Malay Chinese Restaurant Review in Hunter Street, Sydney CBD

This was an awesome find in the city! Although I must admit I should have discovered this place earlier (having been working in Sydney CBD for a while) I am glad I discovered this jewel out of all the Malaysian restaurants Sydney. And man i DID not know it was that popular! I came with my colleagues yesterday around 12.30pm and it was PACKED! Hence today, I went at around 230pm and it was great no lines.

Firstly some background.  There’s a nice lady by the name of Wendy that works there. I had a quick chat with her and discovered that they used to have several outlets around the area but this is the last standing one. They have been open for more than 20 years in total.

Interestingly enough, I also found out that all of them were from Malaysia (not surprised) and several of them was Hainanese! I felt so at home to say the least .  It was quite a coincidence because one of the guys who work there said that their grandparents came from a part of Hainan Island (海南岛） called Wen Chang (文昌） and so we came to the conclusion that sometime in the past thousands of years we were probably related!

FYI: For those who have no idea where Hainan Island is, let me give you a geography lesson in the following image:

Ok cools, enough of the background and chitchat, let’s dig into some more pictures. First up, decor pics.

The decor and overall look is quite simple, with red the primary colour. It has quite a large seating space; just as well, because it is so popular during the weekdays from all the corporate workers coming in to slurp laksas.

Judging by the colourful menu, it was quite obvious that their malaysian speciality is LAKSA! And I love laksa. Especially when it’s freezing. and You wanna warm up. coz Sydney weather really sucks now.

And so I ordered a bowl of King Prawn Laksa, $11.50, and out it came about 5-10 minutes later. Quite fast actually. and it looked sublime. All those oily juices floating on top of the soup. The big fat king prawns, fully shelled and deveined. yummy looking fried tofu that has been soaked to softness. Yummy bean sprouts that have been cooked (abit too soft in my opinion, I like raw bean sprouts) and a dash of fried shallots. AHH NICE!

They also provide condiments, so don’t forget to grab a small plate of chilli before you head to your seat. Coz you ain’t wanna get up again because the laksa is really nice. I was just lapping it up. It is comparable to the laksa in Hunter Connection, with the Thai restaurant. The better feature is that they use less coconut milk, as I really don’t like it taking over the whole laksa, but on the downside the portion is slightly smaller than the Thai food stall. The ingredients are really nice, and prawns are definitely juicy. I think that the presentation of the laksa looked slightly bland, with no real colour in the soup. A bit of green-ness with some finely chopped spring onion would be a nice addition.

Summary Malaysian Restaurant Review:

Overall, the laksa was really quite top notch. I would definitely recommend someone who works around the wynyard area to go there for a quick meal sometimes. Never mind if you have to go at it alone (I did today) because the trip will be still worth it! I can’t wait to try their other laksa and dishes when I get the chance. This place is definitely a thumbs up for me in terms of speed, authenticity and well-cooked ingredients.

Summary Ratings:

• Decor/Atmostphere:  2.5 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Price: 3 stars

Restaurant Details

Address: Shop 1, 50-58 Hunter St, Sydney NSW 2000
(Closest intersection Bligh St/ Castlereagh St.)

Phone Number: (02) 9231 6788
Fax: (02) 9231 6799

Email: info@malaychinese.com.au
Website: www.malaychinese.com.au

Opening Times:

Monday to Friday 11am-7.30pm
Saturday 11am-6pm
Sunday Closed

* Please note we do not take food orders or bookings by email.

Reviewed by Cheech!