Mamak, Chinatown

Always running behind on time, I'm late to jump on the bandwagon of the popularity that Mamak has been enjoying, but I'm so very glad I did. Having originated as a stall at the Chinatown night markets, Mamak is a Malaysian joint specialising in roti, a South Asian flatbread generally sold at street food stalls. I visited with Georgia who was very unfortunately on a gluten-free diet at the time, so we ordered two curries to share while I greedily indulged on roti all by myself. The line was very long, but the service was very fast, our food came arrived within minutes of ordering even though the place was completely packed.

Kari Kambing $16

Our first dish to arrive was the kari kambing, a spicy curry with slow-cooked lamb. I was caught off-guard by the tenderness of the meat, the first piece I tried very literally fell apart in my mouth. The gravy was thick and flavoursome, slightly sweet and very spicy (for a chilli wimp like me anyway).

Kari Ayam $16

Our second dish is the kari ayam, a 'classic chicken curry' with chunky potatoes cooked in ground spices. Curry generally isn't my thing but I enjoyed this very much so, the gravy was wonderful spooned over the steamed rice and the generous hunks of chicken were tender and juicy.

Steamed white rice $2.50 (per person)

Roti Telur $6.50

My introduction to the world of roti came in the form of roti telur, classic roti with an egg folded into it. Soft, fluffy, buttery, I could eat plates and plates of this. It's served with two types of curry dips and a dollop of spicy sambai sauce. Georgia could only look on in envy as I gobbled this up.

Teh 'O' Ais Limau $3.50, Teh Ais $3.50

Our two drinks were the teh 'o' ais limau and the teh ais, the one of the left is iced tea with lime and I had iced milk tea. The splash of lime in Georgia's drink rendered the iced tea particularly refreshing, it was sweet and strong, with that added twist of citrus. (Apologies for the awful image quality!)

Ais Kacang $6

For dessert, we shared the ais kacang, a 'concoction of red beans, corn, grass jelly, rose-syrup and sweetened milk on a mountain of shaved ice'. This wasn't really to my taste (I'm not a fan of rose syrup), however Georgia loved it. Perhaps I was just unaccustomed to the combination of flavours - the creamed corn tasted slightly savoury next to the sugary syrup, while the rose flavouring was quite strong. Regardless, it was a happy meal indeed and I'm looking forward to more roti the next time I visit!

Flattening a piece of roti

Mamak
15 Goulburn St, Haymarket 2000
Telephone: (02) 9211 1668