素香蕉葉飯 Banana Leaf Rice & 印度拉茶 Teh Tarik @ GEM Banana Leaf in The 19 USJ Mall

4.May Lunch

Day 415 MCO 行動管制領 Covid-19   

@ GEM Banana Leaf in The 19 USJ Mall (click here to Google Map)
G31, Ground Floor, The 19 USJ City Mall, USJ 19, 47630 Subang Jaya, Selangor
GPS Location: 3°02'00.3"N 101°35'20.2"E 
素香蕉葉飯 Banana Leaf Rice rm$8 👍😋 6/10
印度拉茶 Teh Tarik rm$2.10 👍😋 6/10
Total bill: rm$10.10
Budget: rm$10 - rm$20+
Payment: Cash  
Cuisine: South Indian food

Pork free: No Pork, Chicken, Fish, Mutton dishes

Alcohol free: Yes

Air-Conditioning in Restaurant: Yes

Internet Wifi speed: N/A

Digital Nomad Work-friendly Cafe: No

Electrical outlets for Digital Device: No

Free Drinking Water: No

Menu prices: Net  

Order & Delivery: Table Service

On-line Delivery Service: FoodPanda

Indoor Seating tables: at least 25+tables 2-4ppl/table

Outdoor Seating: at least 15+tables 2-4ppl/table  

Drive Through: No

Take away : Yes

Dine-in: Yes

Happy Hour: N/A

Parking: MPSJ or Private Mall Parking rm$1/hour

Photos taken using: Samsung Note 8
Thoughts: Besides the "Matahari - Grocery", "Ekopharma - Pharamceutical", and "Pos Malaysia - Post Office", the used-to-be "USJ 19 Digital Mall" probably have more "Makan place" than "Digital Accessories shops". Today, found at least the following Eat & Drink spots in the Mall:

Pork & Beer - Swine Grocer https://www.facebook.com/swinegrocermy/ (Opened Jan, 2021)

Noodles, Steamed Chicken - 等記 Little Eat Shop https://www.facebook.com/littleeatshop/ (Openend Nov, 2019)

Nasi Kandar - Restoran Kayu Manis Nasi Kandar https://www.facebook.com/kayumanis

Hot Pot - 小龍行江湖老火鍋 https://www.facebook.com/xiaolongxingjianghuusj19/ (Openend May, 2020)

Roasted, Noodles/Rice - 馬來冰室 https://www.facebook.com/cafe1957/ (Opened Sept, 2020)
Seafood - 十九鲜 19 Seafood Restaurant https://www.facebook.com/19seafoodrestaurant/ (Openend Dec ,2019)
Burger - 漢堡王 Burger King https://www.facebook.com/Burger-King-USJ19/ (Before 2017)

Gastropub - 光 Guang (Dine, Sake, Belong) https://www.facebook.com/guangbar/ (May, 2019)

Dim Sum & Seafood - 御寶海鮮酒家 Yu Bao Seafood https://www.facebook.com/YuBao/ (Aug, 2019)

Except for "等記 Little Eat Shop" visited 23.08.2020 (during CMCO period) for its "百斬雞河粉 Steamed Chicken Hor Fun" with very positive experience. And Burger King's one time visit was 03.04.2017, and this Fast Food joint is probably the longest surviving eatery at the Mall. 

There are 3 ways to park your vehicle here:

Mall Parking (rm$1/hour) via Cash or Touch&Go

MPSJ Parking (rm$0.50/hour)

Behind the Mall ("Free" Park at your own risk) enter via Persiaran Subang Damai

GEM Banana Leaf offers both the set 香蕉葉飯 Banana Leaf rice as well as 印度香飯 Briyani Rice (雞肉 Chicken, 羊肉 Mutton, 素 Vegetarian and 海鮮 Seafood) with 30+ dishes to choose from their food counter. Should have tried their 新鮮牛奶 Fresh Cow Milk, or GEM 特色茶 special Tea instead of the Teh Tairk! The rm$8 GEM Banana Leaf comes with 4 vegetables, 1 乾辣椒 dry chili, 印度胡椒番茄湯 rasam, 印度飛餅 pappadam, and white rice (price is a little expensive for the combination on the banana leaf). 

Known Banana Leaf rice destinations in USJ:

USJ 01 - Richfield Curry House (in operation as of today) ***
USJ 01 - Aunty Manjus (not sure this one is still around)
USJ 04 - Moorthy's Mathai (in operation as of today) ***

USJ 09 - Sri Nirwana Maju (in operation as of today) ***
USJ 10 - The Malaysian Banana Leaf Restaurant (unfortunately closed recently)

USJ 19 - GEM Banana Leaf (in operation as of today) ***

USJ 21 - USJ21 Economy Banana Leaf Rice (I think maybe temporary closed)

The dish "塔哩印度料理 Indian Thali", originally from 南印度料理 South India, the dish consists of plain rice, with three or four different vegetable dishes served on a banana leaf. The dish is enhanced with 印度酸辣醬 chutneys, 印度醃漬物 pickles and the diner's choice of fish, chicken and even a variety of curry and 扁豆咖哩 dhall poured over the white rice. Banana leaf rice would not be complete without the crunchy 印度飛餅 pappadam, a dry whole chili, finally with the 印度胡椒番茄湯 sour rasam and 酸奶 yogurt. Yogurt is said to be for cooling the body after consuming the spicy curry flavors. "塔哩印度料理 Indian Thaili" or better known to Malaysians as "香蕉葉飯 Banana Leaf Rice" came to Malaysia through the migration of  Indians to Malaysia. 

Food today: 6 / 10 👍😋
Price: 4 / 10 😐😐
Value for Money: 5.5 / 10 😏
Service: 6 / 10 👍
Ambiance: 5.5 / 10 👍
Parking: 7 / 10 👍👍 (Mall parking)
LRT/MRT/BRT/MTR Transport:  7.5 / 10 👍👍 (150m from Wawasan LRT station)
Website: not found
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GEM-Banana-Leaf-USJ-19/
Telephone: +603-8081 5252

Operation hours: 08:00am - 10:00pm (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)

Operation hours: 09:00am - 11:00pm (Tue, Thur, Sat)

素香蕉葉飯 Banana Leaf Rice rm$8 & 印度拉茶 Teh Tarik rm$2.10

The Menu

  

The South Indian Restaurant

  

@ GEM Banana Leaf in The 19 USJ Mall