Springleaf has always been better known for Springleaf Prata Place when it comes to mamak establishments in that particular neighbourhood, but wandering off slightly down the opposite direction and one will find Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant — a seemingly low profile establishment as compared to the better known Springleaf Prata Place that also serves up Roti Prata, Dosai, Goreng and Meals (i.e. cooked seafood and meat dishes, including various Dum Briyani). Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant also does seemingly have a rotating specials menu with one fixed special item served on each day of the week — beverages available here includes the usual suspects ranging from various teas and coffees to various types of syrups; pretty much the standard with such mamak-style establishments.

Truth to be told, I was drawn to Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant one evening after a meal at Springleaf Prata Place — noticed a table that they have yet to clear with a metal plate typically used to serve Roti Prata with one of the sections being filled up with sambal whilst the rest contained curry. Everyone likes their Roti Prata done differently and saying whether if the one at Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is good or not is a whole other rabbit hole that I don’t really want to explore, but some may find this akin to the typical Roti Prata elsewhere — the crispness of the Roti Prata doesn’t seem to be much of what they are going for here, but the Roti Prata here does have some sort of tension that requires a little effort to pull apart; probably not so much towards the liking for some who are fans of the crispy sort of Roti Prata that Springleaf Prata Place puts out. One thing for sure though is that the dough does come with and an evident whiff of fragrance that made it pretty appealing to have. Have attempted to ask about the three different dips they had provided with the order but it was either them having difficulties understanding me or if they just weren’t the very friendly sort (maybe both) and didn’t get an answer to what are those — that being said I am guessing that one is a sardine curry, while another is a sambal with anchovies; some have called the last dip a dhal but I am not too sure. Whilst I am one who rarely dabble into the realms of Indian curry and sauces, my Chinese-y taste buds were actually pretty receptive to all three dips served; usually there would be one or more that doesn’t quite hit the spot. Some may have commented the sardine curry being a tad watered down but I do think it is sufficiently flavourful — probably a mismatch of expectations that curries have to be especially rich; the sardine curry was actually pretty easy to have being lighter, though comes with a distinct fishy note typical of canned sardines in its finish. The “dhal” (which I personally think isn’t what it is, but let’s just call it what others think it is because I don’t know any better) would suit those looking for a thicker, heavy sort of “curry” — I would say that this dip actually tastes closer to chicken curry, and their rendition does come with an evident hint of spices in the finish. The highlight for me would have been the sambal with anchovies — largely sweet, but also slightly saltish especially when one have the anchovies together with the sambal, this was pretty delightful and a bit of a fresh change to me as opposed to having Roti Prata with the usual curry; I am definitely all in to discover more places around the island that actually serves their Roti Prata with sambal.

It is probably unfair to compare Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant against Springleaf Prata Place, though with the prices charged here for the Roti Prata Plain at $1.30/piece, the prices are very similar to that of Springleaf Prata Place who charges their Plain Prata at $1.40/piece. That being said, one may argue that Springleaf Prata Place is a bit of a modern rendition of a mamak-establishment that has since poised itself to welcome the masses — perhaps some may call it gentrified especially considering their inventive and wacky creations since a number of years ago. Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is that sort of establishment that stays true to its roots however, and it’s clientele shows as well. Whilst I am not one who is able to comment on how authentic each establishment is, nor whether if the dips that are served with the Roti Prata at Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant are even good to begin with, they do fit well to my preferences. Still, I would probably need to check out more spots to say to widen the perspective; though Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is a spot I may consider if I am craving for Roti Prata that comes served with sambal given its proximity from my place by train — if I am not feeling like I want to “Springleaf Prata” of course.