Chigwell, Malaysian Restaurant Guide

Mandy Lim’s Holloway Road “favourite” has been a must for laksa lovers for more than a decade, serving her version of the famous Chinese-Malay noodle soup, along with other “outstanding” Peranakan Nyonya dishes. Top Tip – “the Lunar New Year Feast is just amazing: both theatre and superb food”.

“You do feel like you are in your mad aunt’s front room but the food is amazing, and it’s a great hideaway”, say fans of this “cosy” and eclectic Thai-Malay venue in the dead area near Guy’s Hospital. Trading for over a quarter of a century now, the food can still be “exceptional” and even one or two diners who found it more of a “mixed bag” acclaimed its “great flavours” and the “lovely service”.

2023 Review: “The tastes of Singapore” are still applauded at ex-Pidgin chef, Elizabeth Haigh’s hawker-style stand (winner of Harden’s Top Street Food in our September 2021 London Restaurant Awards), which sits amidst the clatter of the Market Kitchen area of Borough Market. But feedback was much more muted and a little more uneven this year, and it’s hard not to conclude that the furore surrounding the cancelled launch of her recipe book hasn’t taken some of the gloss off impressions here.

“Prices closer to those of Kuala Lumpur than of London” have won fame for this “cramped Euston basement”, as attested to by the “eternal long queue in all weathers”. “Favoured by the large local student population”, “it’s well worth the wait for a cheap eat in a vibrant, no-frills, off-the-street, ‘eat-and-go’ environment”. “The signature dish is Roti Canai – chicken, mutton, or fish curry served with two of the flakiest rotis ever made this side of Malaysia”: “a tasty meal at a very good price”. Amongst the other “Malaysian staples cooked to perfection”, the spicy noodle dishes are also often excellent: “no wonder it’s always so busy”. With success has come expansion to high-performing but less famous siblings: a small café near Waterloo (“spot on, always a buzz”); near Battersea Power Station (“perfect choice for a delicious meal close to the overpriced places nearby, with a delightful small outside terrace”); and also with a new big branch which opened in early 2024 near Spitalfields. Top Menu Tip “aside from the roti, look out for Nasi Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Beef Rendang, and Teh Tarik (a drink of tea sweetened with condensed milk)”.

“Absolutley adored the Penang Assam fish and definitely need to return!” – aficionados of Malaysian cuisine continue to tip Danny Tan’s fixture off Oxford Street, serving hawker stall classics and regional varieties of laksa. It’s all about the ‘wok hei’ (wok energy) apparently.

Possibly “the most authentic Straits food in London” can be found at Ellen Chew’s “café-like” Chinatown-fringe canteen – “in the West End but not with West End prices”. One regular notes: “I’ve had most things on the menu over time and much of it is fantastic: if you want to taste a bit of Singapore/KL in the capital, then come here” – and if you’ve “not eaten much Malaysian before, you’ll enjoy something different” from an entrepreneur who began her career as a street-food hawker in Singapore.

“Difficult to beat in the area” – owner Rosa’s family recipes have powered this Malay-Chinese pitstop on the edge of Chinatown for nearly 30 years. “Still a go-to if you find yourself in Soho” – it’s “quick and filling if you’re hungry”. Top Menu Tip – “the nasi lemak, always simple but perfect”.

An “old favourite” that’s impressively popular for somewhere tucked-away in a distant Swiss Cottage shopping parade, and that has “stayed the same for decades”, serving an “original mix of dishes from China, Malaysia and Singapore” in a “civilised atmosphere”. The Times critic Giles Coren’s favourite restaurant (he claims to have eaten at least 1,000 bowls of its signature laksa), fans in our annual diners’ poll say it serves “better chicken rice than in Singapore”.

Normah Abd Hamid’s Malaysian pitstop inside Queensway Market has become a cult destination for those seeking “the most authentic food” – so now “reservation is a must”, with bookings opening at 10am on the first of the month for tables a month later. It’s “worth it”, though, for Normah’s “fantastic” home cooking – and given the hype, reporters say they “over-ordered but it was all fabulous, king prawn laksa, Assam fish, rendang and mixed vegetables… will definitely be returning”.

Just off the King’s Road, this Chelsea Malaysian endures on a site that’s prominent if you are local, and out-of-the-way if you are not. It owes its longevity to a menu of “really good Malay/Chinese combinations”.

“Absolutely delicious, reliable, cheap ’n’ cheerful spice-hit from Malaysian chefs” – this Walthamstow two-year-old is just the ticket for “Asian street food” delivered via “quick and friendly counter service”. “My son, who spent some time in Malaysia, vouches for the authenticity”.

“Brilliant, unexpected dishes and techniques” have marked out Singapore-born Abby Lee’s Clapton venture as one of London’s more interesting post-pandemic openings, following a successful stint in Peckham Market. Inspired by recipes handed down from her grandmother, Abby showcases the Nyonya cuisine of her Chinese-Malaysian heritage – and proves there’s more to it than rendang, laksa and roti.

“Prices closer to those of Kuala Lumpur than of London” have won fame for this “cramped Euston basement”, as attested to by the “eternal long queue in all weathers”. “Favoured by the large local student population”, “it’s well worth the wait for a cheap eat in a vibrant, no-frills, off-the-street, ‘eat-and-go’ environment”. “The signature dish is Roti Canai – chicken, mutton, or fish curry served with two of the flakiest rotis ever made this side of Malaysia”: “a tasty meal at a very good price”. Amongst the other “Malaysian staples cooked to perfection”, the spicy noodle dishes are also often excellent: “no wonder it’s always so busy”. With success has come expansion to high-performing but less famous siblings: a small café near Waterloo (“spot on, always a buzz”); near Battersea Power Station (“perfect choice for a delicious meal close to the overpriced places nearby, with a delightful small outside terrace”); and also with a new big branch which opened in early 2024 near Spitalfields. Top Menu Tip “aside from the roti, look out for Nasi Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Beef Rendang, and Teh Tarik (a drink of tea sweetened with condensed milk)”.

2023 Review: Mano Muthu worked at Euston’s legendary Roti King for many years, and opened this simple shop-conversion caff, north of King’s Cross, in mid 2021. The cooking here has more of a south Indian spin than its rival, with the inclusion of a selection of dosas, and fans (who include the Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa) feel its “exceptional dishes potentially beat Roti King for the title of best rotis in London!”

“Prices closer to those of Kuala Lumpur than of London” have won fame for this “cramped Euston basement”, as attested to by the “eternal long queue in all weathers”. “Favoured by the large local student population”, “it’s well worth the wait for a cheap eat in a vibrant, no-frills, off-the-street, ‘eat-and-go’ environment”. “The signature dish is Roti Canai – chicken, mutton, or fish curry served with two of the flakiest rotis ever made this side of Malaysia”: “a tasty meal at a very good price”. Amongst the other “Malaysian staples cooked to perfection”, the spicy noodle dishes are also often excellent: “no wonder it’s always so busy”. With success has come expansion to high-performing but less famous siblings: a small café near Waterloo (“spot on, always a buzz”); near Battersea Power Station (“perfect choice for a delicious meal close to the overpriced places nearby, with a delightful small outside terrace”); and also with a new big branch which opened in early 2024 near Spitalfields. Top Menu Tip “aside from the roti, look out for Nasi Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Beef Rendang, and Teh Tarik (a drink of tea sweetened with condensed milk)”.

“Fabulous (and very camp) Malaysian diner” – “much more like the real thing than most” – that moved into new premises on Rye Lane in Peckham last April, from the “tin-can room round the side of a pub” where it made its name for “excellent, pretty cheap and very cheerful” grub. Sunday Times reviewer Charlotte Ivers was so impressed she went back a second time, with her boss in tow.

This “tasty and lively” Malaysian ‘kopitiam’ makes a “fantastic local restaurant” and has been a “good addition to Queen’s Park” since opening two years ago. It’s a ‘second-gen’ operation from siblings Fatizah and Irqam Shawal, whose parents opened Satay House in Paddington more than 50 years ago.

“Prices closer to those of Kuala Lumpur than of London” have won fame for this “cramped Euston basement”, as attested to by the “eternal long queue in all weathers”. “Favoured by the large local student population”, “it’s well worth the wait for a cheap eat in a vibrant, no-frills, off-the-street, ‘eat-and-go’ environment”. “The signature dish is Roti Canai – chicken, mutton, or fish curry served with two of the flakiest rotis ever made this side of Malaysia”: “a tasty meal at a very good price”. Amongst the other “Malaysian staples cooked to perfection”, the spicy noodle dishes are also often excellent: “no wonder it’s always so busy”. With success has come expansion to high-performing but less famous siblings: a small café near Waterloo (“spot on, always a buzz”); near Battersea Power Station (“perfect choice for a delicious meal close to the overpriced places nearby, with a delightful small outside terrace”); and also with a new big branch which opened in early 2024 near Spitalfields. Top Menu Tip “aside from the roti, look out for Nasi Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Beef Rendang, and Teh Tarik (a drink of tea sweetened with condensed milk)”.

This “super-busy” Malaysian in a hotel off Queensway is a worthwhile cheap eat, channeling founders Med Pang & Koi Lee’s nostalgia for the tastes of their early years. If you’re “prepared to wait” – it’s “a bit chaotic, which adds to the authentic atmosphere” – you’ll find “sound laksa, good roti channai, and very good oyster omelette (for those who like it runny)”.