Mamak, Haymarket Chinatown

Roti tisu $7.00
Paper-thin extra-crispy roti served tall

On a second trip to Mamak the roti tisu was the first thing that had to be ordered. The majestic appearance of this golden brown roti, shaped into a witches hat, had caused us all to swivel heads as it sailed past our table and over to the other side of the room. Today it's our table that receives looks of envy as neighbours poke one another in the ribs and point towards it. It is with more than a little self-satisfaction that I break off a shard.

The roti tisu, explains the friendly roti flipper out the front, is stretched out into a paper-thin rectangle and grilled until crispy. It's brushed with butter, sprinkled with sugar, then allowed to caramelise; three swift diagonal cuts follow and it is quickly folded into its final conical appearance.

The roti is crisp but markedly sweet. Nevermind that it is listed under the Sweet Roti setion and recommended with ice cream. It's also available with two curry dips and sambal and a quick glance around the room shows we're not the only ones sporting a sweet roti peak.


Teh tarik $3.00
Milk tea

A beer mug of teh tarik is the favoured drink here. Warm and slightly sweet, the milky tea has a foamy head of froth, traditonally created by pouring the drink at great heights from one cup to another.


Nasi goreng $8.50
Malaysian-style fried rice with prawns, cabbage and fried egg

Nasi goreng is a colourful mound of golden fried rice, Malaysian-style. Kecap manis, a thick sweet soy, gives the rice a sweet brown tan. There's a background hum of chilli, a handful of fried shallots providing crunch, and a few slices of cucumber and tomato to refresh the palate.


Mee goreng $8.50
Wok-tossed hokkien noodles with prawns, fish cake slices,
fresh bean sprouts and a fried egg

Mee goreng also has a chilli kick. Thick chewy strands of hokkien noodles cavort with a smattering of prawns, cubes of deep-fried tofu, wilted bean sprouts and splashes of green onion.


Kari kambing $12.00
Spicy lamb curry slow-cooked until tender
with rice $2.00

The kari kambing lamb curry is reasonably tender, the thick sweet gravy perfect for ladling over steamed white rice.


Nasi lemak $6.50
Fragrant coconut rice with sambal, peanuts, crispy anchovies,
cucumber and a hard-boiled egg
with fried chicken $3.00

I'd chosen the nasi lemak, the Malaysian version of a ploughman's lunch. A compacted mound of steamed coconut rice sits with a smudge of sambal and a halved boiled egg. Diced cucumbers give sweetness, fried peanuts and anchovies provide the crunch.



My fried chicken leg is straight from the fryer, a golden batter encasing flesh that is moist and juicy.

It's a little bit of everything and we eat everything up.






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Mamak
15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 1668

This has been included on Grab Your Fork's Top 10 Sydney Eats for Tourists. Read the entire list here.

Open 7 days (no reservations)
Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm
Dinner: 5.30pm - 9.30pm
Supper: till 2am on Friday and Saturday

BYO $2 per person
10% surcharge on public holidays

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Mamak, Haymarket (30Jul09), (15Jul09), (Nov07) and (Oct07)

Malaysian -- Kopitiam, Ultimo (Dec08), (Apr07) and (Apr06)
Malaysian -- Makan at Alice's, Thornleigh (Feb08) and (Jun07)
Malaysian -- Malay Chinese, Sydney (26 Apr 07) and (3 Apr 07)
Malaysian -- Mc Lucksa, Haymarket
Malaysian -- The Malaya, Sydney
Malaysian -- Tan's Malaysian, Ultimo
Malaysian -- Temasek, Parramatta (Jan09) and (May08)