Malacca Straits on Broadway, Sydney
One of the dominant cultural trends of recent times has been the spreading of Asian cuisines to Western countries. Chinese, Indian, Thai and even Vietnamese cooking can be found everywhere.
But one disappointment is that Malaysian cooking is still not very present – despite its unquestionable excellence. On a recent visit to “Malacca Straits on Broadway” in Sydney, I asked the manager, “Why so?”
His response was that Malaysian cuisine requires fresh herbal ingredients which are not easily grown everywhere. But most importantly, Australia’s climate is perfectly suitable.
For the curious, Malaysian-grown greens, tubers and vegetables include amaranth (bayam), bean sprouts (taugeh), brinjals (terung), bitter gourd (peria), bok choi (sawi), cabbage (kobis), choy sum, cucumber (timun), Chinese celery (daun sup), coriander (daun ketumbar), ginger (halia), green beans …
The beat goes on … water spinach (kangkung), ladies’ fingers (bendi), leeks, lettuce, lotus root, maize (jagung), napa cabbage (kobis cina), sweet potatoes (ubi keledek), spring onions (daun bawang), katuk (cekur manis or sayur manis), pumpkin (labu), shiitake mushrooms (cendawan), stink beans (petai), tapioca (ubi kayu), taro or yam (ubi keladi), tomatoes, yambean or turnip, turmeric (kunyit), and yardlong beans (kacang panjang), carrot (lobak merah), and scallions (daun bawang).
The richness of Malaysian cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population, which can be roughly divided among three major ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians. The remainder consists of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, the Peranakan and Eurasian creole communities, as well as a significant number of foreign workers and expatriates.
So what are the main dishes of Malaysian cuisine? They include nasi lemak (coconut milk rice), various types of laksa (noodle soup), char kway teow (stir-fried flat noodles), and rendang (slow-cooked meat). Other popular options are satay (grilled skewers), roti canai (flatbread), and hokkien mee (noodle dish).
If you are up for adventure, please try “Malacca Straits on Broadway”, a Malaysian restaurant on Mountain Street in Ultimo, Sydney. It serves up a creative range of Malaysian dishes from classics to street food and regional specialties from a surprisingly large menu. There is also a large amount of outdoor seating available and service is fast and no-nonsense.
This restaurant is proud of its street food favourites like Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak to its signature Golden Sand Prawn. My favourite Malaysian dish is Beef Rendang, which is arguably an Indonesian dish. And I always like to swish down some “teh tarik” with my rendang. In case you are wondering, the main ingredients for teh tarik are black tea, condensed milk, and evaporated milk, along with hot water. Optional additions can include sugar, salt, and spices like ginger or cardamom.
Malacca Straits on Broadway is quite simply a great restaurant. The food was delicious, though perhaps a little too spicy for old me. The atmosphere was cool and funky. And the service had a casual, carefree air.
So, do yourself a favour!