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ADDRESS 1st Floor, Lane Cove Arcade 115 Longueville Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 Tel: 02 94186878 Fax: 02 94186887
OPENING HOURS Dinner only Tue-Sun 5:30pm-10pm Closed Monday
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Sydney Eats - Clean Plate Award
There's little sense of anticipation as you enter. You could be sitting down to a standard meal in a suburban Chinese restaurant although, on reflection, several tables of Asian diners had a gleam in their eyes as they ordered crab all round. In truth, nothing could have prepared us for that stunning crab. but we begin low key with six perfectly steamed Pacific oysters with ginger and shallots ($13.80), and lovely little parsnip cakes with dark soy dipping sauce ($6.80), chosen with the help of smiling and attentive staff. Then the table is cleared and implements deployed for the conspicuous crab consumption - the shell-crackers, the probes, the finger bowls... and, finally, the Queensland mud crab ($52.20). It is magnificent in its luscious signature curry sauce, which must be licked and sucked from the carapace and mopped up with sensational roti chanai before attacking the succulent just-cooked meat within. What a mess. What a marvel. But the show's not over. The mains are here and although the roasted Hainanese chicken ($13.80) and otak-otak (mousse of Spanish mackerel $15.90) have a hard act to follow, they rise to the challenge. The chicken is more flavoursome and - dare I say it - not as bland as the familiar steamed version and, while the mousse is close to molten lava, the accompanying pickled vegetables are soothing. But red-hot as it is, we can't stop eating it - it's a pleasure and pain thing. In all, a glorious meal, its drama increased by the lack of fanfare.
Chef John Poh has spent 13 years in the restaurant businesses in preparation for the opening of his very own restaurant - and guests are obviously delighted with the results. To Kuali, John brings a multitude of experience and the tried-and-tested culinary secrets of his hometown Kajang in Malaysia, into which he has incorporated Indian curries and Chinese marinades. The Honey Pepper Beef Fillet, pan-fried and tender ($18.90) is very popular with Asian dinners and is combined with sambal flavoured mixed greens and served in a kuali (traditional miniature wok) - it's a winner. Those looking for a hearty hawker's favourite will be happy with the Curry Laksa ($8.90) loaded with plump, slippery noodle, tasty chicken or vegetables. And to finish off, Sago Gula Melaka ($5.30) makes for an intereting and delicious dessert. With its soft, round sago pearls, palm sugar and sweet coconut cream sauce, this is one that must be sampled - even you have to share. Kuali Malaysian Restaurant is fully licensed and BYO and is open for lunch from Tuesday to Saturday and dinner Tuesday to Sunday. Be sure to book in advance for the Mother's Day set menu. Article by Nicole Azzopardi
The restaurant is named for the Malaysian equivalent of the wok, but there are no obvious cultural statements in the rather bland decor, dominated by white walls and tablecloths topped with white butcher's paper. Are staff expecting us to make a mess? You bet! One of the signature dishes here is the Queensland mud crab served with a choice of four sauces, but our waiter recommends the chef's special curry sauce. We take plenty of time to suck the delicious sauce from the shell before cracking it open in search of succulent flesh. The crab pieces have been quickly deep-fried to seal in the juices, then steeped in a chilli and coconut cream-based curry, which we mop up with roti chanai, a light flaky flat bread. From the extensive menu, we select a few seafood specialties along with a couple of "hawkers' favourites". First to arrive is muar otak-otak, a spicy mousse of Spanish mackerel that usually comes as small parcels wrapped in banana leaves. This time, we get a slab of it and there are gasps all 'round as we get a surprise chilli hit with the first mouthful. The sweet pickled vegetables on the side, flavoured with chilli and sesame, are a perfect accompaniment. Specials include fresh pippies flavoured with curry and the spinach-like vegetable kangkong cooked with shrimp paste, both presented in little stainless-steel kualis. The battered salt-and-pepper squid is tender and succulent. The two hawkers' favourites, Penang char kuey teow - stir-fried rice noodles with bean sprouts, egg and fishcake - and chicken curry laksa, provide the only disappointments of the meal, both being a bit ordinary, the sweet and creamy laksa, in particular, lacking complex flavours. Edited excerpt from a review by Annette Shun Wah, The Sydney Morning Herald, January 2003 |
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| © Sep 7, 2010 Kuali Malaysian Restaurant. All rights reserved. |
