Aliyaa — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Came here during lunchtime on a weekday but parking was still difficult. Ended up parking up at the side of the road (probably illegally) because there was no proper parking space even after circling the compound for 15 mins.

We had reserved a table for two. My friend and I were interested in ordering The Aliyaa Experience but the way the menu was worded was confusing - said it’s at RM128/pax but for a “minimum of 2 pax”in a group. We thought the set menu was for a far larger group and would be too big of a portion for only two of us. The waiter explained that the portion size would be just nice for two - we found out later when the food arrived that he was right about this, but it did leave us perplexed how this would be enough to feed more than two people (maybe they will increase the portion size if it were served to more? Not sure - but wouldn’t make sense to do so if the price remained at RM128/pax; or if this was ordered by a group larger than two then they would have advised ordering more dishes on the side - which would end up costing way more altogether) May be worth being a bit more transparent and clear about this in the menu.

The Aliyaa Experience came with fish cutlets as starters, followed with rice and an assortment of curries for main and finally a dessert. Each of us ordered a non-alcoholic drink on the side which costed RM15-20. Total bill including tax came up to about RM165/pax.

Was a bit let down by the confusion re the menu but apart from that the restaurant had a nice ambience and service was ok but not great. Price was steeper than expected (was expecting it to come up to maybe RM90-ish/pax instead of RM165) but that might have been because we went for the set menu instead of just ordering dishes from the menu and sacrificing on variety. Food was good but not sure if it was worth the price. Would like to think there are other places in KL that can serve equally good food at a more...

The food, service and atmosphere is top class and worthy of a fine dining establishment. Everything I had was good quality and tasted fine, although some dishes worked better than others.

The meal started on a high note with some complimentary Rasam served in small cups. I'm not sure what type of rasam it was but it may possibly be the tastiest rasam I've ever had. Compliments to the Chef!

The Fish Cutlets were tasty but had a strong fishy aroma, perhaps from the type of fish used? The Lamb Cutlets were better in terms of taste and aroma and I preferred it over the fish.

The stars of the meal for me were the Sambols or salads. The Gottu Kola, Bitter Gourd Salad and Amma's Eggplant Salad were all unique and tasty. All the salads were seasoned with grated coconut and sliced onions. These are ubiquitous of Sri Lankan cuisine and are Highly Recommended. Stir Fried Four Angle Beans were on the Daily Specials and this was very good too.

I found the Fish Sothy to be a little too thick with coconut cream for my liking. It was also lacking some spiciness from green chilies which are usually added. The Drumstick Curry was similarly a little too thick with coconut cream but had a nice sourness. Both would pair nicely with string hoppers.

The Signature Mutton Paal Poriyal was a dry preparation, but I felt it was somewhat mild compared to the spicy and fiery versions in Sri Lanka.

Both the Vegetarian and Chicken Kothu were decent with the choice of String Hoppers. Personally I prefer the Kothu with Roti instead.

Kulaiyal are packets of rice with choice of Vegetables, Chicken, Lamb or Seafood. The Vegetable and Seafood versions we had were decent but I felt the rice ended up rather mushy from the steaming. I'd prefer just plain rice with the dishes, like in a Lamprais packet.

Masala Tea was rather disappointing as it came with frothed milk. Not something I'd expect in a good Sri Lankan tea, and it felt...

One of the best high-end Sri Lankan dining experiences in town. High quality ingredients are used, presentation was upscale in a sharing setting, and I was immediately captivated by the vibrant elephant artwork by the late Yusof Gajah.

The Aliyaa experience is a must try - for rm 128 (min. order 2 sets), the portion is enough to feed 3-4 pax. It gives a good range of signature dishes from Aliyaa that showcases the complex and alluring taste of Sri Lankan food.

The rice, cooked in ghee with cashews and fragrant fried shallots, will make you involuntarily add seconds and thirds to your plate with no care of calories. This accompanied with the various meats and vegetables cooked in different styles (dhal, curry, sambal etc) is such an explosion of flavours.

The set comes with a mutton rasam and we ordered another blue swimmer crab rasam (rm34). Personally, I don’t think the crab rasam is worth it as the taste is similar (cos of the spices in the rasam) and while mutton can be tasted in the Aatakkul rasam, the milder crab taste was lost in the Nandu rasam.

Other side dishes we had:

Crab samosa (comes with set) - nice crab filling, thin samosa Lankan crab cakes (rm24 for 3 pieces) - nice but overpriced for me as it’s really small, the filling is same as the samosa so can skip this if you’re having the set

Leek varai (rm20) - love this dish, this is stir fried leek with grated coconut, super fragrant Pol roti (rm12) - Sri Lankan flat bread, a bit like naan

Lastly, the meal is ended with a very satisfying sweet appam, with sprinkles of gula Melaka and coconut at the top. Although our stomachs were full to the brim by this point, we still managed to finish the appam which was done perfectly and not cloyingly sweet.

Certainly one of the best Sri Lankan restaurants in town. Though the price point is high, it’s a great choice for special occasions or once in a...