March Into Malaya

The night started ditzy enough with yours truly (a Sydneysider of 15 years) actually getting lost somewhere between Wynyard Station and Martin Place and placing a desperate (and embarrassing) call to Billy for help.

With the closing days of the March Into Merivale festival, guilt was setting in that I haven’t actually gone to any events despite enjoying the festival launch and indulging in free food. So the night started off with a plan by Billy to march into Ash St Cellar along with Jen and Richard to give their $33 dinner specials a go.

I admit our enthusiasm for a Merivale meal wasn't terribly high to begin with, evident by how unwilling we were to wait for a table and how excited we got when Billy suggested Bungalow 8's all-you-can-eat mussels as plan B. Unfortunately the ditzy night continued when we were unceremoniously told no mussel pig-out for us because we didn't have a booking (cue blank faces across the board).


Like a flock of sheep without a shepherd, we eventually set upon The Malaya down the road, which, from word-of-mouth, boasted pretty decent Malaysian fare but at extravagant prices (the Mother would've had a heart attack). But with good dinner friends and empty stomachs, we thought we might as well make a night of it.

The Malaya sports a minimal modern decor and an open kitchen that housed more testosterone-centric staff than I could poke a wooden spoon at. The menu mainly consisted of curries and all things spice but my smile turned to a pout as soon as they told us that my favourite Assam Fish wasn’t available. Oh sigh.


Luckily the dinner company was fabulous, which made me forget the numerous misfires. And things definitely looked up once the food made its appearance and we became the usual blogger orgy of cameras and a pack of ravenous wolves.


Entrées were the perennial Malaysian staples. The Malaysian flatbread Roti Canai ($12) was as it should be – crispy on the outside and fluffy and flaky on the inside – best eaten when drenched in the chicken curry accompaniment. Heavenly enough but Mamak still wins in the Roti Canai stakes.


There was no doubt in my mind that I had to order the Popiah ($13) – a dish that I would happily dance for. A soft wheat-flour thin crepe ‘spring-roll’ filled with various textured condiments such as peanuts, turnips or carrots and usually served with a sweet and spicy peanut and hoisin type sauce.

The Malaya’s, however, was more like a Vietnamese rice paper roll mainly filled with bean sprouts and uncharacteristically drenched in sauce. There was apparently chicken, shrimp, shallots and vermicelli in the Popiah but all Billy and I could taste were beansprouts. And the sauce wasn't sweet enough to counteract the taste. I’m all for imaginative interpretation but you can’t mess with a Popiah.


Luckily authenticity wasn't compromised in their Chicken Satay ($18). Oh how it was gloriously juicy, tender, subtly sweet and salty with the essential charcoal flavour and smell. It arrived with a fanfare of a banana leaf pergola and served with what looked like a sweet sambal sauce with a hint of peanut rather than the usual heavy peanut sauce. I may be so bold as to declare this one of the best restaurant satay’s I tasted in Sydney - even if it costed more than $4 for each stick (I think The Mother just fainted in the other room).


Our mains were a feast to look at. Our Kapitan Prawn Curry ($29) was supposed to be fish but we were too hungry to complain. This thick Penang curry was a tad sweet and the prawns, fried with a light batter, didn’t fare so well being soaked and soggy in the curry. But obviously I wasn’t thinking about it as I ate it up without stopping for breath.


The Szechuan Chicken ($25) was a pleasant surprise. Some were unimpressed but I quite enjoyed the mild spice and subtle fragrance in this smoky dish.


The Beef Rendang ($25) was under intense scrutiny as it's one of my favourite dishes and thankfully it won me over. The beef was tender enough to disintegrate under my fork - just the way it should be. And the curry was thick with dry shredded coconut and coconut milk. Beautiful.


Our token vegetable dish was a plate of Chilli Kang Kung ($18) - Asian water spinach fried with chilli, garlic and shrimp paste (belacan). Well it was suppose to be. While the Kang Kung was perfectly cooked, it was a little bland and it arrived in a strange pool of sweet soy sauce and was notably absent of spice, garlic and the trademark taste of Belacan.


The Char Kuey Teow ($22) or Kwai Du as written on the menu looked promising. I don't usually order this famous rice noodle dish outside of Malaysia as frankly, there is nowhere that comes close to authentic. However The Malaya stacks up pretty well. The essential charcoal ‘breath of the wok’ taste sent me in a happy spin but it was in dire need of more salt or soy sauce.


Decent Malay fare? Yes indeed. But maybe only for the odd special occasion. With satisfied bellies we were looking forward to dessert at Lindt Café but alas it was closed and my favourite American Chocolate gelato shake was unavailable from Gelatissimo. And I nearly missed my bus searching for a toilet that wasn’t closed or in repair before spending 30 minutes in agony on the bus. As Suze would say...bah! Luckily for me, the only sure things tonight were fantastic company and a lot of laughs.


The Malaya
29 Lime Street,
King St. Wharf, NSW 2000
02 9279 1170

Lunch: 12-3pm Monday to Saturday
Dinner: 6-9pm Sunday to Monday, 6-10pm Tuesday to Saturday

Reservations are recommended - 10% surcharge on Sundays.


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