Simon Food Favourites: Cendol

18 April 2012

Nonya: Malaysian, Haymarket, Sydney (11 Apr 2012)

Shop 88, Level 5 (1st Floor), 1 Dixon Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.nonya.net.au (under construction)

Prone to kitchen problems

My first attempt to visit Nonya was met with closed doors due to a sudden kitchen renovation mysteriously just after they’d opened which ended going downstairs to More More Cha. This time when arriving I was told by the menu spruiker downstairs that the kitchen was experiencing kitchen gas problems so there was only three dishes available on the $9.80 menu. I guess it’s better than nothing but it means I didn’t get to try their Char Kway Teow I was hoping for this time. There’s a fair amount of seating but like More More Cha the space looks like it used to be some kind of bar or club so the dining space is a bit scattered around. Service seemed friendly enough and quite young. My pet hate with the place was the placement of the very annoying trolley in the dining area used for cleaning up dishes. You’d expect this in a food court but if Nonya are trying to be a nicer style restaurant then the noise from cleaning the dishes can be unsettling and cheapens the atmosphere.

At first sight the Chicken Curry Nasi Lemak ($9.80) could have been a bit more generous in portions but flavours were surprisingly better than expected. The Hainanese Chicken ($9.80) was tender and moist as hoped, fairly generous in portion and served boneless. It was served with a good assortment of condiments although the rice was a bit on the dry side and there was no side soup which usually comes with such a dish. I’d be happy to order again. For dessert the Ice Kachang ($5 small) was very good. It had a decent amount of flavour from the palm sugar and rose water and was quite easy to mix in bowl. I’m always a fan of palm seeds in the ingredients. The Cendol ($5) was OK but was a bit too heavy on the creamy coconut milk for my liking and would have preferred a bit more palm sugar syrup in it but it had the right ingredients.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Reasonably priced $9.80 menu of the usual classics (when the kitchen is working), Fair amount of seating, Service was fairly efficient and friendly enough

CONS: A noisy dish clean up trolley was located in the dining area, Website still under construction

MUST TRY: Hainanese Chicken Rice, Ice Kachang, Revisiting to try other dishes

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Chicken Curry Nasi Lemak ($9.80)

Hainanese Chicken ($9.80) — unfortunately not served with side soup

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Ice Kachang ($5 small)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Cendol ($5)

$9.80 menu specials

Table order

Seating and decor

Annoying trolley dish clean up area located in dining area near seats which is noisy and unsettling - not very restaurant like more like a food court

A view towards Mamak where you can keep an eye on their lineup

Inside entrance complete with multi-coloured lighting near the ceiling

All Day $9.80 menu deal

The word 'Entrance' stands out more than 'Nonya' which is a bit strange — makes me think the name of the restaurant is Entrance

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25 January 2010

Malacca Straits: Hidden Malaysian Classics, Broadway (23 Jan 2010)

66 Mountain Street, Broadway/Ultimo NSW 2000

(in the courtyard of the Quadrant Building)

http://malaccastraitsbroadway.com

Hidden Malaysian Classics

This restaurant is definitely hidden from the main streets of Broadway in a building complex with only signs at the entrances trying to capture pedestrians passing by. I first found out about this place from a Malaysian friend whose very fussy with his Malaysian dishes and says his mum makes the best Hainanese Chicken in Sydney — I'm still waiting for my invite to his mum's place for lunch though :-). He had his birthday here but I was unavailable although he recommended I try the Chicken Rice and otak otak amongst other dishes. The chicken was juicy and moist and was served with a good chilli/ginger sauce and decent sized side soup. They only serve the leg here so expect the bones and skin with all it's usual fatty content — probably up there with Sayong's Chicken Rice. I thought the Otak Otak was very good as well and one of the best I've tried so far — full of flavour, moist and tasty.

The owner recommended we try the Fried Radish Cake which had a good char factor while the radish pieces remained soft with a gnocchi like consistency. The Murtabak was OK but from memory I still prefer the version I've tried at Java in Randwick. The Chicken Satay was flavoursome and came with slices of cucumber, onion and a good peanut sauce. I'm still waiting to find a place in Sydney that serves it with the traditional compressed rice cubes though. The Har Mee was OK but lacked the robust flavour I prefer at Malay-Chinese which I'd say is one of the best in Sydney — gotta love the pork crackling they sprinkle on top too. On such a hot day with no aircon in the restaurant (authentic Malaysian experience) we had to try the desserts. The ABC looked pretty good on the menu but I was disappointed when it arrived. I was thinking where's the rest of it? It's pretty small and hoped it would be closer in size like LNC Dessert House or Little Singapore — I guess you can't expect much for $5. I really liked the Pandan-flavoured Crepe with the toasted coconut inside, although keep in mind you only get one for $5.

Interesting enough the owners dad who works in the kitchen used to be an Executive Chef for Malaysian Airlines and also worked for the original The Malaya when it used to be in Haymarket on George Street before moving to Cockle Bay. Also his mum used to work for Malay-Chinese so the kitchen is well experienced. I'm keen to try other dishes so I can compare to Alice's in Thornleigh which is one of my favourite Malaysian bench-mark restaurants for the hawker style classics. The new restaurant owner has been operating for about 4 weeks and plans to focus more on the Malaysian cuisine rather than the Thai.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Quite area, Authentic-like, Reasonable prices

CONS: Hidden, No air conditioning, Small sized desserts

MUST TRY: Otak Otak, Chicken Rice, Fried Radish Cake

NEXT TIME: Char Koay Teow, Laksa, Wat Tan Hor, Assam Ikan

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Other places tried for Chicken Rice:
• Singapore Shiok!* - 29 Sept 2010
• Malacca Straits - 23 Jan 2010
• Yummy Chinese - 20 Jan 2010
• Laksa House - 24 Sept 2009
• Laksa King - 16 Sept 2009
• Malaysian Food House - 18 Aug 2009
• Malay-Chinese Takeaway - 6 Aug 2009
• Mc Lucksa - 5 Aug 2009
• Jaya Malaysian - 29 July 2009
• Sayong Curry & Laksa Malaysian Cuisine - 22 July 2009
• KL Kopitiam Malaysian Cuisine - 19 Oct 2009