Nanyang, Edinburgh

Some of you might have known about it and some or you might not.

I am currently studying abroad for my final year of undergraduate study in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Fret not, this isn't the end of #jiaaqieats adventure (though I have to admit, eating out here is waaaaaayyy more expensive compared to Malaysia! #studentbudget)

I'll blog about some updates about life here in Edinburgh and maybe some useful tips for those for intend to further study in the UK, but first, a mandatory food post from Edinburgh!

We Malaysian love our food, no matter where we are. So my first food post from the UK is, well, don't kill me, Malaysian food! (I know I know, I'm in the UK where you can get tones of other food that I can't get in Malaysia like Fish and Chips and I choose to splash my cash on Malaysian food. But hey, a study abroad experience is never complete without trying out your home country food in that country and comparing it to your home country!)

Nanyang is one of the few Malaysian cuisine restaurant that claims to provide the "best and original Malaysian flavor", with a top notch service, here in Edinburgh. It is located at Lister Square, one of the high end commercial area of Old Town Edinburgh, conveniently located right next to the main campus of University of Edinburgh. A plus point for Malaysian studying in the University of Edinburgh that misses home!

I was greeted warmly by waiters dressed in waistcoat and a neat crisp white shirt as I set foot into Nanyang. Now that's something you'd never see in Malaysia, not even at Madam Kwan (waiters well-dressed in waistcoat)! 

A nostalgic sense of familiarity hit me, with Chinese pop music playing in the background. The ambiance was pretty Malaysian-ish with a twist, Sarawak Tree of Life portrait with a sape, little Nyonya food carrier, traditional wooden congkak and Chinese lantern hanging from the ceiling).

Rated 4 out of 5 and scoring a Certificate of Excellence on Trip Advisor , expectation and excitement was brewing inside me as I skim through the few certificates plastered on their walls. 

The cutleries placement on the table with a thick red napkin - they weren't kidding in delivering the top notch service!

Nanyang's menu is available online at their website. The menu features the usual suspect such as nasi lemak, char koay teow, curry mee, with a side addition of cocktail and alcohol. After all, the drinking culture is the norm here! 

The spread of Malaysian food we ordered!

Chicken Curry with Boiled Rice £6.95

Nasi Lemak £11.95

Lemon Chicken £6.95

Generous chunks of deep fried chicken cutlets accompanied with more rice than I would ever consume in a week.
Well it is a little hard assessing how I felt about this dish. I know I shouldn't compare with the ones I have in Malaysia as the food here has been localized to suit the taste buds of the locals.

From a Malaysian's point of view, the lemon chicken may be a little too sweet, and could need a little "chili padi" (bird eyes chili) to spice it up and balance to sweet and sour taste. But being more than 10,000km away from home, boleh lah.

The verdict? Well I wouldn't say the food wasn't great but it wasn't bad, just that it has been adjusted to suit the local taste buds. Now I know how citizens of other countries feel when they try out their own national cuisine in an international restaurant in Malaysia.  :p

Nanyang
Unit 1, 3-5 Lister Square, South Pavilion,
Quartermile, Edinburgh, EH3 9GL
​
Email: info@nanyangrestaurant.com
Contact Number: 0131 629 1797

Sisters Place, Pacific Place Ara Damansara

Curry mee, fried rice, Char Koay Teow, Chee Cheong Fun, Hokkien Mee. Malaysian's hawker favourite all under one roof, and it is pork free! Truth to be told, I was always skeptical when my Char Koay Teow is pork-free but Sisters Place Char Koay Teow changed that perspective of mine!

Sisters Place is located at Pacific Place, Ara Damansara. A little hard to locate but a simple Google Search would do the trick and trust me, it is worth the hunt! Pacific Place is located right in front of RapidKL HQ. Parking is free for now at Pacific Place :)

Sisters Place is managed by Eugene, a passionate Penang-born young man who is also one of the chef here. Sisters Place at Pacific Place is actually the second branch of this family business! The first outlet is locate at USJ 16 Subang Jaya (near Sri Melur) and is currently managed by his father, Mr Ray.

Sisters Place has all the usual suspect of a Malaysian Kopitiam - from rice dishes like Nasi Lemak, porridge, and meat + rice dishes, to noodles like Chee Cheong Fun, Char Koay Teow and curry noodle, as well as roti bakar (toasted bread) sets and yong tao fu!

The USJ 16's branch has the same menu, but food there have a lower price tag as the branch at Pacific Place has a nicer environment, equipped with marble tables, air-cond and a cleaner & more comfortable environment.

Sisters Special Char Koay Teow RM13.90
Signature seafood char koay teow, loaded with extra squid, cockles and prawns. Choose from Mee, Bihun, Koay Teow or a mixture of two noodles.
Definitely the best pork-free Char Koay Teow I have ever had! Each bite was full of "wok-hei" and promises at least one bite of seafood - that's how generous Sisters' Place are with the seafood! Pricing might be slightly on the steeper side but rest assured, it was worth every single cent!

Penang Curry Mee RM8.50
Another favourite at Sisters Place. This bowl of creamy curry goodness was a delight to my taste buds! The curry is on the sweeter side due to the addition of milk powder. The curry soup wasn't too thick nor cloying, I could easily down the whole bowl of soup myself!

Sisters Fried Rice RM8.50
A crowd favourite at Sisters Place which is a hit among students. I personally find this dish tad dry but then again it is up to personal preferences :)

Curry Chee Cheong Fun RM8.50
Fragrant lemon grass infused curry chee cheong fun loaded with generous amount of chicken meat . If you're a fan of lemon grass this dish would be a delight for you! The curry was really fragrant and the taste of lemon grass stood out prominently,  I love how generous Sisters Place is with the meat!

Penang Hokkien Char RM8.50
I've never had Penang Hokkien Char so I couldn't comment much on this. I initially thought that Hokkien Char was the same as KL Hokkien Mee but turns out it was two completely different dishes! The Penang Hokkien Char served here at Sisters Place leans towards the sweeter side. Customers can choose from Bihun, Mee, Koay Teow, or a mixture of two noodles.

Herbal Tea, Cham & Kopi-C Kosong

Verdict: Really good pork-free Malaysian hawker favourite! Go for the Sisters Special Char Koay Teow for extra seafood and give their curry mee a shot! :)




Sisters Place 
Unit D-01-02, Block D
Pacific Place Ara Damansara
Jalan PJU 1A4A, 47301 Petaling Jaya

Business Hours: 9am – 11pm Daily
Closed on alternate Mondays. Check out their FB page for updates on their opening hours!

Contact number: 03-7859 6128
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersplacekopitiam

Sisters Char Koay Teow
11, Jalan USJ 16/2G,
47630 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Business hours: 7am – 8pm Daily
Closed on alternate Tuesdays

Contact Number: 03-80241373

Nasi Lemak Bumbung @ Sea Park

Nasi Lemak, is a once a year dish for me as I am sort of "allergic" to coconut milk. My stomach gets bloated and a wave of excruciating pain hits me whenever I had too much coconut milk. Sounds exaggerating but true, #sadlife

So when I have Nasi Lemak, it has to be good...

Perfectly done runny bullseye egg...with the company of thick & sweet sambal that comes with a tinge of spiciness, a side of crunchy nuts, and perfectly deep fried chicken, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, thrown together on top of hot pipping coconut milk infused rice, with a price tag of RM4.50 only.

The rice weren't as soft and fluffy was expected, but the creamy egg yolk and sambal made up for it. Just divine.

We finally made it to Nasi Lemak Bumbung at Sea Park, after so many failed attempts (that ended us up in Burger Lab LOL). Nasi Lemak Bumbung, contrary to its name, do not have a "bumbung" (roof). The make shift stall is set up behind the streets of Maybank, while the workers were seen painstakingly deep frying the chickens and eggs at a common area where a bak kut teh store was setted up.

Our bill came up to about RM12 only (2 plates of nasi lemak, 1 warm water and 1 teh tarik), a price which you can't get in other famous Nasi Lemak places (DU..ahem ahem). Down side is well your dining experience gets affected by the weather, especially on a hazey day. But it's definitely worth visiting! 

Nasi Lemak Bumbung

Jalan 21/11B (behind Maybank),

46300 Petaling Jaya. 

Business Hours:

5.30pm-4am, daily

Might vary according to weather