The enormously popular Malaysian eatery tucked into a little pedestrian laneway in central Parramatta doesn’t go in for frippery or frills – they would only distract you from the flavours in your bowl, and they deserve your whole-hearted attention. The beef rendang will quiet all those tiresome people who come back from a Malaysian holiday only to moan about how nothing here compares. The tender beef chunks provide the essential substructure for a sauce that is dark, pungent, rich, and cooked down until its ingredients take on an earthy, savoury character. Love laksa? These guys are famous for their creamy noodle soups that come densely packed with two types of noodles (egg and rice), fresh bean sprouts, fat prawns and deep-fried tofu wedges. These are not the thin soups flavoured with paste you might have experienced in lesser establishments – small pieces of garlic, onion and lemon grass thicken the coconut curry sauce, and although there’s a vegetable version on the menu, all the bases contain shrimp paste, which is delicious, but not veggo friendly. If you can’t handle the heat, let the cooling powers of the Hainanese chicken work their magic. The cold poached chicken dressed in sweet soy sauce and ginger and chilli is the zenith of summer comfort food. Temasek have earned their excellent reputation, which is why lines form at lunchtime and at dinner – you’d do well to book ahead for a round trip to flavour town in Sydney’s west.
