Simon Food Favourites: Malacca Straits

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)

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