REALITY BITES
The changing face of Bangsar’s Telawi Ville.

Shock and horror! Bangsar’s trendy wine bars and gastropubs are jostling for elbow space with…banana leaf restaurants! Once the enclave of expats, SPG’s, the trendy, moneyed and restless, the popular Bangsar Baru neighbourhood (or more specifically, the Telawi area a.k.a. ‘The Strip’), now sees more colourful local presence. Blame it on the influence of the Sunday pasar malam or the state of the economy. But don’t deny the inroads the humble eatery is making into the once sacrosanct domain of haute bistros.

Snobs and yuppies may lament but true foodies are more than thrilled to have new spots at which to get ‘real’ food. Michael, a hotshot young entrepreneur, says, “It’s great to be able to get some choice now. Before, you’d be forced to cough up quite a few bucks just to get a mediocre so-called gourmet sandwich and maybe pay RM10 for an iced lemon tea at a bistro. Now, it’s great to be able to eat a proper meal without spending too much. The bottom line is, the food probably tastes better anyway!” Many locals echo Michael’s sentiments. Kay, a longtime Bangsar resident says, “Bangsar has and always will be a great place for food – good local food. From the shops and stalls in Lucky Garden to the famous vadai lady along Telawi road, it’s great to have more local food spots back in the neighbourhood.”

While no one is really taking potshots at the upscale joints (and most do serve decent chow), many have lamented the lack of authenticity or simply character at these places. What with the opening of the super-popular Nirvana Maju banana leaf restaurant to the new kid on the block, Saravana Bhavan, an Indian vegetarian restaurant which has outlets all over the world, from Canada to the UAE, it would seem that Bangsar is hungry for something new – and it’s looking east this time.