Ever heard of the adage ‘the name maketh the man’? Well, maybe we made that up, but the owners of Aroma in Brickfields definitely chose the right name to reflect their eatery. As soon as my photographer and I opened the glass door, a heady scent of spices, pepper and masala immediately started to awaken our senses — we knew then that we were in for an awesome treat.
Indian food is the soul of this writer’s roots, so it takes a lot to impress. Not to be biased but Aroma was literally an experience to remember — even for me. Pritha Nair, who is the manager of the restaurant, was there to greet us and have a “short chat” about Aroma before we tasted the food. That short chat ended up becoming a 2-hour long conversation on life, food and all things Indian!
However, let’s not forget the highlight of the day — the food. We started with a very appetising and subtly spicy crab soup, which had a pretty crab claw as deco too! The soup was peppery, savoury and so appetising that I ended up hungrier than when I arrived at the restaurant. Pritha told us that most Indian restaurants serve crab rasam instead of crab soup, and we could definitely taste the difference in flavour and texture
Next up: fish biryani. Boy oh boy, if these were the Shakespearian days, I would have written sonnets about this small claypot of aromatic heaven. This is probably the dish that gave Aromas its name. The rice was fluffy and fragrant, and the spices used for the biryani were authentic and tasty. The fish was perfectly cooked — flaky and soft at the same time.
The fish biryani went well with the palak paneer jalfreezi, a mild cottage cheese dish with a smooth and creamy spinach-and-yoghurt base. Its creaminess complemented the biryani well, and Pritha told us that the palak paneer dish is one of the restaurant’s most requested dishes.
Then came the star of the day on a sizzling hot plate — Aroma’s renowned prawn tandoori dish. The distinct smoky scent that can only be associated with tandoori dishes was an invitation to dig in. The prawns were fresh and juicy, as prawns should only ever be, and they were well marinated in the tandoori paste. Aromas calls this its prized possession, and we could definitely understand why!
We paired the prawn tandoori with dhal kulcha, a kind of stuffed bread filled with spiced lentils. The mix of flavours were a treat for our tongues! The bread was a great accompaniment to the tandoori, as it was crispy on the outside and was filled with a generous amount of a mildly spicy lentil mix.
That wasn’t all! Desserts were on the cards, and we were served a delightful cup of gulab jamun with a side of vanilla ice cream. Usually Malaysian restaurants tend to tone down on the sugariness of desserts and sweet meats, but this one did not stinge on the sugar! It was very authentically Indian, and the scoop of ice-cream sweetened the deal even more.
Before we stepped out of Aroma, Pritha asked us, “When are you all coming back again?”…we can definitely say very soon!
Aroma Restaurant (Brickfields)
Address: Aroma Brickfields, No. 19, Jalan Travers, Brickfields, KL
Opening hours: Mo – Su, 10.00am to 11.00pm
Click here to order online
If she’s not busy writing, Yogeetha is usually researching fan theories about Game of Thrones characters or having a cup of coffee in solitude. Also, she loves doughnuts as much as she loves puppies!
