Angie's Malaysian Eatery

Angie's Malaysian Eatery is a small family run restaurant where the husband is the chef, the wife handles the front of the house and their children help out whenever needed. The restaurant is small with less than ten tables available and has a homey atmosphere, as if you are having dinner at a friend's. From the fabric table cloths to how place mats are placed underneath every plate, the little things add to the homey vibe.

A chalkboard menu is posted at the back of the restaurant with photographs attached and the owners also came by to show us pictures of each dish that the restaurant has to offer. On top of that, the owners provided a thorough description and were helpful in explaining what each dish was like, which we found helpful for those who are not familiar with Bruneian cuisine.

Laksa King

What was once Bo Laksa King's Bubble and Bits, is now under new management and ownership, and goes by just Laksa King. Some things have changed while others are still the same, such as the front door screen which for those who do not open properly, will result in a large startling *bang* and direct all attention that way. Something that has happened at the previous restaurant along with this one, whoops.

Asides from the front door screen which has not changed, is the strong aroma of spices when we walked in. To me, an aroma of spices is always a good sign. Furthermore, with the front door open and a good amount of ceiling fans, the restaurant tries to be well ventilated. However, laundry night is a must after a visit here.

As for the interior, the blue walls (except for a portion at the back of the counter) and black tables along with the squeaky matching chairs, are gone. Instead, Laksa King has a diner theme going on with neon lights, red vinyl booths and a portrait of a gas station diner painted on the wall. Furthermore, the seating arrangements are more comfortable and properly maximized compared to the previous restaurant.

Tropika at Cambie 星馬印

Tropika is a Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian cuisine chain restaurant, with two other locations at Robson and Lansdowne. Whether it be called cheap, boring or typical, I can easily say that I enjoy sticking to safe restaurants. Safe as in those that are consistently reliable and offers if not all, then a few dishes that I enjoy. And Tropika is one of them. To me, the "must orders" at Tropika are roti, satays, lobster tung yam kung and malaccan curry crab, emphasis on the last two. Having visited both the Robson and Lansdowne location, the last one for me to try is the one on Cambie.

I actually planned to come here a few months ago and walking in on a weekday at 5:00pm, we were rejected since most of the tables were reserved for 6:30pm! Oh well, not really a problem since we went to Banana Leaf after (which was not a good experience). So, debating whether we needed to make reservations on another weekday, we took the chance, walked in, and fortunately the restaurant was not busy. Tropika at Cambie has a clean as well as simple interior and does not look too cluttered. The seating arrangements are not tight, there is a good amount of tables to accommodate larger parties and in our case, the restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere with plenty of staff. Although plenty may not mean attentive… 

After settling down and asking for the prices regarding the seafood, we were a bit shocked. The lobster was priced at $26.95/lb and every one weighed at 3lb; I could not justify spending $75.00 on tung yam kung! As for the crab, it was priced at $58.89 for 2 1/2lb which comes to $23.55/lb, and again, I could not justify spending that much on crab. Is an extra $10.00 a big difference? In a way, not really because these two dishes are the only reason why I come here. But, the only reason why I was hesitant is because both dishes at the Lansdowne location was average at best, and I did not want to complain about wasting money. If I was at the Robson location, I would order them in a heartbeat!

IPOH Asian House

Driving down Hastings Street, BF noticed a new restaurant, IPOH Asian House. When he asked to try it out, I said no, thinking it would be a Hong Kong style cafe joint. However after taking a look at the menu outside, we went in because the restaurant serves Malaysian Cuisine and I am always looking for more Malay restaurants to be my regulars. 

IPOH Asian House is newly renovated, has spacious seating arrangements and the layout is setup with two sides, one for parties of more than five and the other, for less than four. The interior sticks to a lime green and neutral scheme with brown tables as well as taupe chairs. After self seating at a comfortable dining space due to the acknowledgement from a waitress, then having a look at the well presented Malaysian cuisine menu with a few unique items and a sheet of Chinese dishes, plus our friendly waiter, I was actually quite excited and could not wait to order. I had high hopes for the restaurant, possibly because of the alluring menu.

Mamalee Malaysian Delight

Sometimes being picky can bite you in the arse.

The name Mamalee gives the impression of an authentic, rich and home cooked style Malaysian cuisine restaurant. However, could this be the opposite? When looking for a late lunch on West Broadway in Kitsilano, I passed by a few Japanese restaurants that seemed mediocre at best and catered to students (most offer student discounts). So, being stupid and not going one street over to West 4th, I remember an Instagrammer recommended Mamalee Malaysian Delight to me (the hainanese chicken and roti are supposed to be pretty good!).

The restaurant is not very big and has less than twenty seats available. The interior resembles a small bubble tea joint and the restaurant may get busy during peak hours, since there is a self-serve waitlist by the entrance. Walking in, a waiter was having lunch and immediately got up to seat and provide us with the menu.

Cafe D'Lite Express 椰樹林

Having a late lunch and trying out a few food stalls at Aberdeen Centre, Cafe D'Lite Express was stop number one. Thinking back on it now, I probably should have tried the hainanese chicken too!

SEAFOOD LAKSA ($7.75) + COCA COLA ($1.12.

Tropika at Lansdowne 星馬印

POST ON TROPIKA AT CAMBIE [HERE]

POST ON TROPIKA AT ROBSON [HERE]

REVISIT POST ON TROPIKA AT ROBSON [HERE]

The original Tropika restaurant in Richmond was previously located at Aberdeen Center and closed in the beginning of the year to relocate to Lansdowne (unfortunately with the same owners). Tropika in Richmond has never been a first choice and is not even on my list of restaurants to visit. Every prior visit to Tropika at Aberdeen was never positive (below average food and unfriendly staff, including the managers), however, due to my impatience and that Little Sheep Mongolian had a thirty minute wait, I decided to try the new location. 

One of the good things about trying a new restaurant is that the staff is usually friendly, so no problems there. Walking in, the restaurant had a strong aroma of shrimp paste, odd. Ususally every Tropika restaurant including the previous Aberdeen location smells like nothing, but the restaurant had a really heavy smell of shrimp paste. The interior of the restaurant looks more casual as well as laid back compared to the Robson location and Tropika correctly maximizes their seating arrangements and has plenty of booth seating. 

PORK, LAMB AND CHICKEN SATAYS WITH PEANUT SAUCE, MALACCAN CURRY CRAB, HAINANESE CHICKEN, LOBSTER TUNG YAM KUNG, ROTI CANAI, PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE WITH HAM AND CHICKEN, AND SAYUR KARI.

Malay Curry House 馬拉星

Malay Curry House is the only Malaysian cuisine restaurant on Kingsway. After reading a few reviews, the restaurant seemed worthy to visit.

The restaurant's interior resembles a small bubble tea joint and has four tables for two, and four tables for four. I appreciate that the restaurant is quite spacious (even though it is smaller restaurant) and they do not try to squeeze a few extra tables in.

DRINK, MALAYSIAN ROTI WITH CURRY SAUCE, BONELESS HAINAN CHICKEN, BAH-KUT-T, HERBAL PORK RIB SOUP, SZECHUAN BEEF BRISKET POT, BEEF, LAMB, AND CHICKEN SATAY, HOUSE SPECIAL LAMB CURRY, AND COCONUT STEAMED RICE.

Kaya Malay Bistro

Kaya Malay Bistro takes Banana Leaf to the next level. After posting the dinner from Banana Leaf on Instagram, I was recommend to try Kaya. And You know what? I visited Kaya two days after Banana Leaf and am far more happier with the service, food quality and comfortable seating arrangements. When I left the restaurant, my stomach was happy, I was happy, and throughout dinner I was able to see all of my food.

The restaurant appears to be a husband and wife combo management team; where the wife oversees the front of the house and the husband controls and oversees the kitchen. Arriving on a Monday raining evening, the restaurant was not very busy but there were a few seated tables and take out orders. The interior of the restaurant has bright colored walls, dark tables and chairs, half booth seating arrangements along the wall, and a high ceiling painted black. 

Banana Leaf : West Broadway location

Banana Leaf and Tropika are two very well known Malaysian cuisine restaurants (well known, not necessarily good). When entering the restaurant, I was somewhat surprised that all the staff were non-Asian. The hostess seated us at a coffee sized table with a black panel on my right side, which separated the table from the entrance of the restaurant. I like the panel because it separates the table from the front door but I felt kind of claustrophobic with the tight seating. Since there were a few (three or four) empty larger tables, we asked the hostess if we could change seats. Unfortunately, she mentioned that those tables are for larger parties (three to four people).

After settling down, I noticed there were actually two Asian staff other than the four non-Asian. I mention this not to sound biased but it seems like they are very selective with the employees. It is understandable there are more employees to cater to the Western clientele, but I find it odd for an Asian restaurant to have more non-Asian staff.

The interior of the restaurant is nicely decorated with little nicknacks, Malaysian related or not. If comparing the interior to Tropika, Banana Leaf lacks that nice higher upscale feeling. The photo on the right was taken from our seat, clearly there are a few empty tables right in front of us and not just in this section.

Tropika at Robson 星馬印 (2nd visit)

FIRST POST ON TROPIKA AT ROBSON [HERE] AND POST ON TROPIKA AT LANSDOWNE [HERE]

Since my last visit at Tropika was amazing... amazing, I had to bring my sister here. I came here last week but chose to post my first experience before the second, just for comparison purposes. Tropika is located on Robson and serves Malaysian and Thai cuisine.

ROTI CANAI, SATAYS, LOBSTER TUNG YAM KUNG, THAI STYLE GREEN CURRY CHICKEN, THAI STYLE RED CURRY CHICKEN, PAN FRIED EGGPLANT, PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE, SAMBAL MUSSELS, LYCHEE WITH ICE CREAM, BUBUR CHA CHA AND CENDOL (NO CRAB, VEGETABLE CURRY OR PORK RIBS THIS TIME).

Tropika at Robson 星馬印

REVIST POST ON TROPIKA ON ROBSON [HERE] AND POST ON TROPIKA AT LANSDOWNE [HERE]

This is my first time coming to Tropika's Robson location and the service was amazing, the food was amazing, and everything was perfect. We came a month ago on a Thursday evening around 8:45-9:00pm? I think the restaurant was closing at 10:00pm and I felt bad because every waiter was very attentive. We were seated by the window and the tables there are smaller. After when we ordered, the waiter asked if we wanted to move to a bigger table. Me being girly of course, wanted to sit by the window and the waiter actually moved a bigger table towards us. The restaurant was pretty much dead and super romantic without intentionally, it was as if BF booked the whole restaurant for our dinner LOL.

Tropika is located on the second floor and the interior looks pretty nice, I like everything - the tables, chairs and jade coloured plates (Aberdeen location looks mehhh..).

LOBSTER TUNG YAM KUNG, ROTI CANAI, PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE, BARBECUE PORK RIBS, SATAYS, MALACCAN CURRY CRAB AND SAYUR KARI.