Ever since our eating journey through Fiesta Malaysia, my father has become increasingly obsessed with what we’ll be eating when we visit Singapore and Malaysia at the end of the year. He’s been Youtubing Singaporean and Malaysian food videos, looking at recipes and photos, and making mental lists of all the different dishes he wants to try. His excitement is actually quite contagious!
To feed his interest further, I suggested a visit to Petaling Street in Glen Waverley on a Sunday evening for our household of four. As far as Malaysian restaurants go, Petaling Street is mid-range standard fare both in Melbourne and in Sydney. In fact, K and I had visited Petaling Street in Chatswood a few years ago!
Everyone other than myself ordered a drink. A Teh Tarik for my father who complained again that it was much too sweet for him – I told him that he would need to learn to appreciate sweet condensed milk drinks in Kuala Lumpur! My brother ordered a Hot Honey & Lemon to help with his cold which he ended up passing onto everyone else in the family anyway, and K ordered his perennial favourite, an Iced Coconut.
K’s choice of the Penang Fried Koay Teow came out within five minutes of our ordering, a good indication of how prompt the service is at Petaling Street! This version from the Glen Waverley branch was much better than that from Chatswood, with just the right amount of wok hei and chilli blast. K was a particular fan of the tiny cockles and pork crackling that had been included in the mix, which provided both flavour and texture.
Dad ordered the basic Curry Laksa, served with plenty of fish cake, chicken and bean curd. While he enjoyed the meal, he did say that it simply didn’t live up to the version that my mother used to make when they owned a takeaway shop. He then went on to tell me a story about a soldier in the Australian army who would come to the shop every time that he was in Melbourne to have mum’s curry laksa, as he claimed it was even better than the ones he’d had when stationed in Malaysia!
My brother opted for the plain and Simple Nasi Lemak, choosing not to add the curry chicken or beef. I think he ended up regretting his choice as the meal really wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger of a teenage boy without some meat to go with it. He also found the sambal a bit too spicy for his liking, but on my part, I enjoyed stealing the ikan bilis off his plate to crunch on while waiting for my own meal to arrive.
My Sarawak Chicken Curry Laksa was definitely the meal of choice with a generous serving of tender chicken thigh meat and plenty of bean curd to soak up the rich curry sauce. The only downside was that the chilli rating was quite misleading – with two chillis next to the menu listing, I was expecting to sweat through the meal with a burning mouth. The furthest I got however, was a light tingle on the tongue which was quite disappointing.
It’s clear that the quality of meals at Petaling Street can differ from branch to branch. Glen Waverley in Melbourne was much better than Chatswood in Sydney. Even within the one branch though, the quality of meals can differ from one day to the next, and I think my curry laksa was a good example of that. On a good day, it might live up to the two chilli rating on the menu. On the day we were there, the chilli barely registered.
Quality of the meal you get will differ depending on whatever chef is on duty on the day but I think that for the most part, you can be guaranteed a decent meal for a good price at Petaling Street.
Petaling Street is located at 111 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, as well as a number of other locations around Melbourne and Sydney.