Kiasu

When it’s cold outside, I crave curry laksa. The sweet, creamy coconut milk and the spicy chili oil warms me up. So last week, because it was cold and because – like many Londoners – we’ve been reading Time Out’s Top 50 Restaurants in London issue, Jon and I visited Kiasu, which was Time Out’s best “Cheap Eat” in 2007.

Kiasu is right across the street from Bayswater tube. It’s easy to miss (i.e., we missed it) because their front window is covered by so much distracting window art that you don’t notice the restaurant name. I can’t say the decor gets much better inside, but when I’m eating cheap, super-nice decor just makes me suspicious (that I’m paying more for overhead than for food).

Overall, our meal was good enough for the price, but it wasn’t good enough that I’d make Kiasu a destination. The dishes we ordered were a tad bland, which is not an adjective I expected to use when describing food from the Malay peninsula, and given how good all the other reviews I read were, maybe Kiasu’s popularity has been its downfall (i.e., is the kitchen toning down flavors to appeal to more people)? It was cheap, though. Two starters, two mains, and two drinks cost under £30.

Chye tow kway (pictured above) was a little disappointing. I was expecting some spicy and some sweet mixed in with chewy turnip cake cubes and crunchy bean sprouts, but instead, I got wimpy flavors but with good textures. It was barely spicy (and I am not a spice masochist, believe me) and the sauce seemed more for color than for flavor. Our other appetizer, the oyster omelet, could also have used some more saltiness and spiciness.

I was sorely disappointed with my laksa. The noodles tasted like regular wheat-flour spaghetti, and the broth needed a lot more spice and a little more thickness. While it was a huge bowl of soup, I thought it was lame that the fish balls and the prawns were microscopically sliced to make the soup seem generous. Sure, cut out some of the relatively-expensive prawns, but fish balls? Since when were fish balls a big-ticket ingredient?

Jon’s char kway teow was essentially flat noodles with a mild teriyaki sauce. It also lacked Chinese sausage, despite the menu description including said sausage. We were both sad about the nonappearance of the Chinese sausage.

So I’d go back if I were in the area (it’s unfair to judge a place on one visit, I know), but really, if I’m in that W postcode part of town, I’d rather have the curry laksa at the High Street Ken Hare & Tortoise. I don’t like to rag on small mom-and-pop-style places, but Kiasu was packed to the rafters late on a weeknight, so I think they’ll survive my disappointment.

An's profile      Other reviews by An      Places An likes     

On vibrant Queensway, the dining room is a few steps up from the street and quite narrow, with two rows of tables and simple wooden chairs; it is quite informal. This simple restaurant has something of an identity crisis, serving Malaysian dishes such as beef rendang (some would claim this is an Indonesian dish, but both peoples eat it, and the origins are disputed; as the chef is from Malacca, I am going with Malaysian this time), but also Thai curries and Vietnamese spring rolls. To be fair, cuisine in this part of the world does borrow from elsewhere, but not as much as the menu here shows, so I was rather sceptical when ordering initially.

Andy's profile      Other reviews by Andy      Places Andy likes     

Being a Malaysian in London, finding an authentic watering hole is a must. My wife and I went to Kiasu for Sunday lunch. Kiasu is a small cafetaria style restaurant. Reservations appear to be the order of the day, as we had to wait to be seated, which is unusual for a Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant.We ordered Chai Tau Kueh (Penang style), Acar, Vegetable Fry with Tofu, and Char Koay Teow (Penang style), washed down with Teh Tarik and Kopi Tarik.The Chai Tau Kueh (fried steamed radish/rice cake) was excellent. Fried to the correct slightly charred consistency, and with spring onions and diced turnips. This is a favorite dish of mine and quite difficult to obtain in the UK (first I've seen it in 10 years in the UK). Hopefully more restaurants will take this up. It was good enough for me to order an extra portion to take out. Not too expensive at �4.50.The Acar was a bit on the soft side. Acar I expect to be a bit fresher and crispier, being somewhat like a salad type dish.The Char Koay Teow was fried properly, and had a good mix. Could do with less Chinese sausage - tended to overwhelm the dish somewhat.The Vegetable Fry was seasoned well and cooked well but the variety in the mix was not great.The teh tarik was fine. The kopi tarik was just coffee with creamer powder, not condensed milk as would be expected (weakens taste).On the downside, serving sizes were a bit small compared to the norm. Bad news for us expecting UK sizes. Service was slow, and seating was tight. Would definitely come back though.

Kiasu is superb... friendly, casual, but with attentive, unobtrusive service. The food is excellent, a Malaysian friend of mine loves it, which probably says it all. I've never had such good otak otak outside of SE Asia, and evrything else measures up too. Don't miss it.