Malaysian Restaurant in the ‘burbs – a surprise package!

This is all about me having a big pig out on some Malaysian Food over the next couple of months! This is part of a series of chowing down some food.

You can check out some previous posts with my Adam Liaw interview, and Malaysian Food – Not What It Seems.

Anyway, the second Malaysian Restaurant I tried out was the Treasure House. On first hearing, I thought this joint may have been run by pirates, but when I turned up, I was greeted by the exuberant smile of the host who was excited to see me walk in the door.

That’s probably because I’ve over 6 feet tall and she probably thought I was going to eat the place out – which is probably fairly close to the mark.

Anyway, the Treasure House is literally 5 minutes down the road from where I live in the ‘burbs. It’s located in McDowall, in the northern suburbs. Don’t be fooled by it’s location in a shopping centre complex – this place is a surprise package.

For starters, parking is very convenient – like, right at the front of the restaurant!

In my quest to try and find the most bizarre Malaysian Food going around, I chatted to the waitress to see she could convince the chef to cook me up something unusual that was not necessarily on the menu.

Anyway, a bloke called Lincoln came out of the kitchen to have a talk. Lincoln is originally from Hong Kong, but he was trained up in Australia by a Malaysian chef, and hence that’s why he cooks up some great Malaysian Food.

‘Hi, I’m Lincoln – like President Lincoln’.

‘Really? Have you been shot before?’ I said to myself.

Actually, Lincoln was a bit of a character and was good value. We chatted about all things food, and he’s done a bit of time in Malaysia. Unfortunately, he declined my offer for a video interview or a photograph because he thought he would break the lens, but hey, I can’t win them all.

However, one thing he mentioned to me was that the cooking methods were essentially the same in Australia, but the form of the ingredients are slightly different.

For example, chicken bones are used in many dishes in Malaysia which add to the flavour – in many cases, they use the entire animal. Chicken bones in Australia might lead to a lawsuit if you choke on them!

Actually, Lincoln had a point – there might be some dishes that the western palate would find unfamiliar, so there is often a slight twist applied to the Malaysian Food.

But who cares, his food tasted awesome!

Travellers can often be travel snobs when they try something at home where they first tried it overseas. For example, that kebab wasn’t as good as the one I had in Istanbul, or that hangover wasn’t as bad as the one I had at Oktoberfest.

It’s not about being the same – it’s about taking the food for what it is.

Some Tasty Malaysian Food

Anyway here are some of the tasty dishes Lincoln served up:

First of all, coconut dessicated prawns. Think of this like a Prawn Bounty Bar (a Bounty Bar is a chocolate bar coated grated coconut!). Sounds a bit weird, but tastes great! The crunchy texture of the coconut balances the smoothness of the prawn, and it’s dipped in sweet chili sauce.

Secondly, Sambal Calamari. Sambal is a mixture of chilli and shrimp paste. Mixed with calamari and a few vegetables, I’ve scored my greens portion for the day.

And how about some Claypot Chicken with Ayam curry. I don’t think I chewed on this dish. It was that good, I swallowed it whole!

After this lot, I had to let out the belt buckles a bit! I may need to go on a strict diet once I finish this Malaysian Restuarant gig.

More Malaysian Restuarant Stuff

There’s two more to go! Also check out Flavours of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions.