Malaysian cuisine is known for its spicy soups, fragrant curries and flaky, buttery rotis. Ingredients such as lemongrass, tamarind, chilli and coconut are common, with influences from across south Asia.
While not as well known as the food of Thailand and India — given Malaysia isn’t a go-to country for backpackers — its cuisine has been steadily growing in popularity in Britain for some time.
Standout restaurants such as Hawker’s Kitchen in King’s Cross, once what some might describe as a “hidden gem”, have garnered fame and are going mainstream. If you go anywhere for a taste of Malaysian food in London, go there.
Otherwise, here are 11 Malaysian restaurants to try in London.
Mambow
Led by the talented chef Abby Lee, Mambow earned itself a four-star rating from the Standard’s restaurant critic David Ellis last year. The dining room is cosy and unpretentious and the food is packed full of flavour, with dishes such as sambal skate wing and hot and sour beef short rib curry.
78 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0RN, mambow.co.uk
Satay House
This list would not be complete without paying heed to a London veteran of Malaysian cuisine. Satay House opened in Paddington in 1973 and has been a hit ever since. Expect crunchy anchovies scattered with spicy peanuts and grilled prawns with sator beans served with a punchy sambal. The rotis here come with a kari sauce, a half a boiled egg and sliced onions.
13 Sale Place, W2 1PX, satayhouse.com
Normah’s Café
Once one of London’s best kept secrets and now a viral hotspot, Normah’s is named after its head chef and owner Normah Abd Hamid. She cooks up home-style classics like beef rendang and king prawn laksa from her tiny restaurant tucked inside Queensway Market.
23, 25 Queensway, W2 4QJ, normahs.co.uk
Putera Puteri
Putera Puteri in Queensway is best known for its nasi lemak, a rice dish cooked with coconut and pandan, an aromatic green plant. Served up with fried anchovies, sambal, peanuts and an egg, it’s a must. Elsewhere on the menu are dishes such as chicken curry, sambal fried rice, and curry puffs.
179 Queensway, W2 5HL, puteraputeri.com
Roti King
Roti King doesn’t serve the best Malaysian food in London but has been pivot to helping the cuisine go mainstream and remains a solid option, serving warming curries and flaky rotis. Most branches are still BYOB and the canteen vibe keeps things moving quickly.
Across London, puteraputeri.com
Sambal Shiok
Born as a street food stand, Sambal Shiok is now something of a powerhouse with a standalone restaurant in Holloway. Owned by Mandy Yin, the chef does her laksa in the “campur” style, blending methods and techniques from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
171 Holloway Road, N7 8LX, sambalshiok.co.uk
Med Salleh Kopitiam
Not to be confused with its Vietnamese sister Med Salleh Viet, this Westminster restaurant is all about nostalgia. Dishes derive from traditional home cooking, with a heavy emphasis on Chinese influences, which are a major part of many Malay dishes.
35-39 Inverness Terrace, W2 3JS, medsalleh.co.uk
Dapur
According to Dapur, there’s no right time to eat. Nasi goreng is available for breakfast, roti canai from dawn, and who says you can’t have rendang for elevenses? Founder Sharizah Hashim has brought generation-old recipes and the Malaysian passion straight to Holborn. The menu isn’t big and nor is the café, but you can expect to see saucy and sticky chicken, pandang beef and sambal-laden meats on the daily chalkboard.
13 Lamb's Conduit Passage,WC1R 4RH, dapur.co.uk
Malaysian Deli
Malaysian Deli’s name might be misguided. At what other deli in London will you find slow-cooked hunks of beef, plates of fried noodles and sambal? Nonetheless, the food is as inviting and warming as the restaurant. It’s reasonably priced and speaks for itself without the frills and flowers of so many other London jaunts. Be sure to try the nasi kerabu (the restaurant’s signature dish), a blue rice dish scattered with butterfly pea flowers and freshy roasted chicken. It’s also BYOB.
338 Brockley Road, SE4 2BT, malaysian-deli.square.site
Laksa
Laksa London was closed over the summer but is reopening in September. Thankfully, nothing has changed at this Clerkenwell favourite. The focus of the menu is still on street food, with fried noodles, dumpling platters, and one hell of a laksa, spicy and bubbling with the likes of fish balls, tofu, chicken and squid.
17 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RD, www.laksa-london.co.uk
Malay Fellas
Malay Fellas serves a “roti John omelette sandwich”, fried chicken wings, curry puffs, and nasi goreng, but a visit here is not complete without trying the crispy sambal chicken bao. It’s as delicious as it sounds. See also the oxtail broth, sea bass in chilli paste, and finish with a Milo tiramisu, a Malay twist on the Italian classic with Nestle’s famous chocolate malt drink.
16 Inverness Street, NW1 7HJ, malayfellas.co.uk
