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Malaysian

Ho Jiak

Malaysian cuisine was the first I ever fell in love with. It cemented my now-undying love for street food, and was the catalyst for my first ever overseas with friends. And although I don’t have it nearly as often these days, having gotten the obsession out of my system with 2 weeks in Malaysia, I still very much have a soft spot for the eclectic, multicultural cuisine. Ho Jiak is one of the first restaurants that really put Malaysian food on the map in Sydney. Although there were plenty of places to get your Malaysian fix, most of them were cheap and cheerful eateries that served up just a few of the more well-known Malaysian dishes. Not Ho Jiak. Sure,…

16/12/2020

Asian, Haymarket, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), Malaysian

Temasek

Malaysian food is the name of the game today, and apparently Temasek is where people have been going since 1992 for the good stuff. Temasek is non-descript in the best way possible. It’s an unceremonious hole-in-the-wall type restaurant where you can be sure that the food is good, because people certainly don’t keep coming back for the location or décor. And indeed, although the interior looks like every Chinese restaurant from the 90s, the giveaway is in the front window, which is plastered full of awards and press cuttings from over the decades.

09/09/2020

Asian, Cheapie Lunch (Under $20), Malaysian, Parramatta

Malay Chinese Takeaway

In preparation for my Thailand trip, cheap and cheerful has been the name of the game recently. Luckily, even in a city as expensive as Sydney, there’s still plenty of delicious food to be had for the penny-pinchers if you know where to look. And Malay Chinese Takeaway has been one of those places since 1987. Malay Chinese Takeaway is pretty much exactly what it promises to be – a canteen-like establishment specialising in the Chinese-influenced Malaysian dishes. The laksa is their biggest drawcard, the 13 different variations bringing in punters from all across the CBD and beyond. Laksa aside, there’s also a fair selection of fried noodles, curries, and stir-fries for those who prefer something a little less soupy.…

27/11/2019

Asian, Cheapie Lunch (Under $20), Malaysian, Sydney CBD

Aunty Franklee

Does anyone remember the restaurant called Sugarbun? It holds a special place inside my heart, not for gastronomical reasons, but because Chris had taken to calling me his sugarbun ever since we first walked past it. Anyway, I was a little upset when it closed unexpectedly last year before I even had a chance to try it out, and reappeared a few weeks later as Aunty Franklee. But franklee, I needn’t have worried. Because although the cute name has gone, the restaurant itself has also undergone a complete overhaul, and their pared back menu of Malaysia home-styled cooking soon garnered the attention of foodies and expats alike.

18/10/2017

Asian, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), Malaysian, Melbourne CBD, Victoria

Hawker Hall

Ok, so, get this: I had booked a long-overdue dentist appointment with my regular, preparing for an arduous and expensive afternoon of teeth cleaning and scraping. I get there, sit down, and 10 minutes later, this unfamiliar bloke comes out and goes ‘do you remember me?’ (I obviously didn’t). Seeing the dumb look on my face, he followed up with ‘don’t you? It’s been a long time; high school?’ And then I realised he was in fact, more familiar than I had initially realised. Long story short, that’s how I ended up giving $355 to someone whom I had last seen as an annoying 13 year old classmate.

10/11/2016

Arabic, Best Of Melbourne, Impress Your Date ($35-$50), Malaysian, Street Food, Victoria, Windsor

Vegie Bowl

There’s a place about 5 minutes up the road from my house called Vegie Bowl. It’s slightly off Springvale Road, only accessible via the service road to the side. For the longest time I paid absolutely no attention to it, despite going past it 5 days a week for the last 10 or so years. Mum always thought it was some kind of garden shop, probably due to the word ‘vegie’, and the fact that there’s an actual garden shop next door. We both eventually realised that Vegie Bowl was an Asian-styled vegetarian restaurant that enjoys a good reputation with the locals, and mum urged me to go try it out – not that she needed to! Situated in a…

01/09/2016

Asian, Chinese, Forest Hill, Just A Bit Special ($20-$35), Malaysian, Vegetarian, Victoria

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