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Sempalit curry chicken is new to me — it was only a few weeks ago that I heard about it from my in-laws and a colleague of rif, who comes from Raub. According to them, the curry chicken from that town is laden with spices and worth the trip. When the owner of this famous chicken curry establishment opened a shop in Bangsar, I was very excited to give the place a try.

KariGuys opened in Lucky Garden a few months ago, by the same family whose grandfather started the original outlet in Raub. The star of the show is of course the Kari Chicken Sempalit, family recipe of blended spices, curry leaches and coconut milk. Unlike most chicken curries I’ve tried, this one is more diluted, said to cater to the Chinese community at that time.

I haven’t tried the original one from Raub (rif has) but this one didn’t knock my socks off. It was fairly tasty, but I prefer the chicken curry from Ratha’s. Those who grew up in that town would probably have a different opinion about this curry. Good thing is, it isn’t overly spicy so this is a curry that caters to everyone.

We also tried the Sempalit fried chicken, marinated in 8 types of spices for 12 hours and deep fried to crispy perfection. This was pretty good — the chicken was well seasoned and juicy within. Also decent was the Sempalit Mutton Peratal, a spice laden dish of tender mutton cubes.

The squid sambal looked good but it somehow lacked that rich flavour often found in squid dishes. This was spicy with a sweet undertone from the onions. The dinner set comes with a drink and two vegetable sides — we had the sambal brinjal, thai style beancurd, curried potatoes and stir-fried cabbage. Try the brinjal and potatoes; these were good when I had them.

You get a choice of lemon tea or lemongrass tea with the set — boiled using natural ingredients and served without sugar. You can opt to have it just like that or use the syrup provided on your table to cater to your preferred sweetness.

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Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Decent curries, but I like the Sempalit fried chicken better.

KariGuys
24, Lorong Ara Kiri 2,
Lucky Garden,
Bangsar
Tel: 03-2201 9388
Business hours: 8am till 9pm daily.
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