Theres just something about watching my food getting put together that is truly captivating. The mesmerising flipping and spinning of roti (law-ti) dough, the smell and buzz of an open kitchen. I don't think theres really anything else that could make a restaurant experience more enjoyable for me other than the food itself.
The restaurant is always busy and is closed at around 2-5.30 in preparation for the dinner service. The line for lunch is fairly long, expect a 15-30 minute wait depending on the time. The line for dinner on the other hand is tremendous! A 30 minute wait is only normal if you don't get there early.
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| Closing up for pre-dinner preparation |
Mamak is Malaysian for just about everything Indo-Malaysian. In other words when you walk in to Mamak you walk in to a Malaysia tuned to the Sydneysider wavelength. Though true to those Malaysian flavours, the curries show signs of international influence and so do the roti.
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| Lunch at Mamak |
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| Marinated chicken and satay |
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| Lots of delicious, great colour - a good start to lunch |
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| I can almost taste this with my eyes. Sweet, fragrant with peanut bits well incorporated. I can eat this by the spoon |
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| Alright I can taste this one with my eyes |
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| Roti Canai - the classic, all fluffed up and ready to go. Very delicate and crisp. |
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| Buttery roti - a heavyweight version of the original. A little western influence. |
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| Giant roti stuffed with a lamb omelet |
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| So omelet, so little roti, so disappointed. My bad choice of order. |
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| Banana roti with vanilla ice cream | |
The banana roti was one of the most memorable of all the above. The way the sugars of the banana slices seeped through the roti and caramelised made it look spectacular, but above all the taste and the texture this created was absolutely amazing. A small short crunch of the buttery pastry is followed by a sweet rush of banana while the ice cream amalgamates and accentuates those flavours and textures.
Overall a good experience! I recommend you try Mamak. If spices aren't for you then just have the roti without the curry. Don't know what to order? For normal orders I recommend you try their roti canai and ayam goreng, you can't go wrong.
