The Malaya: The original restaurant was opened in 1963 by Wong Tai See, near Central station. It specialised in Nonya Malaysian cuisine. It was then, and remains, a revelation to the taste buds. As a student it provided a hearty meal and a good excuse to try Tiger beer.
In the late 70’s the original restaurant moved further North down George Street and then to Lime Street, its current modern airy premises overlooking Darling Harbour and a bustling marina. With Lance Wong’s sad passing, a 3rd generation of the Wong family now proudly reinforce the family reputation for providing fiery but flavoursome Malay and Chinese style food, but with a distinct Nonya element. In fact, I have never found another restaurant in Asia or elsewhere that replicates the specialities of the Malaya. It is a must visit on any return from an overseas trip.
Cocktails
The caprioska’s are a fine way to start a meal here. They are heavy on the lime and give you a good hit of sugar to start the afternoon off right. PS they are also a good way to finish a meal.
Starters
There is much to choose from. For me the go to dishes are the Prawn and Scallop Seafood Rolls (mixed with shallots and bamboo shoots), the Otak Otak (Blue eye cod minced with chilli, coconut milk, and spices – quite hot. Wrapped in banana leaf and barbequed)
Salt and Pepper Prawns or Cauliflower or vegetarian San Choy Bow are a good vegetarian/ vegan alternative.
The roti bread with original curry sauce is also a good stand by.
On our visit we had the seafood rolls and vegetarian san choy bow. They were perfect.
Main Courses
There is a lot to choose from. The Laksa’s are original and hot, but not a meal to choose if you are sharing with others – post COVID.
The beef rendang – coconut base – is always a firm favourite. The beef is slow cooked and falls apart. It comes in a rich thick sauce that needs no accompaniment – apart from steamed rice.
The original 1963 curries and the fish curry are excellent. Not too hot but enough that you recognise that this is not a Chinese restaurant.
For my money it is the Prawn Sambol that I always go for. This is a dark malevolent looking dish. It oozes chilli. It should come with a warning. For some reason it doesn’t obscure the taste of the prawns. A miracle. Years ago Lance used to sell the sambol sauce. Unfortunately no longer. Be very aware that on a good day this meal is quite hot, hot like a mouthful of wasabi mixed with chilli paste. I have witnessed people jump from the table and rush to the wash room to drink from the tap!
We also chose the Szechuan Eggplant – another favourite. Crispy fried pieces of eggplant surrounded by extra hot whole fried chilli, cashews, shallot and served on a bed of Chinese water spinach. The eggplant must be cooked in a sweet sauce, or dark sugar, as it is both hot and sweet.
The Singapore Noodles are a good change if you are over steamed rice.
Dessert
There is only one dessert to go for in my view – the chocolate coated ice cream balls – 2 each. You never know which flavour you are getting and they are ice cold.
Wine
There is a very good wine list here, but really a Tiger Beer is the compliment to this style of food in my opinion. But if a crisp white wine is in order you can’t go past the Malaya Pinot Grigio for value.
The Review – 4 Stars
From humble beginnings, this restaurant is a staple in the foodie scene for Sydney. Its move to Lime Street was an inspired choice by Lance Wong, that area is now a new restaurant haven.
It is always a fun meal at the Malaya, the staff are welcoming the food is sensational and, if you avoid the expensive wine, it can be a reasonably priced meal.
As I have said a number of times, some of the meals are a challenge to the uninitiated so be warned.
The Malaya
https://themalaya.com.au/
Address: 39 Lime Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9279 1170
