Tucked away within the market-place food-court of Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya, Gerai Makanan Usha is well known amongst the locals frequenting the premises for its South Indian culinary fare. Expect the standard fare of South Indian cuisine but with a unique twist up their sleeve when patronising Usha's stall.
Despite being a rather small stall by usual standards, the shop is more than capable in holding its ground when it comes to placating the overwhelming demands of hungry patrons and by overwhelming, we meant having to deal with no less than a horde of Indian food aficionados.
Being an Indian restaurant in PJ meant two things: one - banana leaf is a given; two - a multitude of curry derived dishes are present and Usha's banana leaf cuisine delivers both. For starters, patrons will be allocated a serving of rice along with different vegetable dishes ranging from the ever-delectable chutney to cucumber raita, cabbages and potatoes, just to name a few. Additionally, patrons can then opt for a serving of their preferred curry dishes and as mentioned before, Usha boasts quite an extensive list of curry. Fresh from the farms and meadows and cooked along with tonnes of Indian herbs and spices as well as coconut milk, Usha's chicken and mutton curry are largely available in steel vats, while their spicy seafood curry ranges from fish to prawn curry, with the occasional appearance of decadent crab curry. Interesting enough to pique your interest for banana leaf? We fervently hope so. Oh, before we forget, be sure to accompany your banana leaf experience with a serving of deep fried bitter-gourd as well as papadams.
Home-cooked and best of all, cheaper than its competitors, the food fare provided by the stall is well-rounded in general but don't go there expecting yourself to be surrounded by a cosy ambience. It's far from that but rest assured, the culinary experience will make up for more than what the ambience entails.
