Minum: Malaysian & Café, Martin Place, Sydney (6, 9, 10 Feb 2012)

38B Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.minum.com.au

Malaysian with an identity crisis

On the surface I think Minum isn't doing themselves any favours with the abundance of ‘Map Italian Coffee’ signs plastered around the cafe if they want to promote their Malaysian cuisine — I seriously thought the place was called Map Italian Coffee but it’s the coffee beans they use. My work colleague noticed they had introduced a Malaysian tapas menu and daily specials so I was tempted to check them out. On the first visit my expectations were so low that I actually questioned myself and the owner Penny why I would bother trying their laksa. Seeing hardly anyone dining, the higher price and the strong feeling it was more a coffee cafe certainly played on my mind. Finding out they make their own laksa from fresh ingredients on the day was the deciding factor to try it and I’m glad I did. My decent sized Combination Laksa ($13.80) had good depth of flavour with decent sized deveined prawns. The chicken that was fairly moist and there was a good selection of fishcake, tofu and even boiled egg. With a bit of requested fresh lime to squeeze on top it became one of the better laksas I’ve had in the CBD. Providing table service with nicer décor than a food court might justify the higher price for some.

The second visit brought me back to try more of their daily menu specials. The Beef Rendang ($12.80) could have been a bit more tender and wetter for my liking but had good flavour. I would have enjoyed a few slices of cucumber and tomato to help cut through the heaviness of the dish but I guess that wouldn’t be authentic. The Nasi Lemak ($13.80) came with coconut rice, boiled egg, pickled veg and chicken curry devil. I really enjoyed the eggs with chilli and I would have liked a bit more sambal or curry sauce on the dish for extra moisture. On my third visit I arranged with a few bloggers to try the Malaysian tapas so we had a chance to try a few things. Overall I preferred the daily specials menu but there were a few tapas I enjoyed more than others. I didn’t mind the tasty Roti ($2.80) but it was served flat and I much prefer the flakey puffed version of Mamak.

I quite liked the flavour of the Slow Braised Pork Marinated in Five Spice ($13.60, 2 serves) but it seemed to be a small portion for the price and I enjoyed the Butter Lemongrass Prawns ($15.60, 2 serves) with nice flavours and decent sized prawns but again pricey. The Lamb Cutlets with Spiced Coconut Crusts ($9.80) was tender and flavoursome as hoped but the coconut wasn’t working for me and made it a bit dry on the palate. I liked the Roti Jala ($7.80) of lacy crepe served with chicken curry which was more a dish to enjoy on its own perhaps but I haven't had it before and it seems looking at examples online the crepe should preferably be more net-like in presentation. Desserts were well-liked with Black Rice Pudding ($5.80) and Sago & Palm Sugar Pudding ($6.80) being served in martini glasses to add a little bit of class. The Grilled Pineapple with cinnamon ($2.80 per skewer) was sweet and tasty and would have gone nicely with some ice cream, perhaps pandan or coconut flavour. The Affogato ($4.50) might be one of the cheapest you’ll find in the CBD and it was pretty decent. For those dining in let Penny share her amazing talent for creating latte art of a face, your name or for those not offended a nude woman — no offence taken.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Laksa made from scratch with quality ingredients, Table service, Seating available away from the noise of a busy food court, Only having one dish of the day means they strive to do it well

CONS: You wouldn’t really know they served Malaysian dishes due to all the coffee signage — mixed messages, A bit pricier than you’re usual eateries, Kitchen service would be preferably quicker

MUST TRY: Laksa, Boiled eggs with chilli, Grilled pineapple with cinnamon (if they included ice cream), Requesting coffee art for your dine-in latte

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Visited 6 Feb 2012

Chicken Laksa ($10.80)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Combination Laksa ($13.80)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

A bit of fresh lime does wonders for the palate

Visited 9 Feb 2012

Beef Rendang served with coconut rice ($12.80)

Nasi Lemak with coconut rice, boiled egg, pickled veg and chicken curry devil ($13.80)

Loved the boiled eggs with chilli

Visited 10 Feb 2012

Lychee drink ($5.50), Coconut drink ($5.50), Grass Jelly drink ($5.50)

Roti ($2.80)

Tofu Sambat: Grilled Stuffed Tofu with Crunch Cucumber & Sweet Chilli Sauce ($8.80)

Tamarind Chilli Potatoes ($6.80)

Malaysian Satay Chicken ($8.80, plus extra stick $2)

BBQ Pork - Slow Braised Pork Marinated in Five Spice ($13.60, 2 serves)

Udang Serang Mentega: Butter Lemongrass Prawns ($15.60, 2 serves)

Otak Otak: Grilled Fish infused in Malaysian Spices ($8.80)

Lamb Cutlets with Spiced Coconut Crusts ($9.80)

Roti Jala - Lacy Crepe served with Chicken Curry ($7.80)

Pulut Hitam: Black Rice Pudding ($5.80), Sago Gula Melaka: Sago & Palm Sugar Pudding ($6.80)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Sago Gula Melaka: Sago & Palm Sugar Pudding ($6.80)

Pulut Hitam: Black Rice Pudding ($5.80)

Grilled Pineapple with cinnamon ($2.80 per skewer)

Affogato ($4.50)

Flat white with latte art face

Latte art with nude woman

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Weekly specials menu (may change)

Malaysian tapas menu

Dessert and drinks menu

Cutlery and table setting

Takeaway coffee special after 12 pm — pretty cheap

Owner Penny (right) and her mum Sandra with the Malaysian tastebuds

Richard Elliot, Cupcakie Dolly, Cats Love Cooking and Me

Inside seating

Opening hours

Shopfront — I can easily see 'Map Italian Coffee' promoted but not 'Minum'

Stairs down to Minum from Martin Place

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Malaysia Kitchen Food Market: Pop Up Restaurant Event, Sydney (17 Feb 2011)

The State Theatre Laneway, enter via George St opposite QVB

49 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.malaysiakitchen.com.au
http://twitter.com/#!/MKInsiders

Sydney loves Malaysian-mania

It takes a certain amount of patience to line up for just over an hour before you actually get to sit and eat your lunch but in the end the perseverance is rewarded with a sampling of four Malaysian dishes for only $10. I arrived at around 11.50 am to a very long queue reaching towards The Hilton and discovered people had been queuing since 11.30 am to be the first in line. The event can sit a maximum of 80 people so once the first group are allowed in it's about 45 minutes until people from the second group are allowed to trickle in as seats become available — I ended up being the 113th position. I think there's a maximum of 250 covers per opening session. Receiving my raffle ticket group placing was like receiving the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket which I held on to tightly as it made me feel reassured of my eventual entry amongst a slightly unclear queuing system — clearer directions from staff would be helpful.

It was funny watching pedestrians walking past with expressions of what-the-hell-is-happening-here looks. Once you get to the front entry and pay your $10 you walk down a photo plastered laneway with joy to have finally made it in to unfortunately discover you've now arrived at the next queuing section — WTF. Oh well, it's all part of the experience I guess. You can order drinks at this stage but I think it would have been nice for complimentary cups of water to be made readily available at this point, especially if you've been waiting a very long time and it's a very hot day.

There are 15 restaurants listed as being part of the event and for each lunch and dinner a selection of four are chosen to provide 1 dish each. There doesn't seem to be a listing of when each one will be on so it's a bit of pot-luck of who you'll get on the day. Today's lunch starts with a Char Kway Teow from Kuali unfortunately uses pad thai style noodles rather than the wider Chinese rice noodles which I prefer. It's lacking a bit of robust char factor like you might find at Malay-Chinese Takeaway, Sayong or even Yummy Cuisine but it's pleasant enough. Next served is the

Roti Canai from the legendary

Mamak whose lineups are famous as well before opening.

The satay chicken had plenty of flavour but could have been a bit hotter in temperature to be even better and the roti was very good although that's what they're famous for doing so well.

Jackie M

serves up a Nasi Lemak which I surprisingly enjoy since I'm not usually a huge fan of this dish. My fellow Malaysian diner thought the rice could have been less wet and stuck together and the sambal seemed a bit watered down and could have had more kick to it which I tend to agree. To finish the

N

asi kunyit with beef rendang is served by

Kaki Lima and rich in flavour including some distinctive kaffir lime notes. I enjoyed this dish served with

turmeric glutinous rice. All in all if you can stomach the wait to get in I think it can be a very enjoyable dining experience to share with a few friends or even perhaps by yourself.

I'm suspecting if you dine alone you might even end up getting a bit more to eat because you wouldn't have to share your roti or rice. Enjoy if you're one of the lucky ones to get in before ending.

Opening hours (I suggest arrive as early as possible):

Wed 16 Feb 2011: 6 – 9 pm

Thu 17 Feb: 12 noon – 3 pm & 6 – 9 pm

Fri 18 Feb: 12 noon – 3 pm & 6 – 9 pm

Other reviews and info of Malaysia Kitchen Food Market:

• TimeOut Sydney

• City of Sydney

• Grab Your Fork - Media Launch

• Chocolatesuze - Media Launch

• Jenius - Media Launch

• The Heart of Food - Media Launch

• Noodlies - First Night

• Simon Food Favourites - 16 Feb visit

• Simon Food Favourites - 17 Feb lunch

• Mirgraphy

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good value ($10 gets you 4 sampling dishes), Nice decor and atmosphere with lanterns, Interesting location, Friendly staff albeit feeling a bit overwhelmed by the huge interest

CONS: Hugely popular so arrive as early as possible to line up (I suggest 30-60 mins), Weather permitting, During lunch you might be under direct sunlight, Drinks are expensive I believe, Dishes may not be as authentic as you hope but it's a good introduction

MUST TRY: Definitely worth visiting before it ends (it keeps being advertised as one week but seems to actually only be on for 3 days)
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Video walk-through of Malaysia Kitchen Food Market from outside lineup through photo laneway and past kitchens and table seating

The queue at 11.50 am before the 12 noon open time

End of the queue at 11.50 am already stretching past Mick Simmons

My place ticket — now I feel reassured amongst the queue

Doors open at 12 noon for the first 80 people (minus VIP people on the guest list that don't have to queue up)

Laneway of photos

The inner sanctum line up where you're one step closer to getting to eat something — sugar levels running low but hold on

Drinks are available for purchase in the inner sanctum lineup — I believe beer or soft drink

Seating and decor

Chinese lanterns create a colourful ceiling which opens up to the sky — not sure how it'll cope with rain though

Table setting — you better like communal eating

Laneway seating

Mirrored surface create interesting surroundings and make the space feel a bit bigger and brighter

Sound system at the end of the laneway with mirrored signage — hey that's me in the mirror!

Kuali: Char Kway Teow - Stir-fry rice noodles with prawns, fishcakes, bean sprouts, egg and garlic chives (was shared between 2)

Mamak: Roti Canai with satay chicken served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce (was shared between 2)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Jackie M: Nasi Lemak-Fragrant coconut rice accompanied with dried anchovy sambal, peanuts, egg, cucumber and achar (was shared between 2) — Hey, that's Ms Jackie M herself!

Kaki Lima: Nasi kunyit with beef rendang - Slow-cooked beef curry served with turmeric glutinous rice and cucumber slices on banana leaves (was shared between 2)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Table water — it's free and needed after all that lining up

Table cutlery — mirrored table looks cool but not if you're seated in a spot where the sun is directly above

Toilets available in the side entry to the State Theatre

Malaysian restaurants being showcased

Contact details and map flyer

Time of exit 1.35 pm — no queues now and some limited seating was still available if you're lucky. I think there's a maximum of 250 covers for each session.

Lunch time menu – Friday 18 Feb 2011

Lees Malaysian serving Vegetarian Gado Gado

Jackie M serving Nasi Lemak

Malacca Straits serving Penang Chicken Kapitan

Kaki Lima serving Jahoran chicken and beef satay served with peanut sauce, cucumber, onions and compressed rice


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