1) Champor Champor

Champor champor' is a Malay term that loosely translates as 'mix and match' and that is certainly true of this colourful little restaurant in southeast London. The dining area is filled with exotica, from tribal artefacts to modern pieces of art, and the food is equally eclectic, taking inspiration from modern Malay cuisine and with the best of Japanese, Burmese and Thai thrown in. The results include dishes such as satay-marinated carpaccio of ostrich, grilled minced fish and nori cannelloni and beef rendang. Vegetarian dishes are equally exciting; grilled plantains with steamed okra or roast baby leeks with mushrooms and pickled tea noodles. A three-course meal here costs around £42 per person; this is one dining experience not to miss.

2) Tukdin




Tukdin is situated at an angle between Paddington & Bayswater. The closest Tube stations are Paddington and Lancaster Gate. This is definitely a delightful cosy restaurant and the place to go in London for a taste of authentic Malaysian food. The ambience is excellent for a family meal or an easy night out.

Frequented by the local expat community, who drop by to gulp flavoursome plates of mee goreng (hawker’s noodles) & nasi lemak (a hot pot of coconut rice served with fried anchovies, boiled eggs, peanuts, cucumber, fried chicken & chilli paste). The low-priced menu – average food spend is £10/£20 per person - also includes sing-gang (sea bass poached in tamarind soup with lemongrass), squid sambal, & daging salai masik (slices of smoked beef & bamboo shoots cooked in coconut sauce) as signature plates.

The best pudding is the black rice pudding, to enjoy with bottles of cold beer or refreshing sirap bandung muar (rose syrup with milk & soda).

3) Rasa Sayang



Not an obvious choice of restaurant for the heart of China Town, but Rasa Sayang has built a reputation for itself, playing on its unique Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine combination. Open just over a year (as of March 2010), this two-floor restaurant is certainly attracting plenty of punters – and it’s still only a Monday night.

Let’s take first impressions. Rasa Sayang is simplistic - from the Ikea wooden chairs to the table framework to the white walls - and the imagination is left fresh for the food. OK, some black and white frames of yester-year Malaysia give a snapshot of the Asian experience, but it doesn’t tell me much about my food, yet.

So, to the menu; I like spice as much as the next person but it has to be balanced. Rule one: it must be tasty. Rule two: it can’t burn my mouth to the point where I’m putting out fires on my tongue with numerous glasses of water. So the fact that Rasa Sayang offers a two-part menu, with “Singaporean Straits” and “Hot Stuff” dishes separated, is a blessing in disguise.

The charcoal grilled satay is a tasty and succulent skewer to get things started. The staff also recommend the curry laksa, a traditionally spicy egg noodle and broth dish which, although the presentation is nothing to write home about, lives up to what is expected from the region in taste. The picture menu of the char kuay teow (wok fried noodles with seafood in a ‘superior’ sauce) is misleading as it ends up being quite bland and tastes more like an overpowering soy sauce, contrary to its description.

Rasa Sayang means well, offering simplicity and value for money minus any blasé-ness. This particular visit would have been more memorable with the atmosphere and banter from the dining room above, but with some hit and miss dishes, Malay may not be a priority for my next dining experience. If deciding to give Rasa Sayang a go, be sure to choose carefully to ensure that the plate suits your palate.

4) Melur Malaysian Restaurant



Melur, a new Malaysian restaurant in London, has been opened by Sam Wong and her husband on the site of what has been Mawar. Melur is the Malay word for Jasmine, and you will find the food served in Melur to be as delicate and fragrant as its namesake.

Occupying a central London location in the Paddington area, Melur Malaysian Restaurant is ideally situated close to Hyde Park, Bayswater, Marylebone and Marble Arch.

Drawing from the rich culinary heritage and diverse ethnic influences of Malaysia, the cuisine is inspired by the street food of Malaysia and offers you the variety and the authentic depth of these exotic flavours. Melur Malaysian Restaurant is also the ideal place for functions. There is a separate function room or you can book the entire restaurant for a special occasion

5) Satay House



A popular haunt amongst Malaysian and Singaporean students, Satay House has a big menu of traditional dishes, from its speciality satay to mee goreng. Nasi campur, an all-in-one dish of lamb, chicken or fish curry with steamed rice, salted fish and vegetables is another crowd pleaser. (Also close by is Pak Awie, which does similarly reliable comfort food.)