Monday, January 16, 2012

No fakes: Sydney's own Petaling Street

I'm not sure why I given the recommendation to go to Petaling Street when I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year. For starters, I was feeling particularly ill on the day and by the end of the short-ish market walk through Petaling Street, the sight of another fake Jimmy Choo bag was going to make me physically sick.

But there are no fakes nor illnesses to worry about at Petaling Street on Sydney's George Street. Put off by a 11.30pm queue outside Mamak one night, we headed up to the new Malaysian contender which was on the quiet side of steady trade.

(Front to back) Hot teh tarik, iced teh tarik and Ribena with lemonade from Petaling Street,
George Street, Haymarket

The restaurant is long and narrow like many Chinatown eateries, with seating all up the right side as you enter, passing the glassed kitchen to the other side. It seems all the tables are set for four people, so I'm not sure how larger groups cope.

The menu is significantly larger than that of the aforementioned long-queued Malaysian eatery. While I can't resist a teh tarik, even if it does taste like it has come from a packet, others can't resist the allure of Ribena cordial with lemonade in what I can only imagine is a liquid sugar hit.

Chicken laksa
We had decided to share mains across the group and I'm sure glad we did. The laksa was epically sized and the kitchen had no problems taking out an ingredient or changing the noodles to rice ones. I'm no laksa expert but I thought there was a good kick of heat in the thick and creamy coconut-heavy soup.

Hainanese chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice is more my kind of dish; here served with delicately poached boneless chicken doused in a quite sweet soy sauce alongside sliced cucumber and finished with fresh coriander.

I didn't try the soup served with it, but was kind of wanting the mild chopped red chilli sauce or pickled green chillies which never came. Nonetheless, I thought the rice, flavoured with chicken stock and the bird's fat, was well done although there were comments about its sweetness.

Mi goreng
My attention was most firmly placed on the huge plate of mi goreng in front of me; a giant pile of Hokkien noodles in a rather spicily seasoned sauce with goodies at every grab of chopsticks. I remember fish cake, bean sprouts and other Asian vegetables, but the rest is mostly a spicy blur.

Late dining customers continued to take tables in the narrow restaurant as we left, so it appears the word is slowly getting out - there's a new Malaysian player in town and it ain't no fake.

Petaling Street on Urbanspoon

16 comments:

john@heneedsfood said...

I walked past this place several times as they were setting up and wondered what was going in there. Great to have another Malaysian in the CBD! I really look forward to giving it a go, esp that laksa.

Unknown said...

A spicy laksa is one damn good laksa.

Tina @ bitemeshowme said...

That laksa sure does look good though... mm

gastronomous anonymous said...

that laksa looks pretty damn tasty! cant wait to try it out!

Ramen Raff said...

Love the fried kway teow here!! Iced teh tarik is good too. I'm yet to try the other dishes like their Laksa.

Helen (Grab Your Fork) said...

Keen to try the assam laksa here, and it's great to have so many more Malaysian options in the CBD!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Thanks for the report, I was wondering what it was like hree!

Karen | Citrus and Candy said...

Ummm ok you convinced me. I'm def gonna have to check it out asap. Although I'm a bit worried with the whole 'packet' teh tarik thing. An absolute travesty if it's indeed true :(

Sophie said...

I've been here last December when it opened up. Quite a quick, good feed. :)

Bob said...

They have downstairs seating and it can fit a whole lot more people. Nice report btw.

Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) said...

I'm hearing increasing buzz about this place so good to get a preview as to what food they offer.

betty said...

love laksa and mi goregn- ill have to take my malaysian friend here :)

missklicious said...

I've been reading about this everywhere and seeing posts on Facebook - I think I need to pay a visit!!

Tina said...

Hi John - Wonder if Malaysian is the new Thai? ;)

Hi Food is our religion - Spoken like a true Malaysian!

Hi Tina - You've really got to be in the mood for laksa, I think. And I wasn't entirely... :(

Hi gastronomous anonymous - So many laksa fans in Sydney; it's great!

Hi Helen - Hmmm, I'll try that next time too!

Hi Lorraine - No probs :)

Hi Karen - I wouldn't recommend the teh tarik but would love to see your thoughts on their assam laksa :)

Hi Sophie - And importantly, no wait...?

Hi Bob - Thanks for the tip!

Hi Rita - There is so much more on the menu; it's going to take a few visits at least!

Hi Betty - Yeah, I'm yet to get a Malaysian perspective on the place, which will be interesting :)

Hi missklicious - The place du jour in Chinatown!

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Anonymous said...

I actually prefer the one thats near Dixon St, called Nonya. Tried both places, still prefers Nonya as they have better food and service.

Petaling Street disapointed us , we had to wait for 20 mins for satay and laksa to come. Not impress.

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