Updated ,first published
Malaysian$$
This third-generation family-run restaurant is as compelling as ever.
Opened in 1963 by Wong Tai See in Haymarket, The Malaya was many Australians’ first introduction to Malaysian, Peranakan, Nyonya and Indonesian food.
Today, third-generation siblings Duan and Isabella Wong are in charge, continuing their family’s legacy at The Malaya’s new digs near Circular Quay, a return to George Street after more than two decades at King Street Wharf.
The refreshed space (formerly Rosetta) nods to the original’s history, and there are plenty of classics on the plate too. Chicken satay, say, or laksa that sticks to the restaurant’s original recipe, its heat tempered by dairy milk. XO pipis remain popular, but the kam heong mud crab is a sleeper hit, tossed with belacan and curry leaves.
There’s plenty of riesling to carry the spice, while for sweets, the Penang gelato – a collaboration with Ciccone & Sons – with lemongrass, lime leaf, coconut milk and a hint of chilli, looks sweetly back and forward.
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Last visited: 2025
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