Hawker

Tuesday night and very busy place
Quickly seated and studied the menu
There were a few dishes that looked good and decided on a combo meal
It was excellent and the service has good considering the number of diners
The meal was well priced but at $ 8 for Kirin beer I thought that was dear
All up great food and a good experience

Love hawker. Been 10+ times with friends and family. Everyone loves their chicken satay (I personally like them more than mamak’s). Bean sprouts are good too. Love the curry laksa — spicy in just the right way.
It’s also really convenient to order them through suppertime if you don’t want to go in person.

Yes, this is another time I really want to give a 3.5 but end up rounding down… Was taken here by someone who is Malaysian, so I had high hopes. According to him, it’s one of the best Malaysian places in the CBD.
We went at around 12nn on a weekday, and we were there early enough to beat the lunchtime crowd. There were plenty of places to sit, but it filled up while we were there. I heard it gets much busier in the evenings.
I ordered my usual laksa, but vegetarian. Our meals all arrived pretty quickly. The broth of mine was really good — one of the best broths I’ve had, to be honest — but the stuff in my veggie laksa was a bit disappointing. There were a few small pieces of tofu… some green beans… maybe some bean sprouts… some kind of green veggie, I think… but overall the mixins were a bit sparse and it was mostly noodle and broth.
Would come here, but probably not for the laksa. Might order what my Malaysian friend had, instead.
Note: they make the laksa in a huge batch and can’t make it less spicy. My coworker asked if she could make the broth less spicy, because she can’t take spice — they said no. We asked if they could mix the broth ½ laksa with ½ of the non-​spicy chicken-​soup — no go, either. They did let her have a taste of the broth to see if she could take it (she couldn’t). I usually find that these casual restaurants are more willing to make substitutions, so I found the inflexibility a bit odd.

What??? I can’t order Snacks like «Popiah,» «Lor Bak,» or «Ikan Bakar» for lunch? That’s what I wanted for lunch… a weird mix of food. OK, so I made a quick change to a noodle bowl that was NOT curry (nice shirt with curry sauce don’t look good together). The «Ipoh Sar Hor Fun» was perfect. It had a nice clear chicken broth that was tasty and not spicy until I added the chilies to suit my taste. The noodles were cooked properly and neither under done nor overly cooked. It also came out in less than 10 minutes so if you’re in a hurry this is key. The food and service were both 5 stars, but I removed one star because it was so loud. It’s in a large, cavernous space with concrete floors so it will echo, but once they turned on the commercial blender it was deafening! Still, I am a fan and will come back during dinner to try the Snacks. It’s a great place for casual, inexpensive food.

The place is so inviting, so I went in to try.
The price is reasonable compare to other food joint.
I had Lobak as appetizer. Lobak is mixed of fried tofu, fried shrimp cake, fried cured pork, come with sweet and chili sauce as dipping sauce.
I had White Curry Prawn Noodle, with extra chopped fresh chilies.
The taste is great, I recommend everyone to try when in the city in Sydney.
The place is always packed, and the food served fast.

Hawkers are very common in southeast Asia. They’re basically food stalls in open spaces that sell street eats. I was expecting a food cart when I first heard about this place and I was surprised to see a brick and mortar. The theme here is to serve Malaysian street eats aka hawker food.
For our late night snack we shared the following:
Popiah — This reminds me of a Vietnamese summer roll.
Tau Yu Bak — a Malaysian rendition of the classic Vietnamese dish, thit ho kho to.
Hokkien Mee — My partner swears that this tastes exactly like the quality you would get in Malaysia.
Teh Tarik — frothy, milky, refreshing.
Not too shabby and way better than what I get in America. Everything was spot on and what I would expect from Malaysian food, full of spices, flavors and saucy.

I love asian food & this place reminds me of Singapore/​Malaysian cuisine. Bumped into this place one day & decided to hv dinner. We ordered wet hor fun, prawn noodles, okra, oyster omelette & apam Balik. Everything is ⁴⁄₅. Hey, there’s always room for improvement.
The 2 stars missing is coz of the cleanliness of the place. To date, I’ve been to this place twice yet the floors are still sticky!!! STICKY! The wooden chairs are stuck to the ground. This is badddd. So thinking its just the first occasion, we came here again today at 2pm today for ice-​kacang & coffee. Guess what?! The floors are still sticky. I’ve given up lifting my seat, I just sat.
I might come back here again if I’m in the area.

I stumbled on this place on my tour of Sydney, the contemporary design drew me in. I made it in about 5minutes before they closed for lunch. The ambiance is great. I got last call and had to run through the menu, I settled on the Milo as my drink of choice since it was a rainy day and needed something to warm me up, I ordered the spring rolls as my appetizer and went with the combination rice for my main meal. Well what do you know my mains came before my drink or appetizer, I dug in as I was really hungry, I had never had Malaysian food before so I had nothing to compare it to, the food tasted great, my hot milo subsequently came and my appetizer came like 10 minutes after. Great place, good food lost a star for the hurried service.

The only place you can get decent Poh Pia in Sydney! One that I know anyway…
This place can get really busy so come early. Having said that lately you don’t have to wait in line for so long like you do at mamak.
Poh Pia is a must. It’s Malaysian answer to spring rolls fully packed with flavour!
I’d also get kangkung stir fry. The grilled stingray is also amazing. However I didn’t get it this time as they told me they only have leather jacket in stock this time…
We also got char kway teow. I had to say it was super yummy and the closest taste there is in Sydney to Malaysia.
The iced milo was quite good as well. Definitely worthwhile to go.

Mamak’s cool younger sister, Hawker has the same menu as Mamak, with a couple of street food additions, and a trendy, minimalistic designed environment. After shopping from CBD and Chinatown, we were attracted to the bright lights and hustle and bustle we witnessed through Hawker’s giant windows and decided to try this spot. We ordered the Okra Belacan ($ 14), stir-​fried okra with chilies and shrimp paste, Chicken Satay ($ 10 for ½ dozen or $ 18 for dozen), and cham ($ 4) half tea, half coffee.
Great snacks, great environment. Would come back for main entrees.

The successful owners of Mamak have started up Hawker recently, a casual joint serving up cheap, good Malaysian street food. The style of the dishes are different to Mamak. Whilst the food was good, I prefer Mamak.
Drinks and dishes I tried:
— Kat Chai Suen Mui (Calamansi lime and preserved sour plum on ice) — I must admit, I was not immediately a fan of the flavour — it was more of an acquired taste.
— Barley Ping (barley water with syrup on ice) — had bits of barley at the bottom and tasted similar to cane sugar juice.
— Curry laksa — had both thick egg noodles and vermicelli, just like like an authentic laksa should, and it had a few pieces of chicken, a tofu puff sliced into 3 pieces and snake beans. It had just the right amount of spice, although I prefer my curries more flavoursome.
— Wan Tan Mee — came in 2 parts: a dish with stir-​fried noodles in dark soy sauce, pork slices and choy sum on the side, and a small bowl of Chinese wontons (dumplings) in clear broth, garnished with chopped shallots. A bit strange seeing a stir-​fried noodle dish served with soup wontons. The noodles tasted just as they looked, and the wontons had real meat in them, rather than the over-​seasoned processed meat that normally comes in wontons.
— Apam balik (crispy «turnover» pancake with crushed peanuts, butter and creamed corn) — the pancakes were paper thin and crispy, and spread with a thin layer of crushed peanuts and a few blobs of creamed corn. Unusual but delicious.

Had the veggie curry Laksa. It was quite delocious but nothing to rave and shout over the rooftop.
Ambience and vibe is nice and casual and street style.

About six months ago, this new Chinese Malaysian noodle place replaced a Korean restaurant. I do find Malaysian food better personally so this new tenant is welcome. Malaysian Sydney restaurants are common in the city but compared to other Malaysian restaurants, this features exclusively Chinese dishes and not any Malay/​Indian favourites such as Nasi Lemak, etc. It also is open for «supper» on Fridays and Saturdays until 2am, supper being a late night meal for Malaysians.
LOR BAK $ 12 (Deep-​fried five-​spice pork rolls, prawn cakes and taro fritters)
This set of Malaysian tapas was a huge starter. It’s the first time that I try any of these. I have mixed feelings about this one: the pork rolls were not bad, prawn cakes were too doughy for me but still somewhat tasty when dipped in one of the sauces. The taro one was bland even with the dipping sauce. Not one that I would re-​order.
WAT TAN HOR $ 11 (Stir-​fried rice noodles in a thick egg gravy, with prawns, pork slices and choy sum)
The one was pretty good, first time having thick egg gravy with noodles. It was rich, gluey and complimented the noodles. The big prawns were the highlight, cooked perfectly, tasted fresh and were of a good size.
CURRY LAKSA $ 11 (Egg noodle and vermicelli with curry chicken, snake beans and tofu puffs, in a spicy coconut milk-​based soup)
I enjoyed the fact that this laksa came with both egg noodles and vermicelli. Having the two textures there just made it that much better. The spice level was just right for a small kick without the burn. The proportion of ingredients was just right. Was this the best laksa I’ve had? No but it’s above average.
TEH PING $ 4 (Ice milk tea)
The tea was strong and robust and the perfect chilli relief drink. I just wish the serving was bigger.
Conclusion
After conquering the roti market, the Mamak chain of restaurants offers a Chinese Malaysian menu rich in starters and noodle dishes. Service is quick and efficient despite a packed dinning room. It’s a well oiled machine offering value meals. I also hear that the dishes are quite authentically Malaysian.
@thesydneynoob

What to do when the food places around darling harbor is packed on a weekend evening?
Decided to come here as my friend and I passed by but there were probably 15 single line queues in front of us. While waiting, we glanced through the open concept kitchen to see how they prepare different dishes — from satay to popiah. I just realized making popiah required a skill (you will see what I meant if you focus on the person who makes them).
Given a seat 15 minutes later. Upon seating, I quickly ordered the dishes that I wanted to try so that the foods will be prepared faster — KL Hokkien Mee and Popiah.
The two dishes came out to be close to authentic which is considered pretty good. They are flavorful and I am glad to order the right ones. The noodles are a little bit greasy.
The beverage — calamansi and sour plum. Refreshing drink especially after a long wait. Not too much ice either so it was good.
Price — affordable and pretty reasonable. Probably one of the cheapest eats around the darling harbor area with better quality foods :)
Verdict, definitely a gem in the Haymarket area. Don’t be overwhelmed by the line cause it will be your turn soon enough.

From the people behind the ever popular Mamak — Hawker has a limited menu of popular Malaysian dishes. The quality of food is definitely good and many people have confirmed it’s level of authenticity.
It is a very bright basic dining hall where the focus is the open kitchen.
The one reason I have not awarded 5 stars is the price. I know this is Sydney but Malaysian Hawker food is cheap and filling. The servings here are on the small side but the prices are quite upmarket.

Ordered the Apam Balik and Popiah, and Cham Ping for beverage. Overall, the taste were authentic, just like what I had back home in Malaysia.
The Apam Balik (Jin Long Bao) is crunchy and filled with adequate amount of peanut and corn/​butter fillings. I highly recommended!
The Popiah has good flavor as well, but I think it can be better — somehow I feel something is missing. It has some crunch inside due to the dried onions (and pork? Not sure). Need a little more spice though.
Overall, great meal with 2 snacks, and an ice beverage. Good thing is it is not as crowded as Mamak.

And God said, «Put a slice of Malaysia in Sussex Street.» Then there was Hawker.
Authentic Hawker Street food right in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. This not so hidden gem offers a small selected menu of the basics that you can expect to find when you visit a KL food market.
One of my favourites is Popiah: fresh spring rolls, with yambean, shredded omelette, minced tofu, lettuce and crispy shallots. Straight from the menu to your table. In short, a Malaysian style crêpe. Oh so delicious and moorish.
My second choice was the KL Hokkien Mee in the black sauce (which was a first). This was listed under the dry noodles banner but it was far from dry. When my meal arrived it was a good sized serving, but just a plate of «black» with the silhouette of prawns and noodles covered in sauce. It honestly didn’t look that appetising and it didn’t taste much better than it looked. It’s good to try different things however I would have preferred to have had the Char Koay Teow looking at other tables around me. The Popiah on the other hand made up for my disappointment. You get 2 for just $ 8. The food is priced very well given that it’s reflecting what you would expect to pay for street food.
Get yourself down to Sussex Street and join the «Hawker Street» experience. That’s all — for now. Carry on eating …

I wasn’t too excited about the service here. (Everywhere I went this week has been slow!). I was standing and waiting to be seated. The girl saw me but would rather go to the open kitchen to do dishes. I also had to flag the server down in a not too busy time to order and remind the server twice before getting my water…
Anyways, food came relatively fast and then the flavor hit me! I ordered the Sar Ho Fan and it was the best Malaysian food I had in a while and my experience here has certainly be the best throughout the week. So the slow service was forgiven…
I found out later this is a sister restaurant of the popular Mamak! No wonder… I will be returning soon.

Sorry for all big fan of this restaurant, this place is hit and miss.
This is the first time I came and tried the food in Hawker.
I ordered KL Hokkien Mee, because of menu description… and blew me away with the words.
My imagination is running wild because my tummy is rumbling hungry.
I was disappointed with what they served, tasteless noodle dish that taste so flat and presentation is not so appealing. The dish is not coming piping hot, it was like warm.
Then my sister dish on the other hand, Ipoh Har Mee… So tasty and fragrance of prawns just coming out after the dish was put in front of us.
The broth was so ridiculously delicious, I would like to lick the bowl out
So my opinion they need to work out in the KL dish to improve the taste
now the moment of truth…
«Goreng Durian» for dessert.
As you know «durian» is king of fruits, for me this fruit has a really delicate flavor, but for some of you guys might be the aroma will put you off.
For $ 8 for a tiny piece of this dessert which the flavor is not mind blowing I wouldn’t recommend this dessert to everyone, although durian is my favorite fruits.

Schlick clean hawker place run by the Mamak team down where the old Regal used to be.
Hundreds of staff all working their dings off so no delay when I went. By the time I was finished it was out the door. The fit out is neat and functional but feels good. I had a Laksa because I am an internationally recognised Laksa expert* and I am part Malaysian**
I also had this drink that was called Kat Chai Suen Mui but which tasted exactly like Gatorade. I think I know why Kat is the first word.
Laksa was really good and none went on my shirt. $ 12 for the Laksa $ 4 for the gatorade.
* Slight exaggeration used satirically.
** Complete lie.