We tried out the new Malaysian restaurant Mamak in Sydney's Chinatown last night. The restaurant opens at 6pm and by 6:30 there was already a long queue which continued until after we left at around 8:30. That said, the actual wait wasn't that long.
The staff are genuine Malaysians – you can tell by their accents – and the food is what you might get from a few Malaysian hawker stalls rather than cafes. The prices are pretty reasonable too. We tried the roti canai (flat bread, served with curry sauces. Note that the 'c' is pronounced as 'ch'), roti telur (with egg) and roti telur bawang (with egg and onion). Sadly, I have to say that I was underwhelmed by the roti and the curries. The roti was good, but not great, and the curry sauces were lacking some, possibly coconut milk. We both thought the plain roti was best.
The chicken satay was different – it was the best I've ever had in Sydney and up there with the finest of Malaysia. The satay sauce was rich and peanutty, obviously freshly made. The quantity of meat on the skewers might be small, but that's what you get overseas as well. Red onion and cucumber are also supplied, but no compressed rice cubes. The prices, $6 for 6 or $10 for $12 are okay for what you get.
Finally, my Milo tariq was really good and sweet. Teh (tea) tariq is made by pouring the tea from up high between two containers to give it frothiness. Condensed milk is also used. I've never had Milo tariq before, but Malaysia Milo ais (iced Milo drink) i one of my favourites.
All in all, it was pretty good Malaysian food for Australia and we are certain to go back for more.