MALAY CHINESE TAKEAWAY

The Castlereigh Street branch has now moved to Shop 1, 50-58 Hunter Street, Sydney
(near corner of Bligh and Castlereagh Streets)
Tel: +61 (02) 9231 6788

Shop 1, 37 Bligh Street (corner Hunter Street), Sydney City.
Telephone: 9231 6788

Monday to Friday 11am-7.30pm
Saturday 11am-6pm






You would probably have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to have heard of this ultra-famous joint selling hawker style food. There are now three shops - one in Haymarket, one in Castlereagh St and now one on Hunter St. Everyone agrees that the Castlereagh shop (suitably a few doors down from Channel) is the best.

This eatery seems to be family owned. A few years back I remember they had even roped in their elderly grandmother (looked about 101) to clear away the dirty dishes. Weathered with deep creases but just as strong as a Chinese Olympic swimmer (without the 'roids).

Go there during lunch hour and you'll be battling for a place to land your tush. You can see heaps of suits with bibs fashionably drapped around their necks slurping away with their bowls of laksa. Avoid lunch hour and wearing white shirts (curry stains are hell to get rid of - don't even think it's possible).



They are famous for two dishes. Their curry laksa and har mee. They have chicken (my fav), beef, bean curd, seafood laksa. The average price of a bowl of noodles is $7.80 - pretty cheap.

Brought Perth Hag here, who considers herself to be an authoritarian on the matter of Malaysian hawker food. She declared both dishes (eaten on separate occasions, even though she begged to have both at one sitting - that's gluttony huh?) a great success. We both found it hard not to slurp the soup broth left.

The har mee is only served on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Its soup is rich and aromatic with the flavour of pork bones and prawn heads. You can ask for egg or rice noodles or a mix of both (both is better). They give generous servings of prawn and pork slices with a topping of pork skin crackling. Of course there is the obligatory half egg. Definitely the best bowl of har mee in Australia (and probably UK as well).



The chicken curry laksa is equally as rich and inviting as the har mee. Generous serves of succulent tender chicken breast pieces floating in an oily cholesterol-ridden coconut curry broth. The three pieces of deep-fried tofu soak up the broth like sponges. Arrhhhh....pure bliss.



Their char kway teow is pretty good too.

They have other dishes too, but never tried them. Can't bring myself to leave there without a laksa or har mee in my tummy.

A must to go to if you ever visit Sydney. You won't be dissapointed.



HRH