Kiasu © Britta Jaschinski
Cheap Thai and Malaysian restaurants in London
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By Time Out Food & Drink editors
Posted: Fri Nov 7 2008 -
Some great and reasonably priced south-east Asian restaurants in the capital
Indian | Chinese | Italian | Korean | Vietnamese | Thai & Malaysian | Mexican African & Caribbean | Lunch | Buffets | Comfort | Romantic | Award winners
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Rasa Sayang
Eat here for under £10, 5 Macclesfield Street, Chinatown, W1D 6AY
Nasi lemak, nasi goreng, beef rendang – all of these are done with aplomb in a restaurant that has clearly put in its best effort. The service is friendly and efficient, and mains barely top seven quid. Meal for two with soft drinks and service: around £30. Read more
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Banana Tree Canteen
412-416 St John Street, Islington, EC1V 4NJ
Islington now boasts its own spacious branch of this canteen-style favourite. The menu features dishes from across south-east Asia. It’s the Malaysian fare that shines, however, so try the rich, coconutty mamak lamb curry, laksa and nasi goreng. Meal for two with wine and service: around £40. Read more
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Kiasu
48 Queensway, Bayswater, W2 3RY
This restaurant specialises in food from the straits of Malacca, though you’ll also find the occasional Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino dish on the menu. Main dishes start at £4.90. We love the Singapore chilli crab with frothily fiery red sauce and sweet, puffy rounds of mantou (Chinese buns). Meal for two with wine and service: around £40. Read more
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Melur
175a Edgware Rd, W2 1ET
Melur’s decor emanates comfort while the menu showcases a broad mix of home-style cooking from the Straits, with popular staples such as satay, nasi lemak and beef rendang. The kitchen has a dab hand for tofu sumbat (deep-fried bean curd with sliced cucumber and beansprouts), and the deliciously piquant sambal udang (chilli stir-fried prawns) are a highlight. Tiger beer is the only brew on a drinks list featuring a range of cocktails and 20 wines, but you’ll fare well with the the tarik (‘stretched tea’) – Malaysia’s national drink. Meal for two with drinks and service: around £40.
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Satay House
13 Sale Place, Paddington, W2 1PX
Booking is essential at this cosy, smartly informal Malaysian restaurant. The menu sings with peanuts, shrimp paste, coconut and chillies and, as the same suggests, the satay (chicken, lamb or vegetarian) should not be missed. Meal for two with wine and service: around £45. Read more
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Malaysia Kopi Tiam
67 Charing Cross Road, Chinatown, WC2H 0NE
Popular dish here is Hainanese chicken rice – tender slabs of poached chicken served with excellent fluffy rice cooked in chicken broth, and a small bowl of chicken soup on the side. Meal for two with drinks and service: around £30. Read more
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Tong Kanom Thai
833 Harrow Road, Kensal Green, NW10 5NH
This is a real find, hidden on a rather derelict stretch of Harrow Road. Staggeringly, most dishes here are under the £5 mark, but there are no discernible corners cut. Meal for two with drinks and service: around £25. Read more
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5 comments
Not only Melur has a cheap & cheerful menu for £7.95, including a huge bowl of singapore laksa (my all times favourite!), but the staff were friendly when I went there, although the place was getting busy.
I have already visited the place 3 times and I am planning to organise a birthday diner there in the coming weeks.
Definitely in my cheep and cheerful dining out list.
If you want a lovely Malaysian meal that will not disappoint - Make a trip to 122 Balls Pond Road and Puji Puji - It's absolutely fantastic. Spicy, fresh and friendly.
One of the best cinemas in London, The Rio, is only 15 minutes walk away (Kingsland Rd)
I cannot agree with the KIASU recommendation. The Singapore chilli crab was a dismal dish of small crab portions floating in a sea of a sickly sweet blend chilli tomato sauce. The accomapnying fried mantous (which is ot how we enjoy this dish in Singapore) were rock hard. When this was pointed out, the waiter just shrugged his shoulders and blamed the supplier.
The laksa stock was also too watery and subsequently, bland.
Poor attitude and lack lustre food. We walked out wondering what all the fuss was about.
So you didn't like it then?
As a proud Malaysian foodie, I disagree completely with Time Out on Melur and feel it was a waste of time and money even with your Time Out 2-for-1 voucher! It is an embarrassing representation of Malaysian cuisine and any Malaysian will tell you it isn't authentic by a long shot. Time Out is however right in recommending Kiasu in Queensway, and I would also suggest Malaysia Kopitiam on Charing Cross Road.
Melur's char kuay teow (fried flat rice noodles) was a dismal pale beige, tasting NOTHING like it should and with no sign of the characteristic dark charred edges, bits of egg and hot fiery flavour that show it has been properly fried by an expert hand over a flaming wok. We asked for chilli oil or sambal hoping to spice it up, but believe it or not the waiter had never heard of either! He came back with some chilli dip which was all they had... a Malaysian kitchen with NO CHILLI OIL or SAMBAL?? We knew we were doomed.
The Singapore Laksa was even worse, a big bowl of bland watery soup instead of a creamy rich spicy coconut broth. Strangely topped with bits of lettuce and chunks of white beancurd (instead of deep fried beancurd puffs or "tau foo pok").
Nasi Goreng Nonya (Nonya Fried Rice) was the only passable dish of the night, and the Rendang Daging (Beef Rendang) would have been okay had it not been over-salted.
To top it all off, service was slow even though the place was half-empty, and considering the 12.5% service charge the sullen Chinese man at the counter could have at least looked up when we left! There is NOTHING Malaysian about this place, not even the decor (which consists mainly of red walls and LED lights) and DEFINITELY not the food.