A month ago, Jon and I checked out the Malaysia festival near City Hall with our friends Andy and Maggie. Generally, I’m never excited about the food sold at outdoor festivals. Regardless of what culture or event the festival celebrates, food stalls usually end up selling a mass of undifferentiated spring rolls, fried rice and sausages. You’d think I would just stop going to these things, but hope springs eternal, and this time, I was on a quest for roti canai (aka oily flatbread deliciousness served with curry dipping sauce).
Cue Awana, which had a stall at the festival serving crispy-yet-chewy roti, hot off the pan and served with an insides-warming yellow dal. It was tasty enough that this weekend, Jon and I went with two friends to eat at the restaurant itself.
We briefly considered eating early because Awana has a deal on London Eating that takes 50% off your food bill if you’re done with your table by 8 pm. But (a) I’m never hungry before 8; (b) it was Saturday night; and (c) we had other things going on earlier that day, so we resisted the temptation.
It’s too bad we skipped the deal, because while the food at Awana is pretty good, it’s just too much money for Malaysian basics like beef rendang (a coconut-milk-based quasi curry) or nasi goreng (fried rice). Most Awana main courses are £15-20; starters £5-8; and basics like white rice come at £4.50 per small bowl.
My favorite parts of the meal were the least expensive and roti-based. The chicken-and-spice-stuffed roti (murtabak ayam) pictured at top was delish. If Malaysia ever had to face off against Mexico in a stuffed flatbread competition, the murtabak‘s sweet-salty-spicy goodness would surely triumph over the quesadilla. The pickled onions on the side added a cool, tangy crunch.
Roti canai was no disappointment at £5.50 a portion, though the tiny bowl of dal was sad. Are yellow split peas just so expensive?
Beef rendang was the main courses I most looked forward to, but it wasn’t worth the £14. A little too sweet and liquidy. The coconut milk is supposed to cook out, but in Awana’s version, the beef, while tender and spicy, was still swimming in the stuff.
Fried pomfret was beautifully crispy and non-greasy, but it needed a sauce or salt; veggie chao kuew teow was inoffensive and forgettable. Red snapper curry was the best of the mains, with nice, big chunks of firm white fishiness and a spicy-sweet curry sauce.
The service was generally helpful, and the room was huge and sleek in a wannabe-hip way. We got seated in a corner that seemed reserved for tourists carrying London guidebooks, and the rest of the room was comprised of hen and stag dos. I saw more than one round of flaming shots go round. A weird vibe for a restaurant aiming for a high-end rep.
Our total for four appetizers, four mains, a forgettable dessert, and £65 of drinks came to £50 per person. I’d go back if I could get half-price food, but otherwise, I’ll keep looking elsewhere for Malaysian food.
Awana, 85 Sloane Avenue, SW3 3DX, 0207 584 8880; closest tube stations: South Kensington or Sloane Square
You should watch out for deals on Toptable if you want to come back to Awana, otherwise try out Satay House in Edgware Road.
That’s too bad – I was so hopeful from their food at the Malaysia festival. What I really want is a cheap street food version of Malay food, but I don’t know of any stalls at the London markets unfortunately.
Pat – I took a look at the Satay House menu and it looks appealing. Thanks for the suggestion.
Andy – The food wasn’t bad (and at times, it was good), but it was just too expensive for that level of creativity and quality.
How funny, my husband and I just ate at Awana for the first time this past Saturday! Definitely agree about the large parties and the weird vibe but we did enjoy all our food. Next time we go we plan to use the 50% off deal as well.
Annie
Annie, that’s great. It’s such a small world. At 50% off, I’d be thrilled with the place . . . if only I could manage to be hungry at 6.
Satay House in Sale Place, Paddington is pretty good – beef rendang is really good (but not spicy enough for me). Otherwise, try Jom Makan in Trafalgar Square. Cheap and cheerful.
utkt, thanks. You’re the second person now who’s recommended Satay House. I will get a move on and visit soon.
Thanks for the recommendation and informing us of the 50% deal. Had lunch there today and it was pretty good. It was so nice seeing that we saved £23!! Another favorite Malaysian restaurant of mine us Nyonya in Notting Hill.
Hi Shari, that’s great that you were able to use the 50% off deal at Awana, and it’s been years since I went to Nyonya, so I don’t remember much about my meal there. But next time I’m in Notting Hill without a restaurant already in mind, I’ll have to re-visit.
There is a hidden jem of a Malaysian restaurant in JOM Makan, on Pall Mall East just near Trafalgar Square. We stumbled across it last week and they had a special promotion running until the end of January apparently, with all main courses only £5 between 2PM and 7PM. Definately worth a try, their take on Malaysian food is fast and fresh.
Victoria – I’m surprised to hear there’s good Malaysian on Pall Mall, but I’ll look for JOM Makan next time I’m in the area and hungry.
This topic is quite trendy in the net at the moment. What do you pay the most attention to when choosing what to write about?
Six Pack – Could you clarify your question: when you say “this topic” is trendy, what topic do you mean? Malaysian restaurants?