Ayam Chef

67-69 Coventry St 

Southbank, VIC 3006
http://ayamchef.com.au/

When I make my fortune, I am going to buy a luxurious studio apartment in either South Yarra or Southbank and live the high life. The apartment will have 5 star hotel-worthy facilities, million dollar views, and be within walking distance of dozens of good places to eat. In the meantime, I’ll just settle for sleuthing out nice restaurants, and Ayam Chef makes a good point for Southbank.

When I think about Southbank, Malaysian food does not tend to follow. After all, what does the folksy street food of South East Asia have to do with an illustrious suburb in Melbourne? As it turns out, Ayam Chef fits right in with its bright and modern interior, fitted out with lots of sleek dark tables and a tropically-influenced mural. Though it’s a bit canteen-like, it doesn’t feel tacky at all, and is really rather welcoming. 

Soy Milk ($2.8)

Like most Asian restaurants, the menu is designed to share. Whilst I browsed through my choices, I sipped on a tall, sweet glass of Soy Milk ($2.8).

Crunchy School Prawns and Chives Pancakes ($6, 2pcs)

In the end, I asked our waitress to give me a hand, and she suggested that we try the Crunchy School Prawns and Chives Pancakes ($6, 2pcs). This dish gave a fantastically refined twist to the greasy chive pancakes of my childhood. Light and golden, they were embedded with crunchy school prawns, and absolutely mouth-watering when dipped into the sauce of lime and fresh red chillies. 

Lobak ($8, 2pcs)

Similarly delicious was our snack of Lobak ($8, 2pcs). Ensconced in the brittle parchment of fried tofu skin was a moist filling of minced pork. It was warmly seasoned with the unmistakable aroma of 5-spice powder, and the addition of finely chopped black fungus gave it an addictive element of crunch. Have it with or without the plum sauce – it’s all good.

Sambal Eggplant ($17) 

One look at the Sambal Eggplant ($17) and I knew it was going to be bursting with flavour. The plump strips of eggplant glistened with oil, and each piece was infused with the briny, exotic flavour of sambal – chilli, fried shallots, and shrimp. 

Sambal Eggplant ($17) 

For a little variance on the texture, the eggplant was stir-fried with slippery pieces of okra, and beans that still had their crunch. It was a quintessentially Malaysian dish that was perfect with rice. 

Coconut Butter Prawns ($22) 

The Coconut Butter Prawns ($22) was a more modern take on Malaysian cuisine. The massive prawns were quickly pan-fried before being coated with an aromatic buttered coconut crumb. The texture of the prawns was astounding; it was bouncy and succulent, and the freshness was exquisite. Though the serving had initially seemed small, the richness actually meant that I needed way less than I had expected. 

Kueh Dada ($7.5) 

Now that Chris has decided that he does like coconut after all, we have a much easier time choosing dessert at Asian restaurants.  The Kueh Dada ($7.5) was presented beautifully, the jade-green crepes wrapped around shredded coconut soaked in palm sugar. On the side were scoops of coconut ice cream, which was studded with pieces of frozen coconut and finished with a drizzle of chocolate. I felt that this dish suffered from an identity crisis, as it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be Asian or Western. However it tasted good enough, and looked lovely enough, that I couldn’t really bring myself to care.

My meal at Ayam Chef brought to mind one of the most delicious meals I had in Malaysia at a local seafood restaurant. It is quite a few steps up from the hawker-styled dishes you’re likely to find at the Malaysian restaurants around Melbourne, and showcases the flavours Malaysia has to offer beyond noodles and rice. Though the portions are slightly on the small side, it is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Rating: 13.5/20 – classy malaysia.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.

Sweet and Sour Fork dined as a guest of Ayam Chef.

Penang Laksa House

482 Springvale Rd 

Forest Hill, VIC 3131
http://www.penanglaksahouse.com.au/

Penang Laksa House and I got off on the wrong foot. Why? Because it sits on the grave of one of my favourite places for yum cha and Cantonese dinners – The Treasure. Still, it’s there, so I may as well make the most of it and give it a go. The feedback may be lukewarm but stranger things have happened.

Though the outside is more or less the same, I could barely recognise the interior. The menu however is a bit too familiar for comfort. Despite there being classic Malaysian hawker dishes available, there is also a disconcerting amount of Cantonese dishes, and worse still, westernised Asian. It doesn’t come cheap either; at $26 for a prawn omelette, it’s overkill even in this economy. 

Penang Har Mee ($11.8)

Though I don’t have it often, Penang Har Mee ($11.8) is one of my favourite things to eat. Spicy and aromatic, I often liken it to bun bo hue. Though it was a bit pricey, the bowl of noodles served up by Penang Laksa House was satisfyingly large, and certainly looked the business.

Penang Har Mee ($11.8)

And thus, it was twice the shame when it fell short of expectations. Whilst all the right ingredients were there in generous amounts, I couldn’t believe something so fiery-looking could be so bland and generic. The soup had none of the aromatic briny tang of a good bowl of prawn noodles. It wasn’t bad eatin’, but it was a disappointment for sure.

Crispy Roast Pork Rice ($13.5)

Though I had wanted to try another traditional hawker dish, there wasn’t very much in the way of non-noodles, so we settled for a plate of Crispy Roast Pork Rice ($13.5).

Crispy Roast Pork Rice ($13.5)

Faring a bit better than the noodles, this pork was decently tender (but occasionally burnt) and the skin reasonably crunchy (but occasionally chewy). The accompanying rice, soaked in gingery pork broth, was a definite plus. At $13.5 however, it’s hard to find reasons to come back for this when any restaurant in Box Hill does better pork for much less moolah.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed with Penang Laksa House. Not only was the food borderline bad, the service wasn’t helped by the waitress who took away Chris’ chopsticks, which we found awfully presumptuous. Despite harbouring a grudge, I was desperate to like Penang Laksa House even partially as much as I loved The Treasure, but unfortunately it was not to be. Not when the most interesting part of our meal was when the power went out smack-bang in the middle of it due to one of Melbourne’s signature summer storms.

Rating: 11/20 – yeah no.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. 

Malaymas

320 St Georges Rd 

Fitzroy North, VIC 3068

Allow me to be a bit gross for a moment. Although my wisdom teeth came out without a hitch, I am left with stitches in the bottom half of my mouth, and an empty tooth socket in the top half. Though I only got the right side taken out and will have to go back later down the track to get the left ones taken out, I do get to enjoy the perks of having solids just a day after my operation. I found out soon enough however that rice gets stuck in tooth sockets awfully easily, and this meal at Malaymas cemented that unfortunate fact.

Anyway, enough whinging about my tooth sockets. Having made the initial stages of my recovery very quickly, I met up with Ethan for a long overdue dinner. I’m pretty picky when it comes to Malaysian food, having eaten my way around Malaysia, and lived in the Asian side of Melbourne for half my life. I was a little sceptical regarding the ravings about Malaymas but hey, what’s life without a bit of hope?

Hainanese Chicken Rice ($11.9)

Having only just moved off semi-solids (chunky soups, overcooked pasta), I was keen to get a good bit of protein in me with Hainanese Chicken Rice ($11.9). And it was just my luck that the chicken was pale and silken, poached to tender perfection and resting in sesame soy, accompanied by excellent ginger-chilli sauce. The rice was rather dry and sparingly flavoured, but the chicken soup was packed full of umami, and less MSG than one would expect, especially of a soup this tasty. 

Fried Kueh Teow ($11.9)

I wouldn’t claim this very often at all, but I consider myself a connoisseur of Fried Kueh Teow ($11.9). After all, it is my all-time favourite Malaysian dish. This one ranked only slightly above average. Though tasty and well-seasoned, the noodles were half-hearted in their caramelisation, and were missing the crucial ingredients of Chinese sausage and cockles – the crux of the flavours in the dish. 

Ice Kacang ($6.5)

No beating around the bush here – the Ice Kacang ($6.5) was bloody delicious. Drizzled with an irresistible mixture of rose syrup and sweet-yet-salty palm sugar, the dessert was made better by the generous scattering of crushed peanuts and sweet corn. And the hidden bounty of beans, grass jelly, and agar under the sweet ice crystals tipped us over into sheer ecstasy.

You know why I think Malaymas is so popular? Because it’s a decent Malaysian restaurant in a part of town that has little to no Malaysian food. Speaking from the eastern suburbs however, I found everything a bit pricey; I’m used to bigger portions for a similar price, or the same portion for several dollars less. The food as a whole was good but not remarkable; however the ice kacang was every bit as good as what south-east Asia has to offer. Worth crossing town for? I would say so.

Rating: 13/20 – ice KACHING!

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. 

Mabrown

Southern Cross Lane

111 Bourke St 

Melbourne, VIC 3000

Quail is one of those delicious but under-utilised meats. Thankfully places like Mabrown exists. Instead of being the same-same and specialising in fried chicken, this place is treated as a fried quail pit stop by most punters. But they do actually do other dishes as well, though you wouldn’t be able to tell it from most diners’ tables. The food here carries a south-east Asian influence, and that’s what I’m here to check out today, along with the fried quail of course.

Drunken Chicken ($9.5, 2ppl)

To kick things off, we were served the ubiquitous starter of Drunken Chicken ($9.5, 2ppl). The chicken was poached to delicate, silken perfection, sitting in broth flavoured with sesame oil.

Drunken Chicken ($9.5, 2ppl)

However, instead of having the alcohol infused into the marinade, we were given a little shot glass of Chinese cooking wine to pour over the chicken. That meant that the smell of alcohol prevailed over the taste. A less traditional way to do things for sure, but perfectly fine for those who aren’t so fussed about the drunken aspect of the chicken.

Salt and Pepper Quail ($8pc)/Spicy Quail ($8pc)

Our two pieces of Salt and Pepper Quail ($8pc) and two pieces of Spicy Quail ($8pc) looked ridiculously tame compared to the platters of quail ordered by the other tables, and they do taste pretty darn good. They were sweet and succulent with a thin layer of caramelised skin. The spicy quail was topped with a smoky chilli oil which, mingled with the sweet marinade, left me licking my fingers clean.

Peking Sauce Beef ($22.8)

I’m pretty sure that Peking Sauce Beef ($22.8) is a non-Chinese invention. Yet there is no denying that the strips of battered beef covered in plummy sweet and sour sauce, though rather tough, are downright addictive.

Wok Tossed Juicy Prawns in XO Sauce ($28.8)

Up next were scaled down portions of prawns, served two ways. The first was Wok Tossed Juicy Prawns in XO Sauce ($28.8). This spicy seafood sauce, chock full of fried shallots and shrimp, was the perfect accompaniment to the plump, fresh prawns.

Wok Tossed Juicy Prawns in Ginger and Spring Onion Sauce ($28.8)

The Wok Tossed Juicy Prawns in Ginger and Spring Onion Sauce ($28.8) boasted a much more traditional flavour palate, the lightness and umami bringing out the delicateness of the seafood.

Archar Barramundi ($22.8)

Out last dishes were fillets of fried barramundi, once again done two ways. The Archar Barramundi ($22.8) hit like a punch, the vinegar and turmeric delivering a sour and pungent right hook, before mellowing out to a surprisingly warm finish of ginger and palm sugar. Needless to say, this dish definitely impressed.

Tom Yum Barramundi ($19.8)

The Tom Yum Barramundi ($19.8) was visually stunning, and though less explosive, tasted just as good as its predecessor. Despite the mean looking sauce, it wafted gently with a balanced mix of lemongrass, ginger, and chilli for an aromatic finish. 

Coconut and Sweet Corn Ice Cream

We insisted we were full but our host was such a sweetie that we soon had a tub of Coconut and Sweet Corn Ice Cream in front of us. Though not a flavour I’ve had before, it is an absolute genius of a combination, and the chewy corn kernels added texture to flavour. It was a neat and tasty solution for a sweet tooth that didn’t leave me feeling too guilty. 

Whilst Mabrown is not all that far from your average Chinese restaurant, with a vibe that reminded me of the university restaurants on Chris’ campus, there are some rather good dishes on the menu. And even if that’s not your thing, I agree with everyone else – the quail alone is good enough to come back for. 

Rating: 14/20 – pabrown.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.

Sweet and Sour Fork dined as a guest of Mabrown .

Laksa Bar

108 Little Lonsdale St 

Melbourne, VIC 3000

Laksa Bar has been around for a while, and had even stirred up a bit of a hype in the first months of opening. However, I’ve never been crazy for laksa like I’ve been for other noodle soups (such as ramen and pho), which is fair enough, because unlike pizza, bad laksa is just bad. I’ve had one too many greasy, bland noodle soups to try my hand at another potentially mediocre laksa, but sometimes the stars line up with the tastebuds, and I find myself willing to give this relationship another go. 

Though mostly self-serve, what service there was at Laksa Bar was friendly, and I liked the minimalist concrete fit-out – casual but fashionable. 

Skinny Kampong Laksa with Soft Shell Crab ($14.9, regular)

I’m normally a stickler for tradition, but I broke my own rules and ordered the Skinny Kampong Laksa with Soft Shell Crab ($14.9, regular), and promptly understood why this was the dish almost everyone else was digging into. It was topped with not one, not two, but three whole soft shell crabs, slowly soaking up the soup with its crisp batter. 

Skinny Kampong Laksa with Soft Shell Crab ($14.9, regular)

Hidden under the crab was a myriad of yummy things such as fish balls and tofu puffs, but also some unusual suspects like tomato, beans, and half a fried egg. Though a bit thick, the soup was exactly how I like it – robust with spices, but harbouring a lower level of sweetness and creaminess. I’m sure for those who prefer a stronger coconut flavour, the full-cream house laksa will deliver. 

Grill'd Chicken Vermicelli Salad ($10.9)

Grill'd Chicken Vermicelli Salad ($10.9)

In the spirit of getting a lighter dish to counterbalance the laksa, I decided to have a Grill’d Chicken Vermicelli Salad ($10.9), one of the few Vietnamese dishes that poked its head out of the predominantly Malaysian menu. I enjoyed the cool and tangy flavours, interspersed with crunchy shards of wonton skin, and warm grilled chicken marinated in lemongrass and curry.

Though I’ll never be a hardcore laksa lover, this is definitely good enough to have me coming back when I’m craving something rich and robust for the cold weather. Despite not being on-the-dot traditional, the price is certainly right, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like a huge serve of soft shell crab with my noodles.

Rating: 13.5/20 – soft shell crab laksa.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit. 

Mr Loys Puff

452 City Rd 

South Melbourne, VIC 3205

http://www.mrloyspuff.com.au/

When I travelled to Malaysia and Singapore two summers back, I spent every available moment stuffing my face with the delicacies on offer. Whilst it didn’t take too long for my stomach to rebel against the never-ending litany of food, I had enough time to eat up all of my favourites – Hainanese chicken rice, fried kweh teow, roti soaked in curry sauce, steaming hot bowls of laksa. But what left me with the deepest impression was a heavenly curry puff I had from a street side vender, the flaky pastry stuffed full of spiced lamb chunks and fluffy potato.  I’ve yet to find an equivalent in Melbourne, but Mr Loys Puff seemed as good of a place to start as any. 

Freshly opened in South Melbourne, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant is here to provide a taste of authentic Singapore street food to the homesick and the hungry. The idea here is fast and simple, the menu whittled down to a selection of classics, and two types of curry puffs.

Traditional Curry Puff ($2ea)

Black Pepper Chicken Puff ($2ea)

We started off with one of each type of curry puff – a Traditional Curry Puff ($2ea), and a Black Pepper Chicken Puff ($2ea) – and the nostalgic drink of chyrsanthemum tea in a can.  The pastry was crumbly and buttery, hand-folded around a rich filling of curry chicken, egg, and potato. The black pepper chicken puff had a similarly chunky and satisfying centre, but the spiced curry sauce was swapped for mellow black pepper gravy. 

Nasi Lemak ($8.5)

I’ll be up front and say that I normally don’t like Nasi Lemak ($8.5); I’ve always found the individual elements on the plate to be much too noncohesive, and I end up feeling like I’ve eaten less than the sum of all the parts. So it was with delighted surprise that I found myself greatly enjoying playing mix and match with crackling anchovies, roasted peanuts, and an absurdly crunchy chicken cutlet dipped in scorching sambal. I daresay what held it all together was the sweet fragrance of coconut in the rice, so often disappointingly absent. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice ($7.8, regular)

Hainanese Chicken on Rice ($7.8, regular) on the other hand is a stalwart favourite of mine. The dark mound of rice was flavoured satisfyingly with a gingery chicken stock, served with tender poached chicken and tangy chilli sauce. The chicken soup on the side was lovingly sweetened with scallions and carrots, and I noticed a distinct absence of MSG. The dish could’ve done with a more generous portion of chicken, as what we had was quite skin-heavy, but it was also a fraction of the cost of what you would expect to pay. 

Banana and Chocolate Puff ($2ea)

There’s no dessert on the menu as of yet, but keep your eye out for the Banana and Chocolate Puff ($2ea), a work in progress that we were lucky enough to sample. The buttery pastry and fluffy chunks of banana were already delicious as they were, but the best bit was when we hit upon a pocket of molten chocolate. Chris and I both agreed with our host that, with just a little (or a lot) more chocolate, this would be a devastating dessert.

Mr Loys Puff is unfortunately a bit out of the way for me for a day to day visit, but the food reminded me a lot of what I got to chow down on my holiday. But for those who work and live in the area, Mr Loys Puff is a tasty and reliable option, good for a snack or a meal any time of the day.

Rating: 13/20 – nostalgia puffs.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit

Sweet and Sour Fork dined as a guest of Mr Loys Puff 

Chillipadi

Menzies Alley

Little Lonsdale St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

http://www.chillipadi.com.au/

Cold rainy weather calls for two things: hot food and as little time spent as possible outdoors. And that’s how we finally ended up at Chillipadi, the well known Asian-but-mostly-Malaysian chain of restaurants that’s been there in my peripheral vision for as long as I can remember.

I had always thought the al fresco seating lined up along Menzies alley was that of Chillipadi, but turns out the tables were actually Chilli India’s, a restaurant I can only assume is affiliated with Chillipadi, judging by the similar name and logo. Instead, we were led upstairs to a cosy and delicious smelling loft for our meal. 

Teh Tarik ($3.5, cold)

I’m currently doing a medicines information rotation at work, which means sitting on my buttocks all day, and hence I end up drinking an ungodly amount of tea between 8:30 and 5, Monday to Friday. Not that that stopped me from ordering more tea, in this case Teh Tarik ($3.5, cold), the traditional Malaysian drink of strong black tea with condensed milk. This tasted alright overall, but it missed the mark of an authentic teh tarik. Though strong like it should have been, the tea tasted over-steeped and bitter, with none of the sweet frothiness that comes with properly pulled milk. 

Curry Chicken ($9.9)

So it was a bit of a surprise for us to find that the Curry Chicken ($9.9) was delicious. The sauce came with a bit of chilli, a whole lot of spice, and a splash of coconut milk for that lingering creamy sweetness. The chicken was exquisitely tender, and the portion generous. 

Penang Prawn Mee ($9.9)

Penang Prawn Mee ($9.9)

Making the most of the cold weather, I ordered a deep, steaming bowl of Penang Prawn Mee ($9.9). After mixing in the prawn paste, I dug through the dark, aromatic soup, finding supple slices of fish cake, half a dozen prawns, and a tangle of egg noodles and vermicelli. The rich, spicy flavours were very comforting on a rainy night.

Unexpectedly, our dinner at Chillipadi turned out to be one of the best Malaysian meals we’ve had for a while. I’m keen to come back to its sibling, Chilli India, and dig into a thali of curry and roti. Then finally, I’ll be the one people are jealous of as they walk by.

Rating: 13/20 – cold weather comforts.

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.