Sri Lankan ‘lamprais’ is the headline act at the historic UMAC House in Petaling Jaya

PETALING JAYA, Dec 24 — Almost a decade ago, we featured UMAC (University of Malaya Academic Club) House as the final part of our Secret Eats series.

Back then, they served primarily banana leaf rice, but over the years, the offerings have changed significantly.

Initially, adapting to the pandemic meant offering dishes that travel well, for delivery or takeaway.

Around that time, the arrival of a new chef from Sri Lanka also meant dishes like lamprais started appearing on the menu in addition to the existing Southern Indian offerings.

The result is a drastically different menu featuring a wide variety of dishes from odiyal kool to keema thosai.

Plenty of curries, masalas and varuvals remain from the banana leaf days, all of which can be ordered with rice, vegetables and pappadam, but don’t expect classic banana leaf-style service.

The bungalow — as hidden as ever — is just off Jalan Profesor Diraja Ungku Aziz (previously Jalan Universiti) and is surrounded by lush greenery.

Old as it may be, the place has yet to lose its charm, and it proved a scenic setting for lunch on a weekend.

The idyllic setting of the colonial-era bungalow.

Front and centre on their specials is lamprais (RM29.90), a Sri Lankan dish that traces its roots to the country’s Dutch Burgher population, an ethnic group of mixed Dutch, Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankan descent.

I first tried this dish about three years ago, courtesy of one of the many home-based food businesses that popped up during the pandemic.

I can still recall staring — with a mixture of wonder and trepidation — at the massive lump of rice, meat, vegetables and curries, all wrapped in banana leaves, before devouring the entire parcel on my own with little restraint.

The version at UMAC House comes with chicken masala, both vegetable and mutton paalkari, a fish cutlet and a boiled egg.

The covered seating area, with indoor seating to the left and the smoking area to the right.

Condiments include a spicy eggplant pickle, maasi sambal and coconut belacan.

While the chicken and mutton were both seasoned very well, I could not get enough of the maasi sambal and coconut belacan.

Maasi is a type of cured tuna known as Maldives fish and is shredded into a floss in this sambal.

Mixed throughout the lamprais, it gives a welcome hit of savouriness that tempers the spice and heat coming from other ingredients, like the coconut belacan, which leaned toward spicy rather than savoury. This, too, I devoured single-handedly.

'Keema thosai' is another highlight on the menu here.

Also on their specials is keema thosai (RM13.90 with chicken), where your choice of chicken or mutton mince is fried with a mixture of egg, vegetables and ghee, then stuffed in a thosai and served with coconut chutney and curry.

It arrived sporting a beautiful golden-brown crust, which was remarkably evenly coloured all across and broke under the slightest bit of pressure from the spoon.

Inside, the chicken, egg and vegetable mixture was packed full of flavour, and the thicker, softer part of the thosai proved an effective sponge to absorb all of that flavour.

Cool and refreshing, the coconut chutney was the perfect pairing.

'Kizhi parotta' was filled with moreish mutton.

Kizhi parotta (RM18 with mutton) is a steamed, soft flatbread that resembles roti prata and is stuffed with your choice of chicken masala, mutton paalkari or fish poriyal.

While I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of tender, delicious mutton, I felt the parotta itself could have been flakier.

Instead, the steaming process in the banana leaves rendered it rather doughy, which diminished the overall texture for me.

Finally, there was the crab masala (RM89.90, seasonal price).

The crab 'masala' here is a real gem.

There’s no two ways about it — get in there and get your hands dirty, it’s only the right thing to do.

There was plenty of sweet, sweet meat in the decently sized mud crab, and the curry was a delight. Notes of tomato and onion come through, which makes for a tangy, sweet and mildly spicy experience.

Ladled over spoonfuls of lamprais and keema thosai, it was a flavour bomb that left me more than satisfied.

The gate to UMAC house.

The place started to get busy around noon as we finished our meal, with plenty of families out for a weekend meal in the sun.

It’s been a long nine years since UMAC House first graced our pages, and they seem to be still going strong.

UMAC House

1, Jalan 12/5, Pjs 12, Petaling Jaya.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am-11pm

Tel: 012-952 1822

Facebook: @UMAC-House

*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

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