Mamak, Haymarket
30 January 2009
10 Comments
Expect long queues on a Friday or Saturday night
Ever since Mamak opened, it has been our destination of choice for a quick bite to eat if we are in town after midnight. I think my body is starting to reject kebabs once it hits midnight, must be a result of the copious amounts which I consumed when I was younger. Though the good news is, I have replaced my late night kebab fix with a hearty dose of Mamak who open until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights.
If you arrive after 6pm, you will most likely notice the long queue making it’s way along the pathway outside Mamak. We notice Mamak attracts diners from all sorts of cultures and occupations. From office workers to Malaysian families, word on the street is that Mamak know’s a thing or two about Malaysian food.
I’ve been to Malaysia and had alot of hawker style food there. While Mamak isn’t Malaysian street style quality, it’s pretty decent enough when it comes to ‘authentic‘ Malay. My colleague who is originally from Penang gave Mamak one thumbs up, was that enough for me to realise Mamak is pretty up there when it comes to aleviating the cravings that Sydney based Malay’s get when they want Malaysian food ? No, but it sure does come close.
Roti canai ($5)
I reckon this is the most bang for buck snack $5 can buy, well maybe except for the Hungry Jacks Stunner meal. The roti is freshly made at the front of the store and is delicately crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside (in hindsight this is probably how everyone describes the roti). On the side you are given two curry dips/sauces and a tiny (but hot) portion of sambal. I usually end up asking for another plate of sambal, it’s sambalicous.
Roti telur bawang ($6.50)
This roti is more like an omelette, with a strong presence of egg and red onion. I prefer the traditional roti over this one, I found it a bit too soft and lacking crispyness. But in saying that, I think it is supposed to be an omelette ‘like’ roti.
Milo ais ($3.50)
All that roti worked up quite a thirst. My friend keep asking me why I pay $3.50 for a glass of ice cold milo, they have a good point. However for some reason, the milo tastes better when your eating spicy Malaysian food.
Kopi 'O' ($3.50)
Malaysian black coffee.
Nasi Goreng ($9.50)
I was a little bit dissapointed with this dish. It had all the ingredients covered with prawns, egg, beans, shallots and chilli but the dish itself was lacking a bit of kick. There wasn’t enough ‘charcoal’ ness to it, it tasted like the average ’special’ fried rice which most Chinese takeway joints serve. On the plus side, the portion was very generous and it did well to soak up the remaining curry we had. The colours were vibrant and the sides of cucumber, tomato and a wedge of lime added some nice freshness and tangyness to the dish.
Ayam Goreng ($10 for 4 or $3.50 per piece)
This is one my favourite items on the menu. I call it AFC, Asian Fried Chicken. On this occasion, the chicken was tender, moist, piping hot and contrasted superbly with the golden crispy skin. I wish they sold these by the bucket so I could have some while watching Friday night footy.
Kangkung belacan ($12)
We were definately lacking some shrimp paste this evening and I was quite dissapointed. The spinach was fresh and crisp, but for $12 I expected more flavour.
Kankung panjan belacan ($12)
Same story here, the lack of shrimp paste was evident. While I understand shrimp paste might not be everyone’s kettle of fish, it is perhaps the key ingredient in both this dish and the one above.
Nasi Lemak + curry fish ($6.50 + $3.00)
Mamak does nasi lemak fantastically well. You start with the base price of $6.50 which buys you coconut rice, peanuts, crispy anchovies, a hard boiled egg, cucumber and a dollop of sambal. If that isn’t enough for you, you can slowly start to add chicken or curries to the dish. We chose the curry fish on this occasion and it didn’t dissapoint.
Sambal udang ($16)
The prawns are stir fried in a spicy sambal sauce. Two words, VERY SPICY. They tasted delish, but perhaps they could have included a few more prawns. We had to fend off each others chopsticks while probing for the lone piece of coriander as well.
Chicken / Beef satay ($14 dozen or $8 half dozen)
We opted for half beef and half chicken, the best of both worlds. The sticks of meat were charcoal grilled and the smokyness was evident. Along with chunks of cucumber and red onion, a massive bowl of chunky peanut satay accompanied the skewers.
Satay sauce
Ayam berempah ($14)
These bit sized pieces are fried with various herbs and spices. Very similiar to the ayam goreng above.
Kari kambing ($14)
Mamak serves various types of curry, but we opted for the lamb. The lamb was tender and the curry was wonderfully aromatic albeit a tad salty.
I love Mamak and I find myself making regular visits every couple of months. The decor is clean and smart despite being slightly squashy, but this adds to the Malaysian experience. The menu is small, but atleast they do all the dishes very well.
Mamak
15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9211 1668
Web : http://www.mamak.com.au
Open Monday to Sunday
Lunch: 11.30am to 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm to late
Helen
Debzillah || 
Miss Honey
Arwen from Hoglet K
abercrombie || 
Howard
FFichiban
sydneyguyrojoe || 
jess
As a Malaysian I have to say Mamak isn’t the best or the most authentic. To their credit their roti and tea tarik is pretty good and it’s very rare to find Milo Ais on any menu! I must say also that the Nasi Lemak looks fantastic! But still it’s not worth the long wait and I’m still not sure what the fuss is about. But to each their own I guess
To alleviate my cravings, Sin Ma, Istana and Alice ranks on my list! Oh and Kangkung with scant belacan is a travesty indeed! Great photos Howard.
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