22 August 2010

Temasek ~ Singapore Malaysian Parramatta - Review & Menu


We finally get to visit Temasek Singapore & Malaysian restaurant in Parramatta and find out what all the fuss is about.







We get a rare spare Sunday and go suburb surfing for food, today's random pick is Parramatta. Our normal plan on such days is to do no research, just wander around and let Miss Chicken's sixth sense for food find us something wonderful. But today Miss Chicken's beak was blocked, we couldn't find anything, so we cheat. Miss Chicken looks up the infamous Temasek Singapore Malaysian restaurant on here iPhone. I shall never use the words 'Steve Jobs' in vain ever again.



We take one look at Temasek and give each other a knowing grin. This is our kind of joint, it's gorgeously ramshackle, it's packed with (we assume) Singaporeans and Malaysians, and we can sit outside.

Temasek is a Tardis of a restaurant located down the end of the aging Roxy Arcade, it appears to have outgrown it's original premises and expanded into a at at least one or two more shops. It's so busy we wonder if someday it will take over all of Parramatta. We arrive at the tail of huge lunchtime rush, the staff tell us they were knocked off their feet, but they were still upbeat, smiley and welcoming.



Temasek has no shortage of great reviews, we're excited, and hungry.



Char Kway Teow Singapore Style - $13.80.



Temasek's char kway teow has that lovely smokey 'breath of the wok' taste that I so love in this dish. Miss Chicken's savoury taste buds suggested the dish was sweeter than she likes, but my sweet tooth didn't notice. It was delicious all the same.



King Prawn Hae Mee Noodle Soup $11.80. The broth blew us away, it has that lovely fresh prawn stock flavour that we crave. In some Malaysian joints the prawn stock tastes like is made from stock cubes, not at Temasak, it's up there with our favourite, the uber prawny har mee at Singapore Shiok! in Eating World.



Nasi Lemak $14.50. We chose prawn sambal and beef rendang for protein, curry chicken is also available. Also comes with fried dried anchovies and pickled veggies.



Quite a lot of care went into the presentation of the nasi lemak, it looked fantastic, it tasted ten times better. I'm not usually excited by Malaysian beef rendang (I prefer the super dry rendang from Sumatra) but the rendang here has a fresh lemongrass tang. Yum.

BACK AGAIN FOR LUNCH - JUNE 2012



Hainanese Chicken rice - $12.80. We made this trip particularly to try Temasek's famous chicken rice. The chook was served chilled instead of warm or at room temperature, zapping any flavour from the flesh. Shame as the texture of the chicken was excellent, and the fixin's were top notch too.



Chicken laksa - $12.80. We're not usually excited by laksa but this was bowl-lickingly good. The soup is thick with lots of coconut and there's layers of flavour from the spice base. There's a generous serve of chicken too. And look at those beautiful colours! It's pricey for a laksa but you get what you pay for. Yum.



Temasek Menu - Click to enlarge



Temasek Menu - Click to enlarge



Temasek Menu - Click to enlarge



Temasek Menu - Click to enlarge




Temasek Menu - Click to enlarge

Temasek is in the Roxy Arcade, 71 George Street Parramatta. This is one of the best Singapore \ Malaysian feeds we have had in Sydney , we leave very happy. There's another half dozen dishes we would like to try, apparently the Hainan chicken rice is excellent, so much food, so little time!

12 comments:

  1. i hope to revisit one day. have you tried the Har Mee at Malay-Chinese Takeaway on Hunter St in the city? the best i've found so far in the city :-)

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  2. Hey Simon - yes we are busting to try the har mee on Hunter Street but have never managed to get there, you've just doubled our determination to get there :-)

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  3. Yay - a review from my soon-to-be new stomping ground! Do they have Rusty Motorbike and Roti...drooling!

    There's supposed to be a VERY good dumpling place called Hong Fu in Parra - if you ever do a trip back.

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  4. It's mother truckin' good Miss Melba, no motorbikes though :-)

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  5. Oh yeah Miss Melba - we were drooling at the pictures in the window at Hong Fu, it looks fantastic - you must get in touch with my people.

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  6. This place is delicious... being there several times but the food is consistently good

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  7. I have been there twice. I still remembered the laksa was sooo thick of santan! After eating the laksa I felt like err 'throwing out'. The santan was too heavy and I actually didn't like it. The place used to be better, but I have changed my mind now. However, thanks for blogging. I enjoyed your blog very much.

    My vote - yucky (for laksa)! :))

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  8. The Hainan Chicken Rice here is Excellent so juicy, the rice had really good flavour, and the broth really smooth, as good as most I have had in Malaysia.

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  9. Sadly, Hong Fu is shut – has been for a few months ago. The pork belly, pig ear, beef tongue, coriander, peanut and chilli salad was AMAZING! And the prawn har mee at Chinese-Malay Takeaway on Hunter Street Sydney is excellent (I think the laksa at Temasek is the best, but the hainan chicken rice and curry pippis at Astana, Church St Parramatta, are the best). Best murtabak is at Jimmy's Recipe – not the one in Galeries Victoria, but the one hidden in Tank Stream Lane, just off Bridge Street and hidden behind Establishment. And thanks for the Singapore Shiok heads up – I always want to try something else in Eating World, but I never get past Gumshara...

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  10. Thanks for the tips sunbad, much obliged :-)

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  11. There's also a bunch of good looking hole in the wall joints on the opposite side of the Roxy Theatre, in the run down Parramall. There's a few fronting George Street, plus a few down the back fronting Horwood Place. There's also an African supermarket on Horwood Place too.

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  12. I love the food at Temasek. The Nasi Goreng is to die for!

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Thanks for your comment joy - please keep your musings happy - if you want to complain about a restaurant please do it on a restaurant review site (or your own blog) - we're all about celebrating cultural diversity and the great eats that come along with it :-)

Our ethics: We pay for all our own meals and travel (though sometimes Mum shouts us).