Arati Vilas Banana Leaf Restaurant — Restaurant in George Town

If it’s not for the casual and friendly atmosphere I would not have bothered to go back again and again. Sitting at the front porch surrounded by potted plants, colourful and cheerful decor, with a gentle breeze from the street and ceiling fan makes this place an ideal spot for a relax quick bite.

The food is okay. It’s not bad, and it’s not great. The service is very casual. The owners and staff are friendly and recognize their regulars after you’ve been there a few times. However, the downside is the pricing. It is inconsistent and annoying at the least. I always take the same dishes. Steamed plain rice with 2 vegetables and 1 piece of fried chicken. Sometimes I will be charged 12 ringgits. Other times 14 ringgits and today I was charged 15 ringgits! One piece of chicken cost 6 ringgits. And, I have only started eating there this year. It’s like a share market in their pricing! I wonder how much she will write down the price on her piece of paper the next time I go back....

Best kept secret in the area. Not the largest selection of curries but you will find they usually have a large option of veggies available for lunch. The meat and veggie dishes has that home cook feel to them and freshly cooked daily. Daily they have a special cooked rice and weekend there is briyani rice. During the afternoon there is also roti jala and chapathi available. Breakfast here is also great where you can order types of roti or thosai to have with the curry. If you want the ready to eat bihun is also available. You can also get the special apom with sweet coconut milk sauce or eat it with curry. Currently they seem to be closing around 6pm so they might not be opem for dinner now. Usually they open till 10pm and abit later on weekends with the usually beer drinking kakis around. Overall great and cozy neighbourhood makan joint for...

I've eaten here a dozen or so times and what keeps me coming is the ambience and friendliness of the staff.

On the plus side, the food is good - freshly prepared in the morning for lunchtime, and the setting is very pleasant.

However, on the downside, the Indian woman who calculates your bill cannot be trusted.

I have the same thing every time I go and yet her charge varies from RM12 to RM15+

When we eventually challenged her about her random approach to charging she attempted to laugh it off when she couldn't explain it, but I noticed another customer having a go at her for doing the same thing to him.

She might think it's funny overcharging people with white skin but it's simply dishonest.

My partner refuses to eat here anymore because of this.

It's a pity really because otherwise the setting...