Temasek

The recent winter chill called for comfort, so what better to find respite in but Malaysian and Singaporean food. 

Just around the corner from the Roxy in Parramatta, you’ll find a small modest restaurant whose major showcase is the food on the plate.
Don't let the size or the simplistic decor and furnishing fool you, it pulls in healthy (and hungry) crowds! I’ve been recommended to try it by lots of different sources and I’ve always been intrigued. The restaurant is distinguished by their iconic Singaporean Lion printed on the window alongside a number of magazine and newspaper highlights. 

The restaurant was bursting with people coming in and out. We were lucky to be seated without a booking but in future we'd definitely make sure to keep it in mind. 

The tables are a little bit on the cramped side and I won’t comment on the atmosphere. 

The staff were frantic and we were informed they were understaffed that evening, but the turnover at the small restaurant was surprising. 

First impressions on the menu was that it looks like your generic local Asian menu: extensive. 

Dishes had a huge range from sambal varieties to curries and classics.
It was nice to see they also had banquet menus for larger groups with an even spread of favourites. 

A frazzled staff member took our order and informed us of their staffing circumstances.
With the high turn over it's understandable the stress that the staff was under and the heads up was much appreciated. 

Chicken Laksa with Rice Noodles

I have been craving a good laksa for a long time now and I especially love rice noodle laksa.
The thick soup, piping hot and jam-packed with flavour! The chicken wasn't overcooked and soaked up the broth with the tofu. It was a generous portion with lots of filling and an respectable amount of beansprout which was nice (as some places just load up on it). I slurped the whole thing up scraping the bowl at the end. 

The only thing I could fault about the dish is that personally I would've liked it a little bit spicier but that's a personal preference. 

Gado-Gado

It almost feels wrong to technically call this dish a salad. Gado-gado is a combination of blanched vegetables, tofu and egg with a peanut dressing.
This peanut dressing was creamy and had that lovely salty sweet balance bringing a little heaviness to the light and fresh vegetables. 

It was a nice meal to have as an accompaniment to our other dishes. 

Hainanese chicken with rice

The chicken was poached so well it just melted in your mouth. It was juicy and made for a delicious base for an array of sauces. The accompanying rice had a nice brothy flavour to compliment the chicken and the soup was clear and crisp it freshened your palate for the next bite. 

Overall I was very surprised by this little restaurant, as I had little to no expectations from it. Although the restaurant is small, the food speaks for itself and is reflective in the high demand and popularity through the day and evenings. 

I'll happily come back for more authentic and generous portions of comfort food.