66 Ponsonby Road,
Ponsonby
Auckland,
1011
(09) 376 2759
The ViewAuckland Review
4 out of 5 stars
A few years back I did a course in Malaysian cooking in the port town of Melaka. Actually to be precise I spent an afternoon learning about Nonya and Perakanan food, the distinct cuisine of the Straits Chinese people who settled in Singapore and the southern Malay peninsula. Apart from the muggy heat kept at bay by a few softly spinning ceiling fans, what I remember most is the intricate preparation needed for the food. A wide variety of different ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal and tamarind all had to be finely diced and crushed before we were allowed anywhere near a gas cooker.
Fast forward a few years, and a recent visit to Mutiara in Ponsonby Rd promised a return to the layered flavours I'd prepared with a modicum of success. Auckland's not shy of good Malaysian eateries, but the menu at Mutiara has a much stronger Nonya influence than most of the others.
Arriving at 7.30pm on a Saturday night I was glad we'd booked, and just 45 minutes later the place was packed, with a few loyal diners even warming up outside under imposing gas heaters. Service also took a while to warm up, and our request for a couple of chilli-friendly Tiger beers ($5.50 each) was only completed after a neighbouring table arriving at the same time had already ordered drinks and food. A minor glitch on a leisurely Saturday night though, and from then on service was smooth and unobtrusive.
First up a shared combination platter ($9) presented an array of tasty entrees. Chicken satay and beef satay (a little dry) were partnered with peanut sauce laced with the distinct Nonya trademark of tamarind. Wok-fried goodies including moneybags (stuffed with minced pork), and spring rolls were crisp and light without the heavy greasiness fried entrees sometimes have.
Despite a pretty good wine list (and a few spirits as aperitifs) we stuck with Singapore's best beer to accompany our mains. Around other tables, including a few with larger groups, BYO (wine only) was the order of the night.
For my main I ordered a traditional Nonya chicken curry, Ayam Kapitan ($18) seasoned with ground lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and coconut cream. Kapitan is a dry curry and my request for authentic South East Asian heat was granted with a zesty combination of chilli and belacan, or shrimp paste, another authentic Nonya flavour. Carol's Ikan Bakar ($18.90) featured gurnard fillets baked in a banana leaf and topped with hot sauce. Coconut rice ($2.50) and beautifully flaky roti chanai (layered handmade bread) ($2.50) were the ideal solutions to mop up the last of the tasty sauces from both dishes.
With mains approaching $20, Mutiara is a little more expensive than other Malaysian restaurants in the suburbs, but the Ponsonby location and a focus on the unique flavours of Nonya cuisine definitely make it worth a visit.
Just make sure that you order a second roti to make the most of the delicate sauces. When you know that the kitchen has spent hours preparing the curry pastes, the least you can do is savour every mouthful.
Mutiara Malaysian Restaurant has been reviewed by 2 users