Sedap review - London Malaysian food (Old Street)

For those of us who cannot get enough of Straits food in Singapore Day 2009, we're thrown a lifeline at Sedap, which has set up shop at Old Street. A colleague of mine chanced upon Sedap on Timeout London and I was on my way to try it out that very evening.

Siting a mere hundred meters wast of Old Street Tube station along Old Street, Sedap (which means 'delicious' in the Malay language) brings Malaysian food right to the heart of Clerkenwell. While we were there, Sedap's owner Julie who hailed from Penang, told us that after taking over Nonya, a Straits food establishment over at Notting Hill, she moved the business over to Old Street. The shop is now frequented by the many Malaysian students after badminton games at a nearby sports hall.

The very fact that Sedap has a lunch special affordably priced at £5.65 - £6.50 and provide free delivery (and a 5% discount for orders above £10) to EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4, WC1, WC2 and N1 would give lunchtime favorite Asap over at Liverpool Street Station a run for its money. Instead to having to contend with just rice/noodle with a main course (over at Asap), the lunch special comes with a starter, a main course and a staple (steamed rice, fried rice or noodles).

The restaurant itself is surprisingly small. I would venture that the place would not take more than 20 at a time but unlike Asap, Sedap, with its furnishings and pictures of Nonya food adorning its walls, doesn't give you the feeling of eating in a cheap canteen.

We ordered a Nasi Lemak (£7.40), Penang Char Kuey Teow (£6.95) and teh tarik (£1.85). I must say that the deep fried mackerel doused with sambal belachan that comes with the Nasi Lemak is fabulous. It more than make up for the curry chicken, which was disappointingly watered down to suit the local palate. The Char Kuey Teow could perhaps come in a larger portion but the four jumbo prawns that accompanied it tasted really fresh. However, do be forewarn that there is quite a bit of MSG in the Kuey Teow. The teh tarik, which is prepared with a 3-in-1 instant pack is nothing to shout about either.

Another table beside us ordered roti prata (from £4.80) and it looked suspiciously like those come from frozen packs obtainable from supermarkets specializing in Straits food. We asked for some extra sambal belachan and were given a sizable portion of it. It was only later that we realized that that cost us a further £1.85. No complaints though as it tasted heavenly, just know that it doesn't come free.

However, the main highlight of Sedap has to be its dessert. Its Nonya kueh is totally out of this world, well at least in Central London. Julie helpfully informed us that Sedap prepares only one type per day and only a small portion at that as any leftovers would have to be discarded. We ordered the tapioca kueh (the Nonya kueh for the day). Its consistency is done just right and at £2 per portion, it is worth every penny.

Sedap would probably not be another Kiasu. However, I suspect it'll do a brisk lunch delivery business and would be a hit with the lunch time crowd in time to come. If you're heading towards Sedap for dinner, I would recommend that you drop by after 8pm to have the staff's undivided attention.

Address: 102 Old Street, London EC1V 9AY
Tel: 0207 4900 200
Nearest Tube station: Old Street

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £15 pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ****
Service: ***
Ambience: **
Suitable for: casual dining for Malaysian food lovers based near the City

Read More......

La Forchetta Pizzeria & Restaurant review - a cheap alternative to Pizza Express in London

Some say that the High Street/Essex road in Angel Islington is the street with the most restaurants, eateries and bars in the whole of Europe . How true that claim is, I'm really not sure but one thing is true, you would really be spoilt for choice when it comes to for dining. In fact, if you were to visit one restaurant every weekend, it would be almost a year before you hit the same place again.

That's also the reason why I never understood why so many would flock to Pizza Express when there are a number of pizzerias that are much better in terms of taste. La Forchetta Restaurant, which sits at 73 Upper Street , is just one of them.

Its recent promotion of selected pasta and thin crust oven baked pizzas (12 inches) at £4.90 each was what first brought me to this self styled Italian eatery chain. Staffed entirely by Italians, the service could be pretty brash. Don't get me wrong, the staff is not impolite, you just don't expect them to fawn over you while you decide on what to order.

We proceeded to order a Mariana (spaghetti) and a Forchetta pizza. Currently there's an ongoing promotion of any pasta and pizza with a drink thrown in for £6.90. Add a quid for beer. The Mariana was done just right with fresh seafood. You would however, after a quick survey around the restaurant, conclude that most patrons are going for the pizzas instead of pasta.

The Forchetta pizza, which the restaurant takes its name from, normally goes for £6.70 without the promotion, is a treat with parma ham and eggplant. Crisp edges but not burnt (like the one I had at Uno just a couple of doors down the street), I would say that the pizzas served in La Forchetta is a treat with a swig of beer.

While serving the food, a waiter came by with a bowl of parmesan cheese and grunted in heavily Italian accented English,

"Would you like some parmesan to go with your spaghetti though we don't recommend it?"

That sums up the La Forchetta's experience - the Italian styled pizzaria that would not shy away from telling you how you should have your food.

Address: 73 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0NY
Tel: 0171 2266 879
Nearest Tube station: Angel

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £15 pp
Service charge:
Taste: ***
Service: **
Ambience: **
Suitable for: a casual date

Read More......

Jen Cafe review - London Chinatown Chinese cheap eat

Like many Chinatowns in cities all over the world, London's Chinatown is filled with restaurants, buffet shops, takeaways, tea houses, cake shops and other eateries. Even the provision shops in London's Chinatown is dedicated to food and stock very little non-food items. To the casual observer, it seems that the central theme about being Chinese is food. Well, they are not far from the truth, for the Chinese would probably eat anything and everything that doesn't eat them first.

Then comes the question: where would you go if you just want a quick cheap eat in London's Chinatown and be on your way? The buns in the teahouses are barely filling, the buffets look unappetizing and the restaurants too extravagant. Jen Cafe, which is at the intersection of Newport Court and Newport Place may just be the place for you.

Primarily serving freshly made meat dumplings, visitors could catch a glimpse of the staff at Jen Cafe making the dumplings directly from freshly rolled dough by the window. The dumplings, which comes in portion of around half a dozen could be a meal by itself. Other than dumplings, a relatively wide range of rice and noodles dishes are available as well - all of which cost

Other than the dumplings, I would normally go for a noodle with roast pork. Be forewarn that the noodles served are "gong zai mian", which is essentially instant noodles. Some customers must have made a fuss on that prior to my visit as I was informed by the staff about the instant noodles when I placed my orders.

I must say that the dish hardly constitute as a gourmet choice; the bland tasting roast pork doused in thin soy sauce was hardly inspiring and the instant noodles was, well, instant noodles. However, at a cost of a fiver, I could hardly complain. Top that up with a cup of Hongkong tea (£1.50) and that's your pre-theatre dinner.

The service at Jen Cafe is efficient but rather curt but then again, name me a Chinese eatery in London's Chinatown that is which service is not (curt, that is). My change was returned in a small plate with the "No Service Charge" label pasted on its face. That said, Jen Cafe is definitely the place for the lone diner who prefers to have a quick bite.

Address: 4-8 Newport Place, London WC2H 7JP
Tel: 020 7287 9708
Nearest Tube station: Leicester Square

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £10 pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: **
Service: *
Ambience: *
Suitable for: a quick bite before heading on your way

Read More......

Golden Gate Dessert House review - London Chinese dessert hangout

One thing that I realized about the Chinese restaurants in London's Chinatown is that they do not serve decent desserts. By decent, I am referring to the traditional Chinese (Cantonese or Taiwanese) desserts and the ice cream that many Chinese restaurants in Leicester Square serve is definitely not one of them. In fact, the same could be said about most if not all the Chinese restaurant in London.

We were having dinner at Chinatown the other day and, as always, asked for the 'dessert menu' after a satisfying meal. There were a grand total of three items on the menu, two of which were essentially jelly doused with ice cream and the third was a cold pastry of some kind. Sensing our disappointment, the waiter was helpful enough to point out that there is a dessert café just round the corner. Minutes later, we were on our way.



Golden Gate Dessert House looks like one of those cake shops that are ever so common in Hong Kong. Lining its glass displays are beautifully decorated chiffon cakes, which would make lovely birthday cakes. That's provided that you are prepared to cut it up in the first place; it's almost destroying an work of art if you know what I mean.

The interior is unsurprisingly cram. With a maximum seating capacity for around 20, it's not exactly suitable for large parties.

The dessert menu, however, is rather extensive with a range of desserts, which include Pearl Milk Tea (£3.30), Mango Pudding (£3), Ginger Beancurd (£2.80), Honey Lemon Sago (£3) and even Tang Yuan (£2.60) just to list a few. Not only that, Golden Gate Dessert House also serve a variety of buns that go really well with a hot dessert. Now, this is what I would love after a meal.

We ordered the Beancurd, Gui Lian Gao and a Lian Rong (lotus paste) bun along with milk tea and a Yuan Yang (tea/coffee mix). The desserts tasted quite fine though it could be a tad warmer. Yuan Yang tasted just like it should with fine balance between the tea and coffee. The Lian Rong bun is done nicely with its dough peeling away easily.

Although Golden Gate Dessert House is along Shaftesbury Avenue, it is hardly where the main action (Gerrard Street) is. That's probably the reason why you would still be able to get seats during mealtimes. If you're looking for some warm Chinese desserts, head straight for Golden Gate Dessert House.





Address: 110 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 5EJ
Tel: 0207 4943840
Nearest Tube station: Leicester Square

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £5 pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: ***
Service: *
Ambience: *
Suitable for: after-dinner hangout

Read More......

Puji Puji review - best Malaysian food in London?

A friend from the States came and lamented that he could not find good Singapore/Malaysian food in the city that he was staying in. I decided to be kind and brought him to Puji Puji. Puji Puji is tucked away in a remote corner of Islington. For those of you who have been to Oriental City at Colindale, it is the reincarnation of the Satay stall in the carpark that served marvelous satay (skewered meat) grilled over charcoal fire and the most most authentic teh tarik in the whole of London.

Well, for starters what else could we have ordered other than satay? Chicken, lamb and beef satay, we ordered them all. At 6-7 pounds per portion, there's still a huge charcoal stove right in the middle of the restaurant and the satay will be barbecued right on the spot. A ventilator is in place to suck up the fumes but the aroma of barbecue meat still lingers. So if what you are looking for is a romantic night out, you might wish to stay away.

That aside (and since I am not on a romantic night out), the barbecue meat was done just right, the satay was absolutely delicious, slightly burnt on the outside and tender on the inside. Couple that with the crunchy peanut sauce, ketupat (square bits of rice) that makes for the best satay that I have eaten for a while (and yes, that beats the one served on Singapore Day).

For mains, we order a variety of dishes. nasi lemak - £4 (fragrant coconut rice), mee goreng - £7.50 (toss fried noodles), curry chicken - £6.50 and ikan bakar air asam - £7.50 (grilled fish). The mee goreng was served the Malaysian style, which is unlike the Singaporean version that is doused in tomato sauce. This was fried in dark sauce but it tasted heavenly nevertheless. The nasi lemak reminds me of the version that you could get back home for breakfast. A simple dish made delightful by the sweet accompanying chili. As nasi lemak was served with no meat, The grilled fish served as a good accompanying dish. But beware as it comes with bones. The curry was a letdown though. The portion was really small, barely enough for one person, definitely not enough for sharing and was runny to boot instead of the milky consistency expected of it.

We were full at the time but decided to go for desserts nevertheless. The banana fritters with vanilla ice-cream were a real threat. The pulut hitam (black pudding rice) was a slight disappointment as it was undercooked. We were really gluttons and we ordered teh tarik to round it up. Teh tarik tasted just as it was at Oriental City. Thick and foamy. If for nothing else, I will just go there for the teh tarik alone.

nasi lemak

Verdict from my friend from the States: the best Malaysian food that he has eaten in awhile. Point to note, they do not accept credit/debit cards. So do remember to bring along your cash.

Address: 122 Balls Pond Road, Islington, London, N1 4AE
Tel: 07501 721 106
Nearest Tube station: Dalstan Kingsland / Canonbury (app. 400m walking distance from both stations)

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £15 pp
Service charge: N/A
Taste: *****
Service: ***
Ambience: **
Suitable for: no frills dinner with your mates

Read More......