The new Acha Curry House in SS2 Petaling Jaya spots a brighter façade from its former premise in Jalan Gasing. I visited them a couple of months back with some friends, who are fans of the sambal ikan bilis at Acha Curry House.
Acha Curry House’s sambal ikan bilis
I reckon that’s one of the appeals of Acha Curry House as patrons would ask for additional portion of this sought-after banana leaf rice condiment. Curries are pretty standard – there’s fish, chicken, dhal and salted fish curry to add onto your rice.
Salted fish curry
My preferred combo: salted fish + chicken curry
My usual combination is chicken and salted fish, and “banjir”. Acha’s curries aren’t the thick and rich type, but they taste decent and pack enough heat. We shared an order of fried fish (tenggiri), deep fried bittergourd, fried squid and mutton varuval.
Fried tenggiri
Acha Curry House does pretty good fried fish from my experiences with them in the old and new outlet. The fish is fried just right so the flesh is moist and the exterior is crisp. My gripe about many banana leaf rice places is that they cook the fish to death, so the fish is as dry as jerky.
Mutton varuval
The mutton varuval is milder than I’d like it to be but the meat is tender and falling off the bone. I prefer my varuval more robust so Acha’s version isn’t my kind of thing. Their fried squid is lightly seasoned and deep fried, so you taste the squid rather than batter.
Fried squid
If you’re looking for “oomph” in your squid, you won’t get it at Acha Curry House. But if you’re looking for simple fried squid to complement your banana leaf rice experience, you’ll probably like what Acha has to offer. So it depends on your personal preference, really.
Fried bittergourd
Jien and I like the fried bittergourd from Acha Curry House – it’s crispy and moreish, and goes well with curry and rice. The appeal of Acha I reckon is the fact that they don’t over-fry or over-season their items so you can still taste the flavours of the ingredients like fish, squid and vegetables.
Overall, a decent banana leaf rice experience. Prices are reasonable if I remember correctly. We paid about RM100 for four pax inclusive of two drinks each. The new location is more comfortable but it’s also more crowded so I suggest you get there before noon to score a table.
Best to go before noon to get a table. Else, be prepared to queue.
If you’re a slow eater, you might feel pressured to finish your meal quickly as the staff tends to clear your table while you’re finishing up as a hint for you to “bugger off” without actually asking you to do so.
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Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: Best to go early to secure a table. I recommend ordering the fried tenggiri and bittergourd.
Acha Curry House
42, Jalan SS 2/4a,
SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 012-339 2728
Business hours: 10.30am till 4.30pm