Going on the Malaysian trail in London (Part 1) with Satay House, Delima, Jom Makan and Awana

I recently met up with a friend that I haven't seen in 11 years. It's amazing how much things can change in a decade and how some stay the same. Needless to say, we caught up over some alcohol and food for hours on end and waking up with sore heads the day after. 

My friend and I share something similar. We both didn't have to cook the Malaysian food that we crave until we went overseas where tasty versions could not be found easily and cheaply. All that talk got us naming the places we've tried in London. I then realised that I haven't blog about a number of them so some of these are from the archives.

One of the first places I was told about when I first arrived was of course C&R in Chinatown which dishes up Chinese Malaysian cuisine. You can read about it in Part 2. 

I was later brought to a few places serving malay cuisine with the first being Satay House. 

Satay House

I find Satay House to be consistent and serves food that would quell the malaysian cravings. 

Will I recommend: Yes

Will I come back: Yes

Have I had better: Not in London

Satay House, 3 Sale Place, Paddington, UK W2 1PX

Delima

When Satay House is busy, I find myself heading to nearby Delima which also serves good food. 

Will I recommend: Yes

Will I come back: Yes

Have I had better: Not in London


Delima, 36 Southwick StreetPaddington, UK W2 1JQ

Jom Makan

I came here once and once was one too many for me. Service was slacking with orders being taken wrongly. The food only has the tiniest flavour of what it should be and taste like.

Will I recommend: No
Will I come back: No

Have I had better: Definitely

Jom Makan, 5-7 Pall Mall East, London, UK SW1Y 5BA

Awana

I came here with a group of friends as we got one of those discount deals. The deal that we got was for the Festive Menu which is advertised at £63 per person. The festive menu denotes a 3 course meal.

With the starters, the bergedil ayam was crispy but bland. The loin of beef came in bamboo skewers with a side of peanut sauce. This is basically beef satay. The meat was rubbery and insipid, I wasn't impressed. The prawn popiah or otherwise known as fried prawn spring roll was fried well and had a crispy exterior but was too doughy.

Laksa

Rendang

With the mains, the overall consensus was again that they were all very brief one note dishes. You get a hint of flavour right at the beginning but it disappears quickly into nothingness. There was none of that depth of spices and flavour that is affiliated with these dishes.

Guava Cheesecake

By this stage, I wasn't really looking forward to dessert anymore but you never know right?

The kuih dadar was surprisingly tasty and was the best out of the trio ordered.

My summary of Awana? Overpriced with anglo-sized dishes. You're not missing out.

Will I recommend: No unless you have cash to burn and not fussed
Will I come back: No
Have I had better: Yes

Awana, 85 Sloane Ave, Chelsea, UK SW3

Related Posts:
Going on the Malaysian Trail (Part 2)