Coimbatore Blog

Taste Malaysian cuisine, right here in Coimbatore. Before you get all excited, let me tell you it is pure vegetarian Malaysian food.Clean, well lit and with splashes of colour from rows of multicoloured bowls and plates, the Shivanjali café is Spartan but warm and welcoming.
A healthy start

Every one who has read Fit for Life should know that eating fruits and vegetables at the start of one’s meal is the thing to do.

And, with the spicy peanut sauce (we ordered two refills) the vegetables were polished off before we could say, Kuala Lumpur!

The next course is called Nasi Lemak. It is rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), and served with vegetables. The ingredients that go into Malaysian cuisine are similar to Thai fare with galangal, lemon grass, etc. And, Uma is now growing them right here. So, everything is garden fresh. We then try Curry Laksa that is vegetables, noodles and coconut curry that is eaten with steamed rice. Hot, tasty and filling, it is a complete meal. The rates are more than reasonable.

An added dimension is that the restaurant contributes towards empowering women. Most of those employed here have had difficult lives and the work here has been a source of great strength to them. It is always nice to be a part of any humanitarian movement, and when you eat here, you are helping a good cause.

Talking of things good - the desserts. The one we tried was called Bubur Chacha, a concoction of sago, palm sugar, coconut milk and, here is the interesting bit, cubes of sweet potato. We have it cold and refreshing, though you could also have it piping hot.

The café also parcels your food and caters for private parties. Closed on Mondays, it is located at No 3 New Thillai Nagar, PN Pudur. For details call 0422-2438255/9894750777.