Friday, 19 April 2013

Ninth Taste

Mamak
malaysian roti and satay

The culture of Malaysia is best experienced through its vast array of culinary delights. In the heart of every Malaysian exists a passion for food, exemplified by the thrill of seeking out the best in town. Mamak captures this enthusiasm by ensuring our recipes are authentic, exactly as you would find in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.


Mamak's doors open at 11.30am.  We came at 5 to noon, and we had to wait for about 10 minutes for a seat.  From tweeting my foodblogger friends the night before, they said the line gets much longer around dinner time, so remember to come about half an hour earlier than your expected time and you'll be fine :)









Teh ais - Iced Milk Tea - $3.50 
It was a pretty warm day, so I opted for this rather than the recommended classic teh tarik aka Malaysian sweetened tea with a frothy topping.  I reckon I should've just either chosen teh tarik or not at all.  This was a decent drink, made from milk tea powder, and I believe EasyWay does it better, just because the degree of sweetness is just right in the EasyWay milk teas.  





Roti teleur - Classic egg roti - $6.50
Hand modelled by my lovely friend Anton :) Soft and fluffy, due to the egg yolk that's been scrambled and scattered as little bits throughout the light roti.  Man those dipping sauces are addictive!  You could do the dipping like how you'd dip a small piece of bread, but if you're gonna down those delicious dipping sauces, you should hold the two opposite ends of the piece of roti and make a small scoop-like  shape.  Even better, you could follow Fouad's Lebanese bread eating guide to make a scoop!

Roti planta - A rich buttery roti - $6.50
Much prefer this one over the roti teleur. The butter leaves a lovely aroma and lightly salted taste throughout the roti - butter's just one of those ingredients that can make a dish so much better eh, slightly sinful but it was a small serving between the 8 of us, though I do remember taking much more than my share's worth... :) It's best to eat this while it's warm, because the butter liquefies and makes the roti a tad soggy and hard to rip if you leave it for a while.  And yep, heaps of those same delicious dipping sauces! Peanut, satay, and a bit of chilli satay on the side.



Mee Goreng - spicy wok-tossed hokkien noodles with eggs, prawns, fish cake slices and fresh bean sprouts - $11.50
A slight feeling of disappointment came upon me when I realised this wasn't the good ol' Migoreng made restaurant-style.  Maybe that was because I was turned off by the name "maggi goreng", the next noodle dish on the menu, which was in fact the "Migoreng made restaurant-style" that I would've loved to try.  Nothing outstanding, not much prawns or fish cakes either, and slightly spicy.


Nasi goreng - Malaysian-style fried rice with spicy sambal, eggs, prawns, french beans, assorted veges, topped with fried shallots- $11.50"Dad. Why did they build the Great Wall of China?" "That, that was...during the time of the Emperor Nasi Goreng.  And, ah, it was to keep the rabbits out. Too many rabbits, in China.” Everyone remember that hilarious BigPond ad? Well, that ad came out when I was about 10 years old, and that was the first time I heard the phrase "Nasi Goreng", and now, thanks to Mamak, I finally understand what that guy was talking about :P !! It should really be nicknamed "the better version of fried rice", for it's coated evenly with sambal sauce (aka a chilli based Malaysian sauce) and so it's soft and moist; a great dish.  


Ayam berempah - Bite-size chicken pieces stir-fried with whole spices - $16
There was a weird powdery gritty texture to the outside of the chicken pieces, but the dish was well seasoned, not quite outstanding. The servings were much much more than bite-sized, and there were 8 pieces for us to share as well :)


Ayam goreng - Malaysian-style fried chicken. Marinated with herbs and spices and full of flavour - ($14 for 4/$4 per piece)Light crisp batter, but slightly oily. Sorry, nowhere near as crunchy as Arisun, but the soft tender chicken and the lovely marinade make up for it. 



Chicken satay - Grilled over flaming charcoal for that authentic Malaysian flavour. Served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce - $16 for dozen
Whoa, step back and watch this delicious magic unfold!!  A huge bowl of peanut sauce and small bite-sized chicken skewered grilled to perfection, a must-try once you come to Mamak! 

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