Thursday, February 17, 2011

Mamak, Chinatown

I'd heard so many good things about Mamak that I was becoming more and more...desperate...to go there.  Talk of Mamak's soft, buttery Roti bread were driving me mad with Roti cravings.


I'd also heard many many things about the lengthy queue of hungry roti lovers waiting for their turn to try the magic of Mamak that I was a bit worried about how long I'd have to wait in line to finally get inside.  I'd heard of people waiting upwards of 40 minutes to get a table inside due to their no-bookings policy.


Needless to say that my jaw nearly hit the floor when we cautiously approached Mamak one rainy Saturday afternoon to find a really small line-up. Niecy-Poo and I agreed we'd wait for 15 minutes and then abandon our mission as we were in a bit of a time crunch to head back to Newtown to meet The Boy who was referring Water Polo at Sydney Uni.


My jaw dropped even further when we were inside and seated within five minutes.  Woot! This was my lucky day indeed.  

It's just a pity that both Neicy-Poo and I were a tad full due to a morning of grazing at the Eveleigh Farmers Markets.  Poor planning I know...rookie mistake really, but our trip to Mamak was totally unplanned.  We decide to share a few things off the menu and come back another time for a full-blown Mamak feast with The Boy in tow.

To start with we order a serve of Roti Canai ($5.00).  This Roti is surely a gift from the Roti Gods.  It's beautifully soft and fluffy and just a little bit buttery, but not too oily.  Perfection!  The Roti Canai comes with two curry sauces, one of which is a lovely Dahl, as well as a spicy Sambal Sauce.  Why I agreed to share this is beyond me...another rookie error I guess.


Sticking with our Roti theme we also order a Roti Bawang ($6.00).  This iteration of Roti is served flat and not smashed and smooshed like a Roti Canai.  The Roti Bawang is stuffed with sweet red onions that are "just" cooked so have a slightly crunchy texture.  The sweet flavour of the red onions is the perfect compliment to the slight spicy sauces.


Neicy-Poo spied a piece of tasty looking Ayam Goreng ($3.50 per piece) on another table so we decide to order a piece of the fried chicken to try for ourselves, rather than stare longingly at the piece on the table next to us.  Oh my, this was a delicious piece of chook.  The skin was crisp to perfection and the meat still moist and tender.  Once again I wonder to myself why we've agreed to share such tasty morsels.


Mamak also serves a range of Malaysian teas and coffees and we decide to order two different teas to share...of course.  Niecy-Poo orders a Teh Halia ($3.50) and I order a cold Teh Ais ($3.50).  

I'd not had "pulled tea" before, but was keen to try it after seeing people drinking it in coffee shops in Singapore.  I was intrigued watching the man in the little Singapore shop I'd stopped in to have a cold drink pouring the tea from container to container to make a frothy cup.


Teh Halia (the cup in the foreground) is a hot pulled tea served with a hint of ginger.  It is an absolutely beautiful drink and I could see myself quickly developing a habit for it if given half a chance.  My Teh Ais is an ice-cold mikly tea that obviously has a generous spoonful (or two) of sugar.  It's lovely and refreshing on a very muggy day in Sydney.

Despite the looming threat of a huge wait for our next visit to Mamak I know for a fact that it won't be long before my next visit.  Roti = food love.
Mamak on Urbanspoon

Mamak is at 15 Goulburn Street, Chinatown.  They open for lunch from 11.30am - 2.30pm and for dinner from 5.30 - 9.30pm. They stay open til 2.00am on Friday and Saturdays for "supper".

15 comments:

  1. Haha at your 'rookie mistake' of eating beforehand! Though the roti at Mamak are so light, it's not hard to scoff lots of them regardless. Hmm, I've got a hankering for roti and teh ais right now...

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  2. I love the look of the roti, especially the Canai, wow, yum! Might have to look up how to make this ;)

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  3. I like Mamak but am not infatuated with it like most of Sydney it seems. Maybe it's just me. :-)

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  4. Glad you finally tried it despite the rookie mistakes. Now I must be the only food blogger that hasn't been there yet.

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  5. hehe im so glad you finally got to try mamak! and lucky you for skipping the queues mmm roti

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  6. thanks so much for your blog. the queues are stopping me going to mamak more often, but looking at your photos i realise that nothing compares to the MAMAK roti canai

    love your work!

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  7. Roti is the absolute best as is Mamak! Seeing your pics makes me want to go back immediately. Thanks too for your Mamak village tip in Glebe, we went their for dinner the other night and it was delish!

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  8. Hi OooLookBel - I really want more Teh Tarik, it was so beautiful. And, not rooki mistakes next time!

    Hi Muppy - Poh made Roti on one of her shows...you could probably find it on google. Good luck! If it works out well I'm moving to your house - lol.

    Hi Joey - I'm infatuated with Roti bread. It's so cheap and tasty and Mamak's was pretty amazing.

    Hi lateraleating - I know one other blogger that hasn't been there yet, so if you're quick you might beat her to it.

    Mel - I agree, it totally rocks (in my tummy).

    Hi Suze - I'm glad I finally got there too...not for the return visit.

    Hi alimentary track - we went to Mamak quite late in the lunchtime service, about 2.30, so I guess most people had had lunch.

    Hi Georgia - I agree 100%. I keen to go back asap. I'm yet to go back to Mamak Village, but need to do that asap too.

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  9. Hi OooLookBel - I really want more Teh Tarik, it was so beautiful. And, not rooki mistakes next time!

    Hi Muppy - Poh made Roti on one of her shows...you could probably find it on google. Good luck! If it works out well I'm moving to your house - lol.

    Hi Joey - I'm infatuated with Roti bread. It's so cheap and tasty and Mamak's was pretty amazing.

    Hi lateraleating - I know one other blogger that hasn't been there yet, so if you're quick you might beat her to it.

    Mel - I agree, it totally rocks (in my tummy).

    Hi Suze - I'm glad I finally got there too...not for the return visit.

    Hi alimentary track - we went to Mamak quite late in the lunchtime service, about 2.30, so I guess most people had had lunch.

    Hi Georgia - I agree 100%. I keen to go back asap. I'm yet to go back to Mamak Village, but need to do that asap too.

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  10. I'm glad you finally made it to Mamak...next time have a cendol for dessert or an es limau and the dessert roti which looks like a big cone.As you know small boy and I have been regulars there since it opened and we love it!

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  11. So good to hear u finally made it to Mamak to try out their roti for yourself! And it appears you are now a teh tarik convertee too =D

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  12. Oh yum - stop it - I nearly bit into my screen at the sight of that Roti...

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  13. Hi Marianna - I'll be back...just you wait! I didn't even notice the desserts on the menu, but next time. I always want to go to Meet Fresh, right next door that serve all sorts of interesting looking Taiwanese (I think) sweeties.

    Hi mademoiselle délicieuse - I am a TOTAL teh tarik convertee. Loved the one with the ginger, totally divine!

    Hi PPM - I drool looking at the pictures...sad isn't it.

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  14. I love the fried chicken at mamak! It's so crispy and succulent at the same time.

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