Good Food Month: The Malaya $45 menu, King Street Wharf, Sydney (22 Oct 2013)

39 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.themalaya.com.au

Celebrating 50 years in the game

“Dine on the specialised Good Food Month menu for lunch or dinner at participating King Street Wharf venues during October and receive a complimentary beverage. Plus, be rewarded with complimentary movie treats to enjoy at the free outdoor movie sessions!”

Thanks to Jess Guilfoyle from The PR Partnership for inviting me to sample the Good Food Month menu ($45 per person including a drink) at The Malaya as part of the Food Art & Film By The Wharf during October. Four years ago I dined at The Malaya with my Malaysian relatives visiting Sydney which wasn't the most successful dinner but I'm glad to have found a couple of dishes I really enjoyed this time around. The Salt and Pepper King Prawns were my favourite today with fresh chilli, salt, cracked black pepper and shallots. Batter was crispy batter, the prawns were plump and overall was an enjoyable flavour. Hopefully they can achieve this result every time. The Coconut Beef Rendang was another favourite with lots of flavour and tender meat that fell apart easily. Not sure about its authenticity but it was very enjoyable with the steamed rice.

The Chilli Beansprouts and Garlic Chives was nice although I wish it came with more snow peas and shredded Chinese mushroom rather than just being mostly bean sprouts although I guess it's supposed to be a beansprouts dish. The Kapitan Chicken had enjoyable flavours to eat with the rice although best eaten quickly as the batter does lose it's crispiness quickly in the sauce. Being another curry dish I thought it would have been nice to contrast the rendang with perhaps a noodle dish instead for something different. I noticed on the website's set menus you can get the same dishes for $40 but it doesn't include the drink. For a larger meal the Malaya Menu for $50 person includes 3 entrees and 5 mains with rice which sounds like pretty good value and makes it easy for large groups.

King Street Wharf restaurant menu deals:

http://kingstreetwharf.com.au/whats-on/events/food-art-films-by-the-wharf

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Efficient service and kitchen turnaround, Pleasant water view, Curry sauces available for purchase, Some standout dishes

CONS: Service ranged from pleasant and nice to a bit cold and perfunctory, Wasn't offered or served table water during the whole visit and was particularly missed being a hot day

MUST TRY: Salt and Pepper King Prawns, Coconut Beef Rendang

VERDICT: Definitely attracts a business suit crowd and set menus possibly offer the best value to try a few of their signature dishes

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$45 per person menu 

Beer of choice included with the menu is the Tiger Beer 

Salt and Pepper King Prawns with fresh chilli, salt, cracked black pepper and shallots — crispy thin batter, plump prawns, nice flavour 

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chilli Beansprouts and Garlic Chives with snow peas, shredded Chinese mushroom stir-fried with garlic soy sauce and fresh chilli — enjoyable

Coconut Beef Rendang — lots of flavour and tender meat that falls apart

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Kapitan Chicken with lightly batter pieces of chicken thigh fillets — enjoyable flavour 

All dishes cleaned up but would have loved some table water to be offered

Impressive open kitchen

Lots of seating — balcony seats get the water view 

Lots of business lunches here

Curry sauces available to purchase 

Pleasant water view 

Clean toilet although strange to see only one of the urinals has a privacy screen, looks like a couples urinal at the end

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King Street Wharf Festival 2013, Sydney (19 July 2013)

The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.ksw.com.au

Food festival by the wharf

Thanks to Jess Guilfoyle from The PR Partnership for inviting me to the King St Wharf Festival (19 July – 25 July 2013) to sample a few dishes from the restaurant stalls set up along the promenade. Wharf stalls will be selling dishes for $5–$12 per plate for the first two days of the festival between 12 noon and 4 pm. I usually don't like buying dishes from food festival stalls because I've had my fair share of mediocre dishes cooked in makeshift kitchens but sometimes you hit a few gems. I chose my dishes very carefully by checking out all the stalls first to see what was on offer. I liked how all the stalls had a sample of their dishes on display which really helps if you're more a visual person like me. First up I knew I wanted to have the No. 1 special ($12, 2 pieces) from Kobe Jones because I've had these before in the restaurant which are priced at $22 on the a la carte menu. I saw a few already made up but I requested mine to be cooked to order which I think is important for this dish. It had good flavour and texture although I would have preferred to eat with chopsticks than the fork provided.

Next I tried the Petite steak ($12) from Steersons Steakhouse. It was petite in size but thankfully pretty tender and flavoursome. The tasty potato salad on the side was good and if the slices of meat were cut a bit thinner it would have been more elegant to eat without the aid of a knife to cut smaller pieces. There wasn't much salad on the side but a dash of vinaigrette to dress the piece of lettuce and sliced beetroot would have made it just a bit more interesting for the taste buds. The option of some red wine jus over the meat is a good choice to make. For dessert you only have two options from Vessel Italian & Bar and thankfully both were good. The small tub of Tiramisu ($5) had good flavour and an easy one to eat without the need to sit. The Ricotta filled cannoli ($5) was surprisingly very good with a light and delicate crisp casing filled with a tasty smooth creamed ricotta and noticeable vanilla bean throughout. Perhaps a little pricey just for one but it's quality rather than quantity. During my visit it was raining which means all the outdoor promenade seating becomes wet because they're not sheltered. Unfortunately one of the unpredictable pitfalls for outdoor festivals when Mother Nature gets involved.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Was lucky enough to pick dishes that I actually enjoyed, Near the water, A chance to meet some of the chefs from the restaurants, Free live music and entertainment planned

CONS: Weather permitting, No undercover seating if it rains, Stalls are set far apart so it's a bit of a walk to check them all out, Can get a bit pricey if you pick dishes that don't fill you up

MUST TRY: All the four dishes I had were enjoyable but I'd highly recommend the No. 1 special and Tiramisu as my first choices

VERDICT: Potentially an enjoyable and relaxed food festival event although be sure to go on a nice day as wet weather will make it awkward to eat without sheltered seating

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Kobe Jones: No. 1 special ($12, 2 pieces) — good flavour, best cooked to order, served with a fork but chopsticks would probably have been more appropriate

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Looks a bit like a dogs breakfast but tasted good

Would have preferred to use chopsticks to eat

Steersons Steakhouse: Petite steak ($12) — quite tender, flavoursome, tasty potato salad, would have preferred slices a bit thinner to make it easier to eat with the fork
WORTH TRYING :-)

Vessel Italian: Tiramisu ($5) — good flavour, easy to eat on the go
SIMON FAVOURITE :-) 

Vessel Italian: Ricotta filled cannoli ($5) — delicate thin crisp shell cooked well and enjoyable filling
WORTH TRYING :-) 

Win one of six food and beverage vouchers to the value of $250

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