Mamak – Haymarket, Sydney NSW
“Honey, I’m home!”
Hello everyone, it’s good to be back! Needless to say I had such great time eating my way around Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos for four weeks. I can see why Anthony Bourdain fell in love with these countries and the local food. There are simply an endless array of amazing exotic food to try, that really pushes all your senses to the limit. It’s not even funny that I’ve only been back two days, and already feeling “food-sick”, craving for that bowl of beef noodle soup for breakfast, having supper at mamak stalls at 12am, and ready for the sticky rice to clog my digestive system one more time.
Hence, the only way to bring me a little closer to the food from home is to blog about the Roti Tissue I’ve had with Suze and Helen at Mamak in Sydney before me flying out for my vacation. Sad? Yep. But that’ll do.
Clockwise L to R: "cham" - half tea, half coffee - 3.50; Mamak menu with a short list of authentic malaysian mamak food to tantalise your tastebud; crunchy jelly-like sambal sotong with the nasi lemak; the supper goers at mamak
“So…. what’s for dessert?”
Of course, no one find it strange that the question is actually raised while we are standing on the footpath outside a restaurant, where we just had our 3 courses meal, including dessert. Instead, the question is beamed with approval and automatically we hop back into the car, and know exactly where we can find the dessert that we have been craving for.
Mamak at Haymarket is not new and definitely no stranger to the foodies in Sydney. They have had a constant flow of loyal customers since opened two years ago in a tiny shop at Goulburn Street. And with a recent 3 weeks renovations, Mamak has expanded to a more spacious dining area; having said that, they still try to squeeze in just as many tables as the restaurant could fit.
We arrive at Mamak at 9.00pm, 30minutes before closing time, but it is no surprise that we still have to wait outside for a table. Once seated, the menu are presented swiftly, but we only have one thing in mind – the Roti ‘party hat’ Tissue for three as our post-dinner snacks.
Nasi Lemak - 7.50; Sambal Sotong - 4.00
Blame my “sup”-culture gene (sup as in Supper), the night is still young and the greedy me decided to have something more substantial before dessert. Hence I decided to order a nasi lemak with sambal sotong. The subtly fragrant coconut steamed rice seems to blown out of ratio in comparison to the little dollop of sambal on the side, along with the crunchy roasted peanuts, fried crispy anchovies, half hard-boiled egg, and cucumber cubes. The sambal sotong is a spicy kick of crunchy cuttlefish slices in a sambal paste that really makes one gasping for water. And in this case, is my friendly “cham”, a mix of teh tarik with coffee that is sweet yet tarty.
Clockwise L to R: "You have the crumbs, I have the rest."; Let it drip to its last drop - Helen's way; beautiful photographs to set the mood of a mamak stall; roti tissue with condensed milk - 9.00
If synchronised-head-turning is a national sport, we would have scored a 10 out of 10 in the restaurant. It feels like the whole restaurant is slowing down in motion as three big cones of roti tissue brought out to our table. We have got everyone’s attention fixated on the roti tissue, mesmerised by the sheer force of its golden beauty.
On the menu, the roti tissue is suggested to be served with vanilla ice cream. But if you want to experience it the Malaysian way, ask for the condensed milk instead and it comes in a tub on the side. Drizzle that thick milky lava from the top of the roti and slowly see the whole mountain coated in shiny glistening sweetness. Fork is optional, best with fingers – snap the crispy paper thin roti tissue into chunks, shove it in your mouth and feel that sticky goodness.
Hmm… now where can I find a Roti Tissue this size in Sydney? ( a roti tissue I recently had during my vacation in Malaysia, see it to believe it…)
Mamak 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney P: +61 (02) 9211 1668 Open 7 days (no reservations) Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm Dinner: 5.30pm - 9.30pm Supper: till 2am on Friday and SaturdayMamak – A mamak stall, also referred to as mapley, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments. Mamak stalls tend to be popular among Malaysian youths as hang out spots, due to cheap food and beverages being served 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. - [via wikipedia]
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
Sigh just had that last night and now I have to make do with my own version of teh tarik. Gorgeous photos as always!
.-= mir´s last blog ..We’ll be right back once the hours are aligned =-.
Welcome back Billy!
Let’s do dinner & karaoke sooon dude!
.-= Yas @ hungry.digital.elf.´s last blog ..Love you to the bone. =-.
yumo! the roti around. Good to see you are back. great to hear you ate lots of good food.
.-= yewenyi´s last blog ..Russian Coachman =-.
Love the roti tissue! The sweetened condensed milk makes it something special in a way that vanilla ice cream is not likely to do.
It’s amazing that there was still queuing at 9pm. I was in the same boat when I went there for dessert one time at around the same time.
Welcome back dude, which was your fav country ?
I’ve never tried the sambal sotong before, might need to give it a go. I like the nasi lemak at mamak but always ask for extra sambal in a bowl … the one on the plate is way too tiny. I was also at Mamak last night around 7.30 pm and the line was all the way down the street, atleast a 30-40 min wait!
.-= Howard´s last blog ..Angus Beef Burgers, McDonalds =-.
I miss mamak. Looking forward to the next time Im back in Syd.
.-= penny´s last blog ..Mandarin orange cupcake with love =-.
Yay! Welcome back! And mmm…. roti tisu is the best way to end an evening methinks!
.-= Helen (GrabYourFork)´s last blog ..The Weta Cave and Cafe Polo, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand =-.
I love the first photo of the condensed milk! I already had the roti tisu 2 weeks ago but now I’m craving it again!
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Jimini’s, Hornsby =-.
Welcome back Billy! I can’t wait to read your post about Cambodian food =p
.-= linda´s last blog ..Angus Beef Burgers, McDonalds =-.
@mir: Welcome back to Sydney!
Looks like you are slowly becoming one of us! 
@Yas @ hungry.digital.elf.: Yes, when? Where?
@yewenyi: Thanks Brian, I think we should have a FOFO outing some time soon!
@Simon: The roti is good, but I had better LOL. Sorry to rub it in
@Howard: My fav country probably Vietnam, Laos (That’s food talking). Agree with the sambal, seriously need more of that on the plate. It just ain’t enough. 40 mins wait is insane!
@penny: Hehehe, why come to sydney for mamak, when u can go back to malaysia for more mamaks?! LOL
@Helen (GrabYourFork): Why you spell “Tisu” and not “Tissue”? Are you trying to be roti-tisu-savvy?
@Jacq: Have some more! Never go astray!
@linda: Are you trying to mock me?
the roti tissue is awesome
absolutely love mamak to pieces
love every single roti they serve, its amazing
gotta try the dessert one w/ condensed milk! yum!