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Rasa Sayang
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Budget choice
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© Jay Sim
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By Charmaine Mok
We like a menu that gets straight to the point. And at Rasa Sayang – a new Chinatown eatery that prides itself on serving Malaysian and Singaporean specialities – there is only a double-sided page of A4 listing many of the region’s greatest hits, with a few lesser-known but well-loved B-sides.
Newbies to this rich and varied cuisine will do well to order from the ‘Straits Culinary Favourites’ category, which includes popular delights such as smoky char kway teow (wok-fried rice noodles), beef rendang (beef slowly simmered in coconut milk) and nasi lemak (coconut fragrant rice, served with various accompaniments including dried anchovies, cucumbers and pickles). Seasoned eaters might want to opt for ‘ladyfingers’ (okra) or petai (a pungent green bean) stir-fried with spicy sambal paste.
A more lavish version of an Indonesian staple, nasi goreng istimewa, is a spread of flavoursome fried rice, coloured a deep brown from soy sauce and shrimp paste, with a kick of chilli. Served with grilled chicken satay (a touch dry), a sunny-side up egg and crisp keropok (prawn crackers), it’s an immensely satisfying one-plate meal for a mere £6.80 – the price of a starter outside this cheap-eats zone. In fact, no dish here costs over £7; it’s like daylight robbery,
in reverse.
A must-have, at the same neat price, is the classic Hainanese chicken rice, a favourite among Singaporeans and Malays. On our visit, both the poached chicken and rice cooked in chicken stock impressed – the chicken meat tender and juicy, and the rice well-cooked and imbued with the sweet flavour of a superior chicken stock. Our only complaint was with the bowl of accompanying chicken broth, which in contrast tasted thin and overwhelmingly of white pepper.
However, there is plenty here that will please those searching for homestyle South East Asian cooking. Each item on the concise menu is worth trying – there are no fillers here, and no dumbing down with the addition of familiar Cantonese dishes to fit in with the surroundings. In fact, it’s pretty Straits-forward, if you ask me.Time Out London Issue 2010: February 26-March 4 2009
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 5 Macclesfield Street, Chinatown, W1D 6AY
- Area: Chinatown
- Tel: 020 7734 1382
- Category: Malaysian, Indonesian & Singaporean
- Travel: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube
- Times: Open 12noon-11pm daily
- Price: Meal for two with soft drinks and service: around £30
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Best Malaysian I have had for a while, roti canai was fantastic and char kway teow was really tasty. We were there late on a Friday night and the service was very good...friendly and efficient. Am definitely going back.
We actually went on the same night at 6pm and found all fine, in fact though the service was much better than a lot of places in Chinatown. Food was fine (also had the char kwoay teoh, + chicken mee llaksa) - I'm keen to head back to try the Chicken Rice. Very handy for pre theatre as right by Leicester Sq tube too
Ater all the reviews said, decided to go in with 3 other friends. On a quiet tuesday evening with barely 10 other customers, the staff packed us into a little corner where there were loads od tables free.Must have chosen the wrong time and date as the staff seems to be in a different planet. Asked a few various questions about the food by one of the friends, and boy you could see the waitress losing her cool.Any way as it wasnt that busy, could not understand the need for them to rush to serve the mains before all our starters have finished. thr char kwoay teoh was ok ,the rest of the dishes nothing to shout sing or dance. Bill came without asking and on checking 2 more beers were added on. No apologies what so ever.I am voting with my feet.
Really enjoyed the food here. In my opinion, on a par with say Makan in Portobello Road - authentic and very reasonably priced, perhaps a little stale atmospherically in comparison to the West London joint. No complaints about service...although I'm not usually phased by this aspect unless it's ridiculously bad. Will definitely be returning.
I eat with friends on the recommendatio of the time out article, The food was average, similar to the ones i have eaten in malaysia years ago but needs work to get there. The staff were abrupt, and even failed to apologise after my friends main arrived well after the rest of us had finished eating, and only after we pointed it out. Will not go back.
Mixed reviews on here but i decided to go for it anyway. Food was excellent and in very generous quantities (ordered way too much!). I did get the impression that they wanted a quick turnaround and my main arrived barely after id finished my starter(s).
Having noted a comment about being charged twice for a drink i thought i'd keep an eye out come bill time - sure enough they are ouble charged me. No questions asked when i pointed it out and they gave me my money back. Made me laugh to myself more than anything!
Some of the waiters were a little sulky but no more than in any other restaurant in China Town.
2 starters, 1 main, desert and one drink came to less than £20.
Rude, sulky service here.
Thankfully, the food was much more impressive. Great beef rendang, sambal prawns and balacan vegetables. Wonton starter was v meaty and a bit too porky.
Don't go near the curry puffs. Nothing like a real curry puff. Dipped in batter, our's was still frozen in the middle, unbelievably.
I'd go again but why bother when there're better Malaysian / Singaporean places nearby.
We went to this restaurant based on the good review on timout.com. Boy we were very disappointed. We went there at around 7 pm on a weekday, and the restaurant was almost 70% empty. They cramped us next to another group, although the restaurant was nearly empty. We asked to be seated in another table but the staff was unwilling to accommodate. Very rude and unfriendly staff. We left without ordering. Will not go there again.
Been there once on recommendation by my Singaporean flatmate. Great amazing authentic food. Tastes just like they do when I visited Singapore and Malaysia! Had good service as well. Definitely a must go.
Food was excellent - I had the beef rendang. Keep an eye on the bill as they put 2 beers on rather than 1. Would have been 5 stars otherwise.