Ah Singaporean cuisine. A fairly new discovery for me, as my first trip to Singapore wasn't until 2019, and I've only been twice. But I kinda love it, and don't really have access to it in San Francisco. But luckily for me, Sydney does have a decent Singaporean scene, and I was glad to finally start exploring it during my recent visit.
My venue of choice was a slightly wordy establishment, Malacca Straits on Broadway.
"Malacca Straits on Broadway will take your taste buds back to the bustling streets of Malaysia.
From street food favourites like Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak to our signature Golden Sand Prawn, this slice of Malaysia brings honest and soul-warming Malaysian cuisine to Sydney diners. Our menu embraces the best of hawker-style and hard-to-find regional dishes by sourcing the best Malaysian produce available combined with premium local ingredients. Whether you're looking for the taste of home or the taste of an adventure, sample Malacca Straits on Broadway to experience true Malaysia each and every time!"
There were many things on the menu that sounded great to me, sooo many squid dishes in particular, but, I narrowed in on just one thing I wanted the most, from the "Hawker’s Favourites" section of the menu: chai tau kueh. I first discovered the dish at breakfast in a hotel in Singapore, confused because it was called "carrot cake", but sure didn't look like any carrot cake I knew! I quickly learned about the dish, and it became an instant favorite. I even enjoyed it on my Singapore Airlines flight, where I truly was blown away by how good it was - in particular, it was so crispy, and tasted like it had come fresh out of the wok. I haven't had it since then, pre-Covid, and don't know of anywhere I can get it in San Francisco, so I was pretty excited to reunite with the dish.
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| Awww. |
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| Hawker's Favorites: Chai Tau Kueh. $23.80. |
I opened my container and was a bit surprised by how much egg I saw, definitely more egg heavy than other versions I've had. Same with all the beansprouts. But as soon as a saw the hunks of radish cake, and smelt the incredible aroma of all the sambal, I knew it was all going to delight me nonetheless.
The radish cake bits didn't have quite as much char on them and dark caramelization I had with other versions (even the Singapore Airlines version), but were great bite size nuggets of texture and abundant flavor from having been stir fried with the generous sambal. The bean sprouts helped lighten it up a bit, and almost made it eat a bit like a noodle dish, if that makes sense, with the soft and pliable texture. The egg was well cooked too, and provided some protein. The flavor was deep, the funk level high, and I loved that. We just don't get these flavors much in the US.
Overall, it wasn't the best I've had, but, really pleased me, and satisfied a real craving. I'm definitely curious to try more of their menu now. ***+.