Mamak, Chatswood

Over the bridge and far away is another Mamak, tucked away near the Chatswood Railway Station. The Boy and I decide to jump ship on the last night of the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park as the crowds were just unbearable, and the jacked-up prices of the food not much better (though I have to say we were enjoying the nice outside dining experience).

We figured that as all of Sydney were at the Night Noodle Markets there'd be no line ups at Mamak...and boy were we right. We arrived at around 7.30pm and walked straight in and got a table with no waiting - talk about a good strategy.

Although we'd manage to get a bit of food in our bellies at the Night Noodle Market before the crowds descended we decided to order a few savoury items at Mamak and then dessert. I find it hard to go past Roti Canai ($5.50), a basic but delicious dish of Roti, crispy on the outside, but soft and buttery on the inside that is served with two curry dips and spicy sambal sauce.

Because I'd heard so many people rave about the satay skewers at Mamak we order half a dozen Chicken Satay Sticks ($9.00) to see what all the fuss is about. The skewers are great - charred on the outside from being grilled over flaming charcoal, a served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce - this is a different style of satay sauce than The Boy and I are used to and we LOVE it. LOVE!  It's less like liquified Peanut Butter and more sweet - even the colour is different, a deeper red.

We're really here for something sweet though and The Boy is as happy as a clam when his Roti Pisang ($7.50) arrives in front of him.  The roti is served flat with pieces of camarlised banana snuggled in between the sheets of buttery, crisp roti. A scoop of ice-cream really completes this dish. I suspect there is some sweetened condensed milk lurking in this dessert too, but can't be sure.

I seem to have a slight addiction to the sweet and deliciously moreish Cendol ($6.00) - a refreshing dessert made with gula-melaka syrup, coconut milk and shaved ice. The wriggly green noodles are made from fresh pandan leaves which gives them their vibrant green colour. When I tweeted a picture of this during the meal someone asked why I was eating Pea and Ham Soup for dessert. Oh dear!

Of course dinner and dessert isn't complete without something to wash it all down with. Being the bogans that we are we bypass the exotic (and delicious) Malaysian teas and go for a good old Diet Coke!  How adventurous of us.

The next night we're back in Chatswood hoping to get our Crazy Wings fix at the restaurant next door however they have a function on and weren't offering their al-a-carte menu. After a quick conference on the doorstep of Mamak The Boy and I decide there's nothing wrong with going to Mamak two nights in a row (says they girl who went to Mappen four times in one week recently - don't judge).

From top left: Fried Chicken, Ice Lime Drink (Limau Ais), Chicken Murtabak and my Nasi Lemak.

I didn't have my camera on this second visit, but my trusty Samsung phone snapped a few pictures for posterity's sake. I decided to have the Nasi Lemak ($8.50) with a side of Fried Chicken ($3.00). I've heard people call Nasi Lemak Malaysia's "national dish" and I can see why. It's a simple dish, but totally addictive. Coconut rice is served with a medley of sambal, peanuts, crispy anchovies, cucumber and hard-boiled egg. The Boy opts for the Chicken Murtabak ($11.50) - a chuncky Roti filled with spicy chicken, cabbage, eggs and onions.

Mamak Chatwood is at Shop P9, 1-5 Railway St, Chatswood.  Phone them on (02) 9411 4411.  And GREAT news is that Mamak has a catering menu.