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| Pic: 1malaysiacuisine.com |
Situated just opposite St. John The Baptist Church and next to the fish market, 1Malaysia is a perfect option for those who are looking for a menu with plenty of choice where dishes are varied in nature, robust in textures and a meeting of different cultures.
“Our food is a mixture of the main cultures that live in Malaysia: Malay, Chinese and Indian,” says Alex Wong, the owner of the restaurant, a Malaysian chef with more than 25 years of experience who has an eye on the details. “When you have got passion for something you do it properly,” he says.
Although there is room for dishes from China and India, 75 per cent of the menu is Malay, explains Mr Wong.
“I wanted to make the menu more Malay because there are many Chinese restaurants in the area and I wanted to distinguish from the others,” he adds.
Indeed, this restaurant is completely different to Asian buffets or take-away Chinese restaurants, where, as Mr Wong says, “there is too much food on the table, and people just can’t finish it.”
1Malaysia is a real option for those who are looking for something different to eat and, at the same time, natural ingredients.
Mr Wong explains: “Our curries are not curry-powder based; we use herbs and fresh ingredients, like coriander, to give the natural colour to our dishes. This is why our food is so different, because there is no colouring in the food we prepare; the colour comes from natural ingredients.”
Advised by Mr Wong, the menu for two people which offers a genuine merge of these three cultures includes Chicken Murtaback, as an Indian appetizer, and the main dishes Rendang Lamb Mamak, typical Malaysian curry, and the Chinese wok fried Chow Keow Teow.
The Indian Chicken Murtaback (crispy pancake filled with chicken, spices and potatoes) is a tasty appetizer, perfect for those who prefer their dishes a little less spicy, but the price (£4,95 for four little pieces) just seems too much.
The star dish, Rendang Lamb Mamak, described in the menu as “a rainbow of spices and herbs with traces of coconut” is a mouth-watering Malaysian curry stew and the price (£9,50 per dish) is worth every penny. The lamb, with a touch of lemongrass, ginger and a perfect spicy flavour, melts in your mouth. To ensure the meat is so tender, the beef has to be slow cook.
“You can’t hurry it,” says Mr Wong. “This dish must be marinated at least over a night, that is the reason of its delicious flavour,” he explains.
The Chinese Chow Keow Teow with prawns is made with flat rice noodles with a combination of vegetables, finished off with soya sauce, egg and sambal chilli. The good thing about this dish is that, apart from being delicious, it includes lots of prawns, not two or three as in many restaurants. The price is also quite reasonable (£7,50 per dish).
Overall, the food was tasty and the portions large enough. The service was polite, friendly to the clients and effective. The waiter didn’t take long to bring the food, but perhaps it was because there weren’t many clients in the restaurant.
“It is slightly quiet, not so many people know about Malaysian food,” says the owner.
In spite of its quality meals, the interior design of the restaurant lets it down. There is an obvious lack of typical Malaysian decor that could make the place cosier, bringing to Wales this exotic culture.
The restaurant, that was set up a year ago, in December 17, is still unknown by many people.
“They should come and try. I haven’t yet found a single person who didn’t like our food,” says Mr Wong as a message to his prospect clients.
1Malaysia cuisine
Average food spend (for two people) £27
22/23 Trinity Street, Cardiff CF10 1BH
Phone: 02920 233 298
www.1malaysiacuisine.com
