Many years ago, I took my folks, visiting Sydney, to Chinta Ria in Darling Harbour. Even though we’d eaten a LOT of Asian food, Malaysian food wasn’t really familiar to us. It’s been a pleasure living in Sydney getting to know it better.
I read a review that Chinta Ria was moving to Double Bay, with the name Chinta Kechil, serving ‘Modern Malaysian Street Food’. Sounds good to me.
I happened to be in the ‘hood (to go to Dan Murphy’s: did you know a bottle of Campari there is $35 instead of $40 at Vintage Cellars?) and stopped in for a quick casual lunch. I should have peaked in the back of the restaurant; the front really does feel like sitting outside a hawker stall in KL, and that’s not a bad thing.
So, I had a simple Nasi Lemak with chicken curry and it was pretty much perfect. Nasi Lemak confused me the first times I had it. It’s so simple. So, it’s about the perfect combination of fried and dried anchovies, peanuts, a half a boiled egg, cucumber, a traditional chili paste, and in this case, a melting off the bone chicken curry. Considered Malaysia’s national dish, it’s kind of hard to go wrong with it, I think, but when it’s great, like this one, the combination of crunch, spice, oil and starch, is pretty good. Fourteen bucks. There you have it.
CHINTA KECHIL: Open 7 days
Lunch 11:30 – 3 Dinner 5:30 – 10, Sunday Dinner 5:30 – 9
