Rasa Sayang (Straits) – London, England (7.5/10)
Jul 8th, 2009 by admin
[UPDATE: July 2009 - The other day I returned to Rasa Sayang for lunch with friend and food blogger Mark, and thought that the meal wasn't as great as the one I had on my first visit. I ordered beef rendang, which was very dry and chewy. The chunks of beef are supposed to be moist, tender and served in a rich sauce. This hardly had any sauce and looked like it was a leftover dish from last week. I left half of it behind. The starter of chicken wings was much better. Mark, who spent many childhood summers in Kuala Lumpur, thought the Hokkien mee was fine, but was confused by the starter of curry puffs. They were deep-fried, with nothing 'puffy' about them whatsoever. I didn't think the filling was particularly flavoursome either. So is it the case that only certain dishes at Rasa Sayang are worth ordering? If this had been my first visit, I wouldn't recommend it, but as I have had better food before, I suppose I'd better try it one more time before making a final judgement!]
ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW:
Background:
My ex-Chinese language teacher and I meet to eat on a regular basis. As she grew up in Indonesia, I thought she might like to try some Straits cuisine with me at Chinatown eaterie Rasa Sayang and give me her expert opinion on the dishes there. I duly booked a table, but when I turned up, realised that it didn’t make any difference as it’s a very casual restaurant, canteen-style, and because I was earlier than my teacher, I wasn’t shown to a table. Instead I was offered a seat and the photo menu. We were seated immediately though, as soon as my teacher arrived.
First impressions:
There are two floors, the ground floor where there is more hustle and bustle (otherwise known as atmosphere) and the basement, which is quieter. It was a hot evening and I could almost imagine being back in Malaysia or Singapore (except that it’s much hotter and stickier there than here). The service was really efficient and friendly despite the fact that they were packed and turning over tables fast. We had a nice table by the wall and so were more tucked away. It’s not a place to linger over your meal, although we ended up doing so, simply due to the nature of our order…
The menu:
The menu, with large colourful photos, looked rather enticing, starting off with ‘The Nibbles’ such as crispy chicken wings in Rasa Sayang marinade, gado gado (cooked mixed vegetables tossed in peanut sauce) and Straits curry puff (fresh pastry filled with a rich chicken and potato curry sauce). In ‘The Heat Zone’ are dishes like kangkong flashed fried in belachan (water morning glory flash fried in shrimp paste) and stir-fried sambal cluster beans (cluster beans or petai stir-fried in spicy sambal paste, which comes with a warning). The largest section of the menu, ‘Straits Culinary Favourites’ includes classics such as nasi lemak, beef rendang and char kuay teow. I also liked the sound of pan-fried carrot cake, ‘crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and bursting with flavours from the east’.
However, I let my teacher take charge of the ordering.
What we ordered:
- stir-fried sambal ladyfingers – okra stir-fried in spicy sambal sauce (£5.80). I’m not a fan of okra, which I find too viscous, but this was delicious with just the right amount of spiciness. We both thought quite highly of this dish
- Hainanese chicken rice – chicken slow-cooked in superior broth and served with fragrant rice (£6.90). To my inexperienced taste buds, the chicken tasted tender and succulent, while the rice had also been cooked in the chicken stock giving it a lovely flavour. My teacher didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, however she also didn’t think it spectacular and declared the C&R version round the corner to be far superior
- black pepper crab (£14.80 I think, as it was a special summer promotion). This was the star dish of the meal. There was a choice of this or spicy crab and came wok-fried in a rich dark sauce. It was very fresh and worth the forty or so minutes we spent picking the flesh out of every crevice and leg using our fingers, pick and cracker. Not a ‘date’ dish, but one to enjoy with relish with a good friend!
The verdict:
This was a good first meal, and hopefully the first of many. So the Hainanese chicken rice wasn’t as good as the one at C&R, but the crab was fantastic, as was the okra. There are quite a few dishes on the menu that I’d like to try over a series of lunches and dinners. Dinner for two without service charge or alcohol cost £30.00 (it would have cost far less without the crab).
Other restaurants serving ‘Straits’ cuisine that I’d like to try are C&R in Rupert Court around the corner (which apparently is better than the one on Westbourne Grove), Sedap on Old Street and The Satay House in Paddington. I went to Kiasu a couple of years ago, but I’m not sure what the quality is like now.
10 – Perfection, 9.5 – Sensational, 9 – Outstanding, 8.5 – Superb,
8 – Excellent, 7.5 – Very Good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 – Average
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact details:
Rasa Sayang
5 Macclesfield Street
London W1D 6AY
Tel: 020 7734 1382
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
I went a few months ago to C&R and had their chicken rice there – wasn’t impressed. Am now keen to try the one at Rasa Sayang.
I had a life changing chicken hainanese rice in the Singapore Shangri-La; I’m too scared to try another as I know it won’t match up!
We try the chicken rice in Malaysia Kopitiam in Charring Cross Road and they are amazing. Just like what i used to have in Malaysia.
I’m glad you liked it here as it’s had mixed reviews. I’m no expert but the chicken rice was fine here. But I really liked the fried fish soup vermicelli and they also do roti canai. I’m looking forward to trying their other soup noodles.
I’ve never had good chicken rice here. The crab and okra look really good though! Satay house is really worth a try.
I’ve been meaning to go there for AGES. Will try their prawn mee because that’s how I grade ALL hawker style restaurants!
Have been to Kiasu a few time recently and thought it was excellent. it is one my favorite places in London… Sedap is around the corner from us and is also very nice, simpler but nice, and also they would make a vegetarian version of almost all the dishes upon request (Kiasu are also very good on this). I liked both better than I did Rasa Sayang which I visited only one and admit I was disappointed. Been to Satay House once, and it was also very good, a bit pricier I think than the others on this list, but delicious food.
hhhmmm…sambal ladies fingers sound delicious…actually, anything with sambal or assam tastes good to me..hehe..
Su-Lin – oh no! You and my Chinese teacher should battle it out. I’m no expert on Hainanese rice, so shall wait for your verdict.
Lizzie – life-changing version! I can see why you’re reluctant to ever eat it again. How about making it at home though?
Trisha Duke – oh thanks for reminding me of Kopi Tiam, it’s been added to my list.
Sung – there’s so much more to try. I have their menu right by my desk!
pigpigscorner – oh Satay House is on my list, so I will give it a go. Thanks for the rec!
catty – oh that’s your method! Well, look forward to hearing your thoughts on Rasa Sayang…
Aeyal Gross – I’ve just put Kiasu on my list of restaurants to revisit, as I haven’t been in a long time. Sedap and Satay House are also next, but I just don’t have the time to eat so much!
chinesechic – they were rather tasty!
Helen Yuet Ling
‘The Heat Zone’ – I love that. Waiter, I wanna get me a one way ticket to the heat zone!
admin Reply:
July 12th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Helen – Next time I go back, I’ll be ordering from ‘The Heat Zone’! I have the menu in my desk drawer and study it when I’m hungry!
vasey888 – I did hear Kiasu was open, so thanks for confirming. I’ve got C&R near the top of my list but the one in Chinatown (not the other one). But I haven’t been to Melati yet either. Thanks for the C&R recs, you’re making me hungry!
Tangled Noodle – I haven’t had Hainanese chicken much, but rather liked this one. I’ll have to eat a few more versions in order to make a proper comparison!
Helen Yuet Ling
unfortunately Kiasu is shut. Strange one – they started so well but it all seemed to fall apart rather quickly. The only 2 places I will go for Singaporean/Malaysian food are : C&R and Melati. Both have their good dishes. C&R is an old fave, get there early, make sure you get a table upstairs [downstairs is fine - just a bit cramped], and tuck in. I thought their chicken rice was very nice. I often have the Roti Channai, Kung Kong Belachan and also the mee goreng. In London getting good, reasonably priced Singaporean is a tough job. More often than not it is just something claiming to be authentic. I have searched for years for good Singaporean food but it is a hard task. Especially when I know that for 3 dollars I can get the most amazing mee pok in the bottom centrepoint on orchard road. but hey – that’s a long way away so I’d better get real….
whoops – sorry I hear Kiasu is open again!
It’s been a while since I’ve had Hainanese chicken so even an average-tasting one would hit the spot! When you do hit those other places, I look forward to reading a comparison.
@vasey888, Someone left a comment on my site that Kiasu was shut due to some rental disputes. Not sure whether that’s true but there was someone there who picked up my phone and he informed me that Kiasu will reopen ‘in a couple of weeks’ time when I called… well, a couple of weeks’ ago.
Anyway, I used to enjoy Rasa Sayang until I realised that the service has deteriorated of late. Perhaps it’s the luck of the draw but somehow I get the feeling that you will less hassled if you dine in the basement.
@Helen, will try out the Chicken rice over at C&R the next time round.
admin Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
London Chow – let me know what the Hainanese chicken is like at C&R! Sorry to hear you had bad service at Rasa Sayang. Our service was really good, too attentive in fact!
Helen Yuet Ling
I finally made my way to Rasa Sayang – they were better than I had expected.. and will definitely blog very soon
Try Malaysia Kopi Tiam at Charing Cross Road (near Leicester Square), I think the food there is ‘overall’ the best in central London
currently. I like the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Bak Kut Teh, Claypot
Fish Head Curry dishes. Delicious food and reasonably priced too !
catty – sorry, only just saw this comment! Glad you liked it. Sedap is even better…
sewlee – thank you, I forgot about Malaysia Kopi Tiam. Have you been to Sedap? My review will be up in a few weeks…
Helen Yuet Ling