You can probably find a thousand reviews out there about the various Malaysian restaurants in Sydney. But as a Malaysian myself, I am keen to write about my favourite restaurants and the go-to restaurants for my favourite dishes.
When it comes to comfort food, I go to
Malacca Straits on Broadway. I have been there countless times throughout the past few years, and all the dishes I have tried there have been good (not to say 100% authentic or flawless, but they have always satisfied my cravings). Dishes that I tend to order are the Mee Hoon Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Laksa, Kangkung (water spinach), Assam Laksa, Har Mee (prawn noodles), and Wat Tan Hor (flat noodles in egg gravy). My personal favourite is the fish fillet curry. For only $15, it feeds two easily. It is also a Halal restaurant, and if anyone is craving for Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs soup), they do a very good version of it using chicken called Chick Kut Teh.
Char Kway Teow at Malacca Straits
Nasi Lemak at Malacca Straits
If you are looking for Bak Kut Teh though,
Kopitiam on Harris Street (non-Halal) serves close-to-authentic Bak Kut Teh. It feeds two for about $16.80 (price might have changed). It also claims to serve the best Laksa in Sydney, and although I do find the Laksa very good, I personally don't think it is the best.
For the best Laksa in Sydney, do give
Malay Chinese takeaway on Hunter Street a go. According to many, it serves the best Laksa and also Har Mee (prawn noodles). It is very popular at lunch time with office workers, and unfortunately it closes at around 7pm so unless you head over for an early dinner, lunch with the crowd is probably your best bet.
In my opinion, the above three restaurants serve very good Malaysian food at a good price. For special occasions or fancier Malaysian cuisine, try
The Malaya,
Neptune Palace, or
Chinta Ria. For me personally, I never view Malaysian cuisine as a fancy cuisine; to me is is an everyday food, so I don't frequent these restaurants because the food is not better and you can get better value for money elsewhere.
[ADVERT]For a mid-range option, I would go to
Mamak in the city, which is probably the most popular Malaysian restaurant in Sydney given its long queue. My favourite dishes are Maggi Goreng and Roti Canai. I don't think other restaurants serve Maggi Goreng, and the Roti Canai there is second to none.
Another restaurant that is rising in popularity is
PappaRich. There is often a queue and the restaurant is almost always full. To be honest though, having tried the food a couple of times, it didn't meet my expectations. So I always wonder what the fuss was all about. It could be the wide variety of dishes, or maybe it is the atmosphere that draws the crowd in.
Some of the other restaurants I have tried are
Sedap,
Petaling Street,
Albee's Kitchen,
Mamak Village,
Laksa House (in QVB),
Jimmy's Recipe,
Alice's Makan, and Cafe Kasturi (now closed). Albee's Kitchen and Alice's Makan are the only two restaurants that I know of that sell
kuih (a type of Malaysian dessert), while Petaling Street and Albee's Kitchen probably offer the most extensive menu options.
If you love Malaysian food, there is also a one-day event called
Malaysia Festival held annually at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. This year's event has been scheduled on 28 September 2014, so note it in your diary! The best satays I had were from the Abang Sam stall. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have a restaurant, but they do catering and events, similar to
Jackie M, which is also worth trying!
Given that everyone's palate is different, do share your thoughts on your favourite Malaysian dishes and restaurants.
