After relaxing for a couple of days in Langkawi, we returned to the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur. We arrived in the early evening, but had arranged dinner on the way back with a couple of Louis’ friends, Nick and Kelvin.

They picked us up from the hotel about 9pm. We’d let them decide where to take us for dinner, and we soon arrived at a place called the Purple Cane Tea Restaurant.

Nick explained that every dish on the menu has somehow been prepared with tea as a prominent ingredient. It sounded quite an interesting concept.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambience, Asian, Casual, Cheap, Chinese, Ethnicity, Funky, Holiday, Malaysian, Pricing | 1 Comment »

We’re on holiday! Greetings from Kuala Lumpur. More specifically, Midvalley Megamall, in a restaurant called Madam Kwan’s.

Madam Kwan’s started out in a single shop along Jalan Imbi (one of the busiest main streets in KL), originally named ‘Sakura Restaurant’. They became famous for their Nasi Lemak, Curry & Assam Fish Head. Then they rebranded and opened new outlets (with an upmarket modern decor) under the name of ‘Madam Kwan’s’ which offered the favourites from the old Sakura menu plus new ones like the super yummy ‘Nasi Bojari’, aka ‘3 Colour Rice’.

We met up with Jin, one of Louis’ uni friends who was back in KL for the holidays, as well as another friend (and part time personal tour guide), Clayton. After a day of trawling through shops we’d certainly worked up a decent appetite, so there were no complaints when I suggested MK.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambience, Asian, Casual, Cheap, Ethnicity, Holiday, Malaysian, Pricing | 5 Comments »

Last night we visited Okra in Hawthorn East, for dinner with John & Robert.

A couple of days earlier, I was once again scouring the net for a the ever elusive decent Malaysian restaurant. Miettas had a review from a couple of years ago for Okra, and I figured that if they were still around, they must have something going for them - so I recommended we take a look.

Okra has narrow street frontage so keep a sharp look out, but when it gets darker of a night you’ll be easily able to spot the neon sign.

There was ample parking in the Dan Murphy’s / Dick Smith carpark a few doors up, though with the amount of food we ate we probably should have planned a longer walk back to the car.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambience, Asian, Casual, Ethnicity, Indonesian, Malaysian, Medium, Pricing, Thai, Trendy | 2 Comments »

Last night we took a trip up to Satay Inn (opposite the Vic Market) in Victoria St, for dinner.

From looking at their website, it looked like we would finally find some of the authentic Malaysian dishes we’d been searching for since we started this blog. Especially when I saw this claim - “…our cooking is done by a Malaysian chef who knows his craft well. Not a non-Malaysian who is doubtful about what the taste should be…”

Their website isn’t flash, but I hoped they put the real effort in where it counted - into the food. The pictures on the site had the feel of the kinds of dishes you’d be served at a Malaysian Mamak, so fingers crossed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambience, Casual, Cheap, Ethnicity, Malaysian, Pricing | 2 Comments »

Last week we were in the City around dinner time, so we wandered upto Red Silks, in Bourke St, for dinner. Well known amongst Melbournes’ student population for its large menu and fairly cheap pricing, it’s always busy.

Red Silks is situated upstairs in the Mid City arcade (above BreadTalk), so it’s pretty easy to find.

Upon entering we were shown to a table in the sunken ‘lounge’ area inside, (outside on the balcony is the smokers’ area) and were given a menu each. I noticed they’d just introduced a new menu, and were offering 10% off for their birthday special until the 7th. Bargain!

Read the rest of this entry »

Affordable, Ambience, Asian, Casual, Cheap, Chinese, Ethnicity, Funky, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pricing, Taiwanese, Thai, Trendy, Vietnamese | Add a Comment »

Last weekend, the weather here in Melbourne decided to do its best to keep people at home. Drizzly rain and wind. Undeterred, we met up with a few friends and ventured upto King St, where there are more than a few restaurants popping up.

Amongst them, Taste of Malaysia beckoned with its bright red sign, a few doors down from the corner of Lonsdale St. Not yet having found a Malaysian restaurant we’d recommend to being on-par with real Malaysian food from a Malaysian mamak (despite obvious currency differences), we decided to give it a go.

Read the rest of this entry »

Affordable, Ambience, Asian, Casual, Chinese, Ethnicity, Indian, Malaysian, Pricing | 4 Comments »

We recently visited The Conservatory, for their “Rasa Malaysia Feast”, which was a Malaysian-themed food banquet on offer from the 11th to 25th July.

Here’s the official marketing spiel;

As Malaysia celebrates 50 years of nationhood, Conservatory welcomes celebrity chef Ismail Ahmad and master chefs Chiew Yean Teng, Lam Teck Seong, Sharun bin Ramil and Md Zamri bin Awaludin.
They will present a range of Malaysian specialties on the buffet, spanning Chinese, Indian and Nyonya cuisines.
Diners may also enjoy performances by a Malaysian dance troupe, who will perform during lunch and dinner.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ambience, Asian, Ethnicity, Expensive, Malaysian, Medium, Pricing, Trendy, Western | 1 Comment »

Once again, we set out in search of a decent place to have dinner. Tonight, we visited Golden Orchids, who proclaim to have been the first Malaysian restaurant in Melbourne.

This two-storey eatery, open since 1973, boasts three claims to fame: Its ’signature dish’, the Malaysian Chilli Prawns, its range of Malaysian Curries, and its Satays.

Read the rest of this entry »

Affordable, Ambience, Asian, Casual, Chinese, Ethnicity, Malaysian, Medium, Pricing | 13 Comments »