Arumugam Tandoori

Just looking at this makes my mouth water...

Type of food: Indian
Signature dish: Tandoori Chicken
Location: Jalan 5, One Ampang Avenue, 68000 Ampang, Selangor.
Add. Directions: The stall is next to Galeri Guitar and directly opposite Ampang Point, near Empire Furniture Gallery or Little Korea as some may know it!
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/K84TZ
Opening Hours: 6:30p.m. to 11.00p.m., All days
Contact: 012-354 5624
Other: Halal.

My father tells me that Ampang, aside from Yong Tau Foo, used to be famous for Tandoori Chicken. It was the grand heyday at Naan Corner beside SPCA, until well... the dark days of precooked, microwave heated tandoori. Those days are gone sadly.

There, you're looking at Ampang Point right ahead.

But fret not! There is another Tandoori joint that has taken up the mantle, and is more than doing its part to uphold the grand tradition of fantastic Tandoori. That man is Arumugam.

His tandoori chicken (RM4.50) is to die for. I've eaten tandoori at every single Indian joint I've come across, from Petaling Jaya to Melaka; from hotels to five foot ways; from Malaysia to London; from... ok ok you get the point. Basically, the tandoori chicken here is the best I've ever tasted.

It merits starting a new paragraph. Roasted in a metal box which contains a clay tandoor in it,the meat is super tender. When you bite into it, meat tears away from the bone like a girl in a James Bond movie taking off her jacket. The meat is so juicy at times that it has a Xiao Long Pao/ Onde-Onde feel: juice bursts out and makes for a wonderful sensation in your mouth. The marinade is tasty and really flavourful, that deep red is one of the most beautiful colours I've seen. (But then again, vibrant, natural colour in food is something I can't help but love). But one thing that really stands out is the moistness. Many tandoori joints turn up dry chicken, but here it is almost always moist!

I think the secret is that the tandoori here is marinaded, roasted and served before your eyes. The charcoal they use give a wonderful smoky and natural aroma to the chicken as well, and with a dash of line juice, MUAH! A true experience in every sense of the word.

Garlic Butter Naan!

The naan (plain: RM1.50) is really great too. The bread is fluffy, thin enough to be light, thick enough to give it good bite. All of my friends I've brought here have come back raving and raring to go again. That includes Indians too ok, just in case you were about to dispute its authenticity. Heh. You can have naan with garlic, cheese, onion and butter or all of the mentioned too!

Spinach (RM3.00)

Also good is the spinach. The spinach (RM3.00) is a nice, subtle blend of cheese and spinach, and makes a very good accompaniment to the naan. My brother calls it baby food. Well if baby food tasted so good when mixed with naan, then hit me baby one more time!

Mix Vege ( RM3.00)

The mix vege (RM3.00) is also one of my favourites. I'm not sure what they put into the sauce, but the light spice-filled gravy yet again is a wonderful marriage when used as a dip for the naan.

Tenggiri Tandoori

Sometimes though, the chicken can be a bit drier than usual, though still far more moist than the usual fare at other establishments.There is also some really succulent tandoori fish (RM8.00) with the same tandoori marinade if you are a fish lover out there! Overall, Arumugam's is one of those joints you just keep coming back to, again and again and again. Definitely worth a try!

Arumugam Tandoori
Taste: 9.5/10 - Simply the best.
Value: 9/10 - Very reasonable prices, and again, you can't get tandoori like this just anywhere!
Health: 9/10- Lots of veggie dishes and tandoori is all natural!
Overall: 5/5 durians! A full score, meaning it's last meal on earth worthy!