I have a new indulgence to pine over, and it's name is roti.
Last weekend, we got together for dinner with some friends from AGSM. Matthias, G's assigned buddy, organized the evening. It was a small group; also, present were Matt's girlfriend Laura and Max, who is also here as part of the exchange program.
Matthias had heard rave reviews about a small Malaysian place in Haymarket called Mamak. I was thrilled because while I love Southeast Asian cuisines, I'm not that familiar with Malaysian specifically. We arrive early at around 6:30 p.m., but the place is already bustling and the cue is growing.
It's not terribly long before we're seated and it's just as packed inside as it is outside. We're quite cozy at our table, however, once we navigate the menu and place our order, the food arrives promptly. Actually, our waitress warns us to wait to place the second half of our order, lest our small table be overwhelmed by all the food. It's a good suggestion.
The menu cover declares that this is a satay and roti place, and they know what they're talking about. We order two types of rotis and some satay to start with. The traditional roti canai varies texturally a bit from the Indian roti I've tried in the past. They are thin and delicately crispy crepes that become slightly thicker and fluffier in parts. The way they're stacked on the plate gives them the appearance of a delicious fried blossom.
Our next order is the roti telur bawang. This one has eggs and onions mixed in, so it's thicker and a bit chewier. A roti-omlette hybrid, if you will. Both are served with a very spicy chili sauce called sambal and two delicious curry sauces on the side – one mild, and one with a touch of heat.
Not a great picture, but the roti telur bawang is on the left, and roti canai is on the right.
I'm used to Thai satay, and while I love it, I've grown a little bored with it. However, the rest of the table wanted them and I certainly would never turn it down, so we got the largest order offered. It wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, there were chicken skewers and sauce, but the sauce was very different from the Thai peanut sauce. First off, this sauce was a bright red color. It was chunky, tangier, a little less peanut intensive, and more complex than the satay sauces I've had in the past. I couldn't place all the flavors, but this had some chilli in and there might have been some ginger and something imparting a slight onion flavor; tamarind also seems to be a common ingredient in the Malaysian recipes I've been looking at online, so that's also a possibility. The chicken skewers were small, but tender and flavorful, with nice crispy, charred patches.
Malaysian Chicken Satay
Sadly, our mains weren't as stellar as the rotis and the satay. The kari ayam has a very flavorful curry, but the chicken pieces stewed in the sauce were bony, a little gristly, and rather lacking in meat. Next up was th mee goreng, a noodle dish with pieces of fish cakes, prawns, and eggs tossed in. It's fine, but nothing special – although I do like the fish cake bits. Finally, we order the Malaysian fried chicken, ayam goreng. This was the star of the mains. The herbs and spices the chicken is marinated in give it a beautiful reddish color. The skin is perfectly crispy, and the flavors permeate it down to the meat. It's very good.
Roti tisu
We jump back to the roti menu for dessert. They all look awesome, so we order two from the sweet offerings to split amongst the group. The roti tisu kept catching our eyes as orders were taken to surrounding tables during dinner. The presentation is rather impressive. It kind of looks like a tall, crispy, dunce hat. Our waitress recommend we have it with condensed milk. My childhood memories of summers in Venezuela are filled with topping things with condensed milk, so you will never hear me turn it down.
Roti kaya
Full and Happy! G, Max, Laura, and Matthias.
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