On any given bright Saturday afternoon, when the working week is over, I tend to look to the promise of the yielding, infinite goodness of the weekend proper to entice myself from home and the daily humdrum. ‘Let’s do something exciting’, I recall telling myself, ‘This weekend needn’t be as aimless as the last!’.
During moments of procrastination in the working office, my mind (and I’m sure yours does, too!) tends to imagine the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘if only’ scenarios, lost in dreaming mode, while those stolen glimpses outside the window remind me of the fresh air and sunshine that I am totally missing out on. The reality is, when you have exhausted and over-exerted your mind in search of something novel and interesting to prepare and have emptied your wallet in a Thursday evening grocery shop, it seems only fair that someone else should take the responsibility to cook. And why shouldn’t we have a break? Day-to-day, you think only of the mounting obligations arising from home and work and find yourself lost for energy and ideas and lacking the impetus to even open the fridge and put together some ragtag of ingredients.
Tired of the myriad of Thai restaurants along your streets cafe strip? The local Chinese takeaway store closed or the gourmet pizza bar leaving you out of pocket? It’s time to forget such worries that have taken hostage of our mind. There’s good news to be had in saying that there is no need to dash for the local saloon or the midnight bar for pub grub, for a different kind of watering hole in town, one that won’t leave your stomach wanting for exercise after a few drinks, your brain wanting for stimulation after some awkward smalltalk and your tastebuds craving for an after-dinner mint.
Look no further than Malay-Chinese Takeaway, a genuine-to-recipe laksa oasis moulded after the Singaporean/Malaysian hawker-centre style of eatery, located on Hunter Street in the heart of Sydney City. It’s a tiny trek to take up a climbing hill, dodging suits and briefcases along the way, and the queue outside the restaurant is somewhat daunting in erratic Spring weather. Nevertheless, with the expectation of formalities aside, it’s up to you to pull up a seat and watch the ceiling fans circulate the steam from pots and pans or, while waiting, to be hypnotised by the stirring beads of sweat pouring from the brows of those braving the fronts of extra chilli with their soup.
Don’t expect waitstaff to serve your every whim in this informal setting nor a cordial response to some banal chatter from the cooks behind the scenes; simply place your order to to the staff behind the counter, take a seat and wait merely a few moments for your food to arrive. It’s as good as it gets. There is enough seating and such a broad variety and demographic of soup-slurpers that you needn’t worry about arriving in your flipflops and singlet top. In fact, your mother will be thankful that the stains from the curry powder used extensively in the food, won’t leave a mark on that favourite silk tie.
You’re bound to be pleasantly surprised by the skinless chicken laska ($9.20) with healthy chunks of ingredients and a savoury chicken-broth bite, or perhaps the king prawn laksa ($11) that fills the palate with a delightful likeness to a seafood marinara. Of course, the title of the restaurant is really a dead giveaway to the variety of dishes available, including the delicious and rather famous Hainanese chicken rice ($8.20), chicken, beef, prawn and satay varieties of Malaysian curries brought in excellent taste and spice (ranging from $7.10 to $11.60) and even a handful of fried noodles, such as the personal favourite char kway teow ($9).
Within minutes, you are hailed to the counter and drawn to a delicious speciality dish. Feeling game? Give a try to one of the mouthwatering weekly specials.
At a modest average of ten dollars, you can drown your worries in a porcelain bowl beaming with coconut milk soaked in crimson chilli jam, ornate with flotsam of prawns, noodles, beansprouts and shredded cabbage. When you’re done or perhaps only half-way through, surrender your chopsticks to your bowl and succumb to a slur: it’s almost expected that you will soak up the ambience of chatter and the chiming of bustle from the kitchen and have a chat with your nearest neighbour.
Why shouldn’t you have a break? Day-to-day, you think only of the mounting obligations arising from home and work and find yourself lost for energy and ideas and lacking the impetus to even open the fridge and put together some ragtag of ingredients. But mental and physical exhaustion should never stop the avid culinare from an appreciation of good food consisting of a great variety, zest and substance. While it might not be as alluring as a sweet-and-salty Katong laksa, it’s definitely in a league of its own that is well worth the wait and the return visit.
Shop 1, 50-58 Hunter St, Sydney NSW 2000
phone: 9231 6788
fax: 9231 6799
website: www.malaychinese.com.au
Open: Monday to Friday 11am-7.30pm
Saturday 11am-6pm
Sunday Closed
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