Ah yes, Malay Curry House... We tried to visit you on a couple of occasions and you've been randomly closed. With the anticipation of Hainanese Chicken, Roti and Laksa, we ended up with nothing but a dark restaurant. Third time's a charm as Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, JuJu and I were finally able to catch you open for once. After 3 failed attempts, we were wondering if all that effort was worth the trouble. After all, the place wasn't really busy and according to recent reviews, it didn't sound promising. However, we went in with an open mind
We started with 2 orders of the Roti Canai which arrived curiously on 2 separate plates at 2 separate times. Whatever the case, it was a decent attempt as there was a nicely browned exterior that yielded to a soft and chewy interior. Without the curry dip, the roti was already sweet and slightly greasy. The dip itself added palm sugar and some spice. Also on 2 plates, we got 1/2 dozen each of the Chicken & Lamb Satay. As much as the portion size was fair and the overall appearance was pleasing, there was something amiss with the texture of the meat. Due to the use of baking soda, the meat took on a strange bouncy texture like we see in Cantonese cuisine. I guess this was Cantonese-style satay? Again, it wasn't bad, it was just different. The dipping sauce was typically sweet and peanutty.
Moving along, we tried the Curry Seafood Laksa with a mix of yellow noodles and rice vermicelli. This was actually decent with lots of al dente noodles and properly cooked fish and shrimp. As for the most important part, the broth, it was quite flavourful with hits of coconut milk and a mild spiciness. It wasn't really that rich, hence, the flavours lacked a bit of body. Possibly more coconut milk would've help. Furthermore, it wasn't as aromatic as I would've liked. Yet, still decent nonetheless. As for the Curry Beef Brisket we ordered, it was not especially impressive. It tasted like all of the ingredients were cooked separately, which meant the flavours were weak and not cohesive (all we could taste was sugar, ginger and garlic with no discernible spices). In fact, the potatoes were undercooked and bland.
Now for the main event, the 1/2 Hainanese Chicken with a side orders of Chicken Oil Rice. Although the portion size was troubling (since it was deboned, which it should've been anyways), the execution made up for it. The dark meat was juicy and tender with a nicely textured skin while the rice was nutty, salty, chewy and oily (all in a good way). All-in-all, an up and down experience at Malay Curry House where some items were better than others. Obviously, the food has a Chinese-influence, but that didn't bother us.
The Good:
- Hainanese Chicken is decent
- Unlike others, we got good service
The Bad:
- Some artistic interpretations of some items
- Portion size for the chicken is a bit small
1 comments:
is this where A Bowl of Stars used to be ?
How would you compare MCH with say, Penang Delight, City 1 and Tropika and Banana Leaf ? I'm looking for more Malay/Singapore options. Thanks Sherman.
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