular) was a safer choice.

Tamarind Prawn has fresh prawns coated in a sticky sauce that is not too sour — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Tamarind Prawn has fresh prawns coated in a sticky sauce that is not too sour — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The prawns came coated with a shiny sauce. While you may want to tuck into it straightaway, just wait till it cools down. The sauce thickens and becomes more addictive with each spoonful.

Here, the dark sauce is sweeter than just tamarind sour . As I wanted to scoop up every bit of the sauce, I ended up combining the sauce with my gulai-drenched rice.

The final flourish to your meal has to be their Cendol (RM8.90).

End your meal with a bowl of Cendol with pale green jelly, red beans on a bed of shaved ice flavoured with ‘gula Melaka’ and thick coconut cream — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
End your meal with a bowl of Cendol with pale green jelly, red beans on a bed of shaved ice flavoured with ‘gula Melaka’ and thick coconut cream — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

You get pale green cendol jelly and red beans, served on shaved ice doused with gula Melaka and a dollop of thick coconut cream. Mix it all up for that unique cendol flavour.

I got hints of coconut candy with the soft jelly, making it a great end to that satisfying meal.

GulaiNya, 44-G, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur. Open daily: 11am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Tel:016-5651030.

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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