Mamak - Haymarket, Sydney

I've been wanting to go here for ages, but when this place opened last year, they're always jammed packed with people inside, with an extra 10 - 20 people lining up, waiting for tables. That's what always made me change my mind and eat somewhere else. Now, about half a year after their successful opening, I finally get to try it, even if I had to eat like, 5.30 in the afternoon when they just barely opened their doors.

The restaurant is simply called 'Mamak', which for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to the widely popular Muslim Tamil Indian stalls / eateries in Malaysia. It is (I think) officially Sydney's first mamak shop. They've got most of the mamak fare, from Milo Ais (Iced milo) to Roti Canai. Too bad they don't have murtabak - the food both popular in Malaysia and my country Indonesia (where it's known as martabak) which I am constantly craving for when I'm outside Indonesia.


However, lately, the long queue had subsided significantly. At first, I thought that people just got bored or something. But to my surprise, I discovered why now less and less people visit this place - the food is nothing special, really. Very marginal. Cla said that the food used to be better when they just opened the shop. It's a pity, really, since I really like Malaysian mamak food.

Nasi Lemak
(Coconut cream rice)

Roti Canai

Teh Ais
(Iced milk tea)

The food here looks cheap (only 5 - 6 bucks per item - mainly because the portions aren't big), but since you might want to order several different types of food per person, the total bill can be quite a lot if you're eating alone (I spend about 16 bucks for all this). I know that 16 bucks isn't a lot, but considering that a full satisfying mamak meal should not exceed 15 Ringgits (that's about AU$ 5) in Malaysia, I find the price difference rather appalling.