Kiasu: Afraid to lose??? Definitely not in the case of this Restaurant

My colleagues and I were prepared to pay for this meal but before I get on to the cheque, let me just go through the night's event. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by ever friendly waiters. The atmosphere was indeed emulating a slightly more upmarket 'kopitiam' (coffee house) something similar to that of Uncle Lim's or Papa Roti back in Malaysia. But, the range of dishes offered at Kiasu is one that amazes me. Over 80 dishes are on offer and not only from Malaysia but from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia as well. It's slogan, Food from the Straits, is very fitting as you can find the most popular dishes from this part of the world. One might wonder whether the food quality would be compromised but we were extremely surprised at the level of authenticity the restaurant was able to produce.

Our host decided to arrange our starters whilst we decided what we would have for our main course. In traditional style, we'd order 'Cincau' or Grass Jelly Drink. It is in actual fact, a block of jelly made out of a natural ingredients grated into fine pieces or cubed and then served with a dose of sugar syrup, water and ice.

We didn't know what was coming for the starters, but when it came, it poured.

Kueh Pie Tee

Indonesian Gado Gado, Murtabak

Beef and Chicken Satay (complete with spicy satay sauce, Steamed Ketupat, Red Onions and Cucumber)

Chai Tow Kueh (Fried Radish Cake), Assorted Roasted Meats

Aside from the assorted roasted meats, the first six dishes are traditionally South East Asian. Each dish was presented beautifully. No compromise on quality of ingredients either. My craving for Chai Tow Kueh was definitely conquered as I savoured every bit of the dish right till the very last morsel. This dish is served in two versions, the Singaporean Way without the beansprouts, and the Penang Way which is with beansprouts. Either or, it was definitely a dish to be reckoned with. The Kueh Pie Tee, a more innovative version of the Spring Roll, was excellent as well. A touch of bamboo shoots, though never an ingredient I would use in my kitchen, was what made the Pie Tee what is was...simple and delicious. It normally uses the same set of ingredients as that of the fresh spring roll, but served in fried pastry cups and chilli on the side. This Pie Tee emulated that which could be served for the upper class as slices of prawns were decked on top of it. Yum was all I could say.

The Gado Gado was also extremely delicious. We were told by the restaurant manager, who is also a foodie herself, that the peanut sauce is made in house. The fact of the matter is, the peanut sauce defers from region to region. In Malaysia, the sauce looks and tastes exactly as that of the Malaysian Satay sauce. In Singapore it is slightly darker. In Indonesia it is sweeter and gooey, almost like peanut butter sort of like consistency. Here, it was not pale but looked almost like the satay sauce, has a bit of a chilli kick and accompanied the vegetables perfectly!

Next came the Murtabak. Small in size, but big in taste, the Murtabak was packed with a meaty filling that you would not imagine having. It looked and smelled like how you would get from a Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant back home plus it was accompanied with an almost perfect curry sauce. Yummy to the core, the Murtabak was devoured within seconds. The satay was also fantastic. All if not most Malaysians prefer their satay to have a slightly burnt taste at the end of their bite and the servings we got were by no means short of that burnt taste. Just having the meat alone was enough to savour the marinade that it is known for. Even the satay sauce was like how we would get back home.

By then we were already half full, if not, 3/4 full. Then came a healthy serving of roasted meats from their sister restaurants. Apparently, you can get an order of such a dish and get it delivered over to Kiasu. The roast pork (of which I forgot to take a picture of) was the yummiest of the lot. I know my dad would fall in love with it.

After a bit more of chit chat with the owner and the restaurant manager, the main dishes came out. Oh yes, we decided to let the owner decide what we would be having for our main course. I must give it to him though. He actually remember my craving for Hokkien Noodles.

Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak with Padang Chicken Curry

Nyonya Laksa with Fresh Daun Kesum, Hokkien Mee

Starting off with the Hainanese Chicken Rice, it was indeed a delight to have it as the chicken was succulent and juicy to the bite. The chicken skin was yellow and so it should be as it would be back home. The restaurant manager stressed that the chicken used was corn fed chicken. She's even tested different kinds of chicken and finally decided on corn fed chicken because of how close it would emulate that chicken back in Malaysia. The chilli sauce, ginger and soy sauce combination was also truly delectable. The rice of course needless to say was cooked to perfection.

The Nasi Lemak combo with the Padang Chicken Curry was also a dish prepared with much precision. The rice was not too overwhelmingly cooked with coconut milk which meant that we could at least taste the rice as well but it was fragrant enough to give out what most Malaysians know Nasi Lemak to be. For those who are wondering what it is, Nasi Lemak loosely translated means Fatty Rice. But it is in actually fact referring to the type of milk used to cook the rice with - coconut milk. A traditional Malay dish, it is served usually with 34side orders of a hard boiled egg, anchovy sambal, fried peanuts and anchovies and of course not forgetting freshly sliced cucumber. This dish has since gone through a transformation and is now served with additional servings of Acar (vegetables soaked in turmeric powder and vinegar and then later tossed with some crushed peanuts) and a serving of meat curry of your choice or fried meat. Here we had the opportunity of savouring their Padang Chicken Curry which I think was simply delicious. Needless to say, by then we were already full... but we simply had to eat as everything tasted fantastic!

Then the noodle dishes came. The Nyonya Laksa served with fresh daun kesum was truly heaven. In actual fact, the Nyonya Laksa is probably one of the most difficult dishes to prepare. The number of ingredients needed plus the freshness of these ingredients is key to preparing it. And I must say that despite us being full, we ate and savoured this noodle dish like it was the last thing we would have. Finally, it was the serving of the Hokkien Mee. I am quite critical when it comes to this dish as my father practically fed us this dish since I was 5 years old or rather for as long as I remember. The fat egg noodles is what makes the dish. The egg noodles used here was a tad fatter than I would remember it to be and had an al dente feel to it. The sauce was how I would remember it to be plus it was served with 'Chi Yau Char' (fried pig fat). The sambal belacan accompaniment was actually THE best accompaniment ever served along with it and that my dear readers, was the way to eat it. I had two servings of it despite already feeling like I couldn't get off my seat. It was just that good!

We continued our conversations with the restaurant manager and was pleasantly surprised to know that they are much sought after for catering during events at the Sri Lankan Embassy, Indonesian Embassy and the Singaporean Embassy. The big question was, umm...where is the Malaysian Embassy is all of this? We also had the joy of meeting the head chef of Kiasu. Very shy, you could see that he was not the kind of person who'd feel comfortable in giving interviews but nonetheless obliged in allowing me to take a photo of him.

Not long after, we started having deserts. Not having the space to stomach more than 4 deserts, we ordered three:

Pulut Hitam, Sago Gula Melaka, Ice Kacang with Durian Ice Cream

Three very traditional deserts from Malaysia, each dish had its own distinctive taste and presentation. The Pulut Hitam (Black Sticky Rice) was served with a healthy serving of coconut milk. The Sago Gula Melaka (Sago Balls with a touch of coconut milk and Palm Sugar) was not as thick as we would have it but the creme de la creme was the Ice Kacang with the Durian Ice Cream. Unfortunately the ice was not as snowy like due to the fact that the ice machine was deemed a health hazard by Health and Safety Authorities. The restaurant manager ended up using a Japanese made ice machine that unfortunately left the Ice Kacang more crunchy than usual. However, the Durian Ice Cream was simply orgasmic. Durian, the king of fruits, is not something that would be devoured by most Europeans. However, it is an extreme favourite for people coming from South East Asia especially Thailand and Malaysia. A foul smelling fruit, it sort of emulates the blue cheese or the stinking bishop. But this was what we ate and finished first!!!!!

Stuffed like a stuffed pepper, we were extremely amazed by the food at Kiasu. All of us went back with a pot belly and could still feel the remainder of the food next morning. That just goes to show how much we ate.

To sum it up, it was indeed a dining experience. The prices too were very competitive. Ranging from GBP 3.50 to about GBP 10.00 at the most, Kiasu does have affordable dishes. Even during lunch they have a lunch set menu that starts at GBP 5.50. The owner is a chef in his own right and has clearly stated that even if they make less in profit, they make up for it in taste.

What's my take on it?

Ambience                  4/5

Food                         5/5

Drinks                       5/5

Price                         4/5

Average price per person:                   GBP 10.00 (main meal + drink)

So where is Kiasu?

48 Queensway

Bayswater

London W2 3RY

The best time according to them is go during Lunch time. Less people because the area that they are situated is not an office area. However, if you are looking to have a more crowded atmosphere, then dinner time is best. Don't forget to call to book a table. You might have to wait a bit if you don't reserve one.

So if you are looking for a Malaysian dining experience, complete with authentic Malaysian food, Kiasu is the way to go.

Having her Malaysian taste buds fulfilled,

The Innovative Baker