356 Karangahape Road,
Newton
Auckland,
1010

(09) 358 3886

add to my map

Behind a blink-and-you-miss-it shop front in multicultural Karangahape Road, this Chinese-Malaysian restaurant is usually full of devotees.

A suitably utilitarian décor and speedy to-the-point service set the scene for those who come here for a casual meal, where good simple food and boisterous conversation are the main ingredients.

It’s BYO only—there are a couple of liquor stores across the road, but we had jasmine tea ($1 per person for a bottomless pot).

We started off with satay chicken skewers ($7.50 for six)—tender and unadorned—with a chunky, mildly aromatic peanut sauce on the side. A plate of glossy freshly-fried prawn crackers ($3.50) was so large it saw us right through the meal, with plenty of leftovers at the end.

From a selection of reliably familiar Chinese dishes (rice, noodles and stir-fries) we had generous chunks of tenderised beef with ginger, spring onions and black bean sauce ($13.50).

And from a list of curries from the Pinang region, we chose a boneless sambal chicken ($13.90). Requested to be medium, there was a fair bit of zing in its bright red, runny sweet-hot sauce and raw tomato and capsicum, along with a topping of dried anchovy, provided a flavourful light lift.

This place is so popular we arrived at 8pm and had to wait for a table, but by 9.30pm—when our quick and satisfying meal was over—the restaurant had emptied.