Bijan Bar & Restaurant, Jalan Ceylon KL

(Halal)

It was with a sad heart but the gathering also brought happy moments when the group of us met up for Norz's farewell dinner. On July 29, Norz and her family have gone off to Vancouver, Canada...when will we see her next, we don't really know.

We decided to do the dinner at Bijan (meaning "sesame") as I had just gone recently prior to this gathering of ours and thought that it'll be a good place for us to gather. Bijan has been serving good Malay cuisine since September 2003 and was awarded Best Malay Restaurant 2004 by the Tourism Board of Malaysia.

The close up of the KL Tower behind Bijan, lovely night shot!

The facade of Bijan and the back view of the skyline

A shot of the bar area, nice soft lights and good ambiance.

It's a nice place to gather and chat too but somehow, it was a busy night and the place was filled. Luckily I had manage to reserved a table and ordered dishes in advance with the help of the co-owner of Bijan who was most helpful ;o)

Masak Ayam Lemak Dengan Nangka - Chicken pieces simmered in spicy turmeric curry and young jackfruit. We found this curry gravy a bit diluted, hence it wasn't rich enough and wondered if it was because of the jackfruit.

Kerutup Daging - Beef stewed in spiced coconut gravy. This dish was very nice. The beef was tender and the rich gravy was flavourful, making this the crowd favourite.

Sotong Cili Gajus -Baby squids cooked with cashew nuts, onions and curry leaves in a fragrant spicy sauce! This was another dish which we like, the baby squids was not hard to chew on and we love the spiciness of it.

Ikan Siakap Masak Asam Pedas - Sea bass simmered in a tangy chili and tamarind gravy with okras and aubergines. Couldn't comment much as I'm not a fan of fish but I did take lots of the gravy, which I like and loaded it onto my white rice!

Terung Goreng Bercili - Fried eggplant topped with spicy chili paste and shallots. The taste of this was spicy enough but we found the eggplant a bit on the hard side. A couple more minutes would have made this simple dish good.

Pucuk Paku Goreng Tahi Minyak -Wild fern stirred fried with chili, caramelized coconut and shrimps. I have always like Pucuk Paku, and this dish was no exception. It wasn't that oily, which is nice and the bits of coconut make this dish interesting. However for those who like their vegetables savoury, this dish is on the sweet side.

For desserts, Pandan Cendol Ice-Cream - Pandan Ice Cream topped with cendol pieces and palm sugar syrup. Ahhhh....this was lovely, I ate it sparingly and when it melted completely, I drank it all up, pouring the last few drops onto my teaspoon!

We sat around chatting and not really wanting to go off but it was a weekday and eventually we said our goodbyes and look forward to our next hello ;o). Norz, we wish you all the best and may our paths cross again in the near future. Take care of yourself, my dear friend....

"Friends are the most important ingredient in the recipe of life." - Anonymous

Bijan Bar & Restaurant (click HERE for map)
3, Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel :603-2031 3575
Mon-Sat 12pm - 2.30 pm & 6.30 pm - 10.30pm
Sunday - 4.30pm - 10.30pm

Check out Lots of Cravings' review on Bijan too...