Bonta Vita has closed its doors indefinitely. It was a sad discovery particularly for the team of HctF, as it is the first and only restaurant thus far to recognise our review of it to the public by printing and displaying it (lol).

On a less grim note, Mamak is back!  Uhh, well it has been back for a few months now; but, this was my first time revisiting this restaurant with the new look. If you can remember the previous Mamak posts (1)(2), there has been nothing we can fault it on; it has received nothing but praise and love by this humble blog.

Alas, change in a restaurant is either for the better or worse, my recent experience resulted in a conclusion that Mamak is indeed changed: gone are the days when you could arrive at Mamak during peak hour and easily secure a seat for a large group; furthermore, the portions of dishes from the kitchen have dwindled. Thus, one finds himself eating at ‘just another restaurant’ that sacrifices quality and flavour for an eager stream of virgin-Mamakians whose (most likely from word of mouth or the ‘Best Asian’ award in SMH’s Good Food Guide 2009) eyes palpitate at the theatrical display of roti being flung, thrown and whirled  through the fish-tank-esque kitchen.

But, the roti is still divine. So, can the negatives be outweighed by the singular argument of roti? I am of the view that this can be affirmatively answered – I may be wrong the next time I visit Mamak, perhaps the chef was having a bad day or something. I am still a fanboi of Mamak.

Here Comes The Food

The kangkung belacan is bland (perhaps bland is an odd word to use in this description as the flavour of belacan seeps into your skin and is very noticeable) and the dish lacks any hint of the definitive element of red onion which has a flavour that ‘brings it all together’.

Chicken skewers are bite-size and makes you feel a bit cheated in terms of portion, they are also a fraction of a second going cold and the motley bunch of vegetables that sit under the satay bowl is a bit of a laugh factor (there was more red onion with the chicken skewers than found in the kangkung belacan, maybe the chef forgot to add it in?).

I do enjoy the peanut sauce however as it’s texture is thick with crushed peanuts and accentuates the addictive flavour of charred skewers when smeared and double-dipped – even triple-dipped at times onto the chicken.

The Nasi Lemak is ok I guess, the sambal is just as good as before – wickedly spicy. The rice is flagrant wafts the flagrant and warming aroma of coconut.

Roti bawang – flaky, good on its own or dipped in the curry, puffy, combined with the sweetness of red onion pieces and an sort-of-scrambled egg, one of my favourite roti to order from the extensive menu.

Roti Canai – I’m not sure who else out there orders it with condensed milk since in the previous Mamak post I recommended this not-on-the-menu variation, but it the only way I can eat it now. Try to keep it on the down-low…otherwise Mamak might cut back on the generous portion of condensed milk or something … make sure you drenching torn of pieces of canai with the condensed milk, the more you soak up, the better it is.

mmm roti pron.

No doubt I will be returning to Mamak, where the atmosphere is vibrant, the service attentive and with a hope that the dishes will be as good as it was…in the ol’ Mamak days.

Note: If any of our readers can get us up on the Mamak review wall (in the little corner of the door just before you enter), I will be forever grateful.

Note Note: Why do all my shots with a crowd always have at least one person looking at zie camera like a stunned deer?

D

Mamak

Open 7 days
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Supper: Open till 2am Friday & Saturday

15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, Sydney
T: (02) 9211 1668
F: (02) 9211 1669
No reservations

To the few North Shorerians out there, who are up for a good and tasty Malaysian hit should really consider checking out To’s (pronounced: Toe’s) at North Sydney. The food is tasty and reasonably priced but the problem is this is no secret among the businessmen and businesswomen who work around this area, so expect to fight for a table at lunchtime. Even on those terribly hot blazing days, there is just something about a laksa that draws you into its’ warm and spicy embrace until you soak through you shirt from sweat (refer to man in photo above) and dig into your pockets for coins to purchase another cold drink. One day a small group of us decided on an impromptu Malaysian gathering which consisted of En.elle, Seph, Cuaza and E.

Here Comes the Food

Fresh Soya Drink

Refreshing and healthy too, as this brand does not add too much sugar like some other asian brands tend to.The coolness is very welcomed to extinguish the flames on the tongue after a spoonful of burn.

Chicken Laksa

Each bite or slurp from this dish leaves a nice warm and fuzzy feeling inside. This is mainly due to the wonderful addition of chilli paste to a smooth and creamy laksa soup. The tender pieces of chicken were well balanced with some breast and some thigh pieces and the firmer outer cover of tofu skin trapped a soft and fluffy innard, all plump from soaking up the silky laksa soup, gave off a delectable spurt with each bite. Although the laksa here was very good and could tell that its’ authenticity was genuine, I was still left with slight craving feeling that can only be satisfied, so far, by the laksa at Malay-Chinese in the city.

Satay Chicken (L)

A really decently sized portion of fried rice and 3 chicken skewers smothered and re-smothered in oozy peanut satay sauce. The sight of this dish gave me tremblings of excitement, as I anticipated the peanut satay high I was about to embark on. The fried rice by itself was nothing spectacular but the peanut satay sauce had it covered and mixed with juicy and tender chicken pieces, this dish was a perfect lunchtime feast mmm ^^!

To’s Malaysian Gourmet

Shop 3, 181 Miller St

North Sydney 2060

Ph:  (02) 9955 2088

FFichiban

A little while ago was D’s B’day (It’s a celebration b!atches! Enjoy yourselves!) but one problem with us,  is not being able to decide on an appropriate place to dine for such an occasion. After tossing up between a few restaurants D decided to keep it nice and simple by having the trustworthy Temasek. It is a slight trek for us, but it is definitely worth it every time just to be able to indugle on the chicken rice and other goodies. It is a very busy restaurant because it serves delicious, comforting food at reasonble prices so it is a good idea to book and pre-order the dishes that you want. We were starving when we got there so we were very very very grateful that we pre-ordered the food so we could dig right in as soon as we sat down.

Here Comes the Food

Peanut Satay Sauce

I guess by now that you guys know that I have an unhealthy obsession with Peanut Butter and Peanut related foods, and satay sauce is no exception. The delicious goop glittering with a layer of oil has the most wonderful effect on something as simple as pieces of chicken or beef  and plain rice. The satay sauce here also has the right amount of sweetness, unlike some which are way too sweet, and the right consistency and texture. Also it is not too overly oily even though it may look it haha.

Chicken skewers & cucumber and pineapple pieces

Chicken skewers & cucumber and pineapple pieces

The tender and soft chicken meat gave off a slighty sweet and juicy flavour, just give it a good bathe in the peanut satay sauce and it was ready to be ripped off the skewers. Mixed with a fresh crunch of a cucumber or a squish of pineapple, this dish was the perfect way to start off the meal.

Beef Rendang

The soft chunks of beef mixed with a spicy but smooth curry carries a distinct authentic Malaysian flavour which keeps the chilli-lovers among us happy. I personally mind add a bit more coconut milk to give it that extra creamy taste but I guess it is less fatty this way haha.

Hainan Chicken Rice

This is the highlight and paramount of all rices. The chicken rice here is so fragrant that it I could just eat the rice by itself for a meal and be happy ^^! The aroma of the chicken oil with a touch of ginger transforms plain boring rice into this delectable pot of fluffy heaven.

Chilli Water Spinach

Crisp stalks with soft leaves, this dish is well balanced in texture and taste for accompanying the other Malaysian dishes. This dish had a low heat which actually gave off a better flavour instead of an intense burn.

Hainan Chicken

Hainan Chicken

This half chicken serving of Hainan Chicken may look small but it can feed quite a lot of people. The juicy and tender meat, especially the thigh regions give off an aromatic taste with each bite. The breast regions is a bit drier but by no means at all dry. The condiments of chilli, soy and ginger sauces can be combined together to ones’ liking with each of them adding and creating a much richer flavour by adding another dimension to the chicken.

Five Spice Lor Bak

Pork mince wrapped in a sheet of bean curd and then deep fried to a beautifully crisp roll of pure flavour explosion. A little dab of the chilli sauce and we are set to munch ^^!

Coconut Juice

Yes, this blur of a drink is actually sweet coconut juice, with slices of soft velvety coconut meat at the bottom. The perfect cooling drink when eating hot and spicy Malaysian cuisine

Ice Chendol

The drink version of an ais kacang, which has very satisfying results. Cool blended ice with palm sugar, jellies and coconut milk is like a party in the mouth mmm could hit one up right now.

They got too busy that they expanded across the alley a while back

The food here is undeniably good but it is a pity the same could not be said about atmosphere or service. The atmosphere is very plain and minimal while the service can vary from mediocre to annoyingly slow. This is probably because they are very busy most of the time but still with the amount of staff I am sure they can handle it, or hire more!

The Dr next door has quite the unfortunate initials no?

After gorging on the feast, we decided against having dessert here (they have some wonderful desserts too) because we still had to celebrate D’s B’day with some cake, well technically cupcakes ^^!

Boobie cupcakes! + A special Stripper cupcake

These uhh aesthetic and tasty cupcakes are thanks to En.elles’ friend, Sharon of Lots of Sprinkles. A big thanks to her for making them in such a short time hee hee

It wasn’t me I swear….. Ok it was…

The hand had accidentally fallen off and so we were trying to find a position where it could stay fixed to the stripper. This was one of the possibilites -__-”

Imagine getting this at high tea hee hee

When we were transporting the cupcakes, there was a slight accident! Oh nooesss

After some reconstructive surgery, we got her back in one piece.. mostly hee hee

HAPPY BDAY D!!!!

Temasek

71 George St

Parramatta 2150

Ph: (02) 9633 9926

Chefs:  Susan Wong and Jeremy Cho

Opening Times: Tue-Sun 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm

FFichiban