- Home
- Restaurants
- London
- Malaysian restaurants in London: Ranie Saidi reveals his favourite under-the-radar spots
Malaysian restaurants in London: Ranie Saidi reveals his favourite under-the-radar spots
- Ranie Saidi
Published: July 24, 2026 at 9:45 AM
loading...
Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today
From traditional home cooking to fiery modern flavours, read this Londoner's guide to the best Malaysian restaurants in the city.
When I first started living in London in 2013, I ate my way through as many Malaysian restaurants as I could, trying to work out who was cooking what and which dishes were actually worth crossing London for. As a Malay from Malaysia, my palate naturally leans towards Malay cooking, although, like most Malaysians, I grew up surrounded by Chinese, Indian, Nyonya, Bornean and regional flavours – so choosing just one style was never really an option.
Ad
My connection to the cuisine began with my grandmother, a former wedding cook, and later became the foundation of my cookbook, The Malay Cook. The more I ate, cooked and wrote about Malaysian food, the clearer it became that there is no single “best” Malaysian restaurant. In Malaysia, we go to different places for different dishes, sometimes travelling much further than is sensible just for one plate. These are my absolute personal favourites in London and exactly what I order when I go.
Want to know about the hottest new spots in the capital? Check out our guide to the best London restaurant openings.
Meet the expert
Ranie Saidi, founder of The Malay Cook supperclub, is a London-based recipe developer celebrating his Malaysian Malay heritage. A 2023 Yan Kit So Award finalist, his cooking is inspired by the everyday Malay dishes his grandmother, a wedding catering cook, made while he was growing up. Ranie sells his Malay sauces through Delli Market and select stores, and hosts supper clubs at Soho House, Curry Club London, and The Boundary Shoreditch.
Tukdin, Paddington
For Malay home cooking and the grilled fish I always order
Tukdin is one of the OG Malaysian restaurants in London and was the first one I visited when I moved here. Located near Hyde Park and Lancaster Gate, it was opened by the late Tuk Din and is now run by his children.
What I love is that the food tastes exactly like traditional Malay household cooking. It is unassuming and raw in its expression, like something your parents would cook for a family dinner.
I come mainly for the grilled fish with tamarind sauce. The sauce is one of the best I have tasted, even compared to versions I have eaten in Malaysia. It is delicately sweet and sour, with a little punch of chilli, almost like a Malaysian salsa that you dip into or pour directly over the fish.
I also order the Malay Village Fried Rice, made with crispy anchovies, shrimp paste and morning glory, or the Prawn Masak Lemak, cooked in coconut milk with chilli, turmeric leaves and bamboo shoots. Everything is washed down with an ice-cold sparkling Sirap Bandung Muar. tukdin.com
MAMBOW, Clapton
For Malaysian cooking that refuses to play it safe
Abby Lee is raising the bar very high for Malaysian cuisine. Drawing from her Chinese Nyonya and Bornean heritage, she creates food that is fiery in the best possible way. Mambow is unapologetic and claims its place exactly where it belongs.
When I first visited around two years ago, I was immediately blown away by the way Abby played with flavours and ingredients. As a cook myself, I felt challenged straight away.
The otak-otak prawn toast, made with red curry, kaffir lime leaf, prawns, wild betel leaf and coconut, has been my favourite ever since. I will travel all the way from South East London to Clapton just to have it. The sea bass tartare, or umai, our Bornean ceviche is equally beautiful and really hits the spot.
Mambow cleverly brings Malaysian flavours into familiar European-style desserts, letting the flavours speak for themselves. Whether it is a mung bean and coconut custard tart or a pineapple Bakewell tart, the flavours are recognisably Malaysian while the form feels familiar here. Even Malaysia is still catching up with this kind of creative cooking. mambow.co.uk
Melur by Pak Awie, Edgware Road
For nasi kandar and the magic of mixed gravies
Melur by Pak Awie is where I go in London for nasi kandar, the popular Penang rice dish introduced by Indian migrants.
Its history began with vendors walking through streets and plantations, carrying a long pole across their shoulders. A basket of steamed white rice sat on one end, while the other held different fish, meat and vegetable curries.
The dish is no longer served that way, but it remains a staple of the Muslim Indian Malaysian community. In Malaysia, people travel from different parts of the country to Penang to hunt down the best versions.
For me, nasi kandar is the true definition of brown food being the best food. Its magic comes from mixing several curries and gravies over white rice, then allowing the rice to absorb all their flavours. The result is far more than the individual curries eaten separately. In London, I go here for that experience. melurbypakawie.co.uk
C&R Cafe & Restaurant, Chinatown
For the goreng-goreng I grew up eating
When I crave anything char or goreng-goreng, C&R is where I go. The food has the Chinese wok hei flavour I am looking for, that smoky, charred aroma created by cooking quickly in a smoking-hot wok over a roaring fire.
Located in a quiet-ish alley off Rupert Street in Chinatown, this is where I order salted fish fried rice and wan tan hor – silky flat rice noodles in a savoury egg gravy, filled with meat, seafood and vegetables.
For me, the charm is in the char, the pickled chillies and the directness of the flavours. This is not somewhere I visit to work my way through every section of the very large menu. I stay firmly in the goreng-goreng lane, with fried rice, fried noodles, mee Siam and anything else that relies on the heat of the wok. Their layered iced tea with coconut syrup is worth ordering too.
The menu can feel overwhelming, but stick to what C&R does best and you will be more than fine. cnrcaferestaurant.com
SUDU, Queen's Park
For nasi lemak and a Malaysian childhood breakfast
Sudu in Queen’s Park is my favourite Malaysian breakfast place because its food plays with childhood memories. This is where I come specifically for nasi lemak, made with coconut rice, fried anchovies, salted peanuts, fresh cucumber and sweet-and-spicy sambal.
What makes it special is that it arrives wrapped in a banana-leaf parcel, just as you can still find it at morning breakfast stalls in Malaysia. Malaysians have strong opinions about nasi lemak, but for me the sambal should never overpower everything else. I still want to taste the coconut umami of the rice, the saltiness of the anchovies and peanuts, and the freshness of the cucumber.
I also order the sardine sandwich, which tastes like the ones I ate as a child at picnics, birthday parties and trips to the beach or waterfalls. It is our equivalent of an English egg sandwich, but ours is sweet, spicy and packed with sardine spread over toasted white bread.
To cool things down, order ABC, the classic Malaysian iced dessert covered in palm and rose syrup, evaporated milk, red beans and sweetcorn. It washes away the heat and makes the perfect icy ending to your meal. Whenever I am here, I feel like a child again. instagram.com/sudu.ldn
Dapur, Holborn
For nasi campur the way my parents taught me to eat it
How do you represent dishes from Malaysia’s 14 states in one restaurant? You don’t. Dapur is where I go when I want to taste several of them on one plate.
Its concept is what we call nasi campur, meaning mixed rice or economy rice. You begin with rice in the centre and choose the side dishes you want, turning the plate into a canvas of different flavours.
The rule I learned from my parents was to choose a maximum of three side dishes, two proteins and one vegetable. Sambal on the side is compulsory.
Located in Holborn, Dapur changes its selection every day. It serves traditional Malay dishes alongside royal dishes that can be difficult to find even in Malaysia. On my last visit, I had slow-cooked chilli onions with chicken, lamb pesamah, a traditional royal wedding dish, fried aubergines and sambal.
Eating it outside while sitting on a plastic stool, you cannot get much closer to a Malaysian lunch than this. dapur.co.uk
Janda Diner, Peckham
For Malay food that is playful, sexy and still recognisably Malaysian
Janda means “divorced woman” in Malay. Once upon a time, being a divorcee meant being treated as an outcast or as someone different. I see Janda Diner as reclaiming this once-taboo word through its food. It is different and playful, but still unmistakably Malaysian.
The menu is clever and the presentation is beautiful. It reinvents Malay cooking through a small-plates diner concept and shows that Malaysian food can be sexy without losing its identity.
My favourites are the rendang kerang, or cockles rendang, and the jackfruit salad. I could eat both of them on repeat. The flavours remain grounded in Malay cooking, while the presentation gives them a fresh place within London’s food scene.
Located in Peckham, Janda Diner feels completely at home in the neighbourhood. It is modern without trying too hard and different without making the Malaysian character of the food disappear. This is a must-visit for me. jandadiner.com
Gopal's Corner, Oxford Circus
For roti canai made properly
When I crave roti canai (pronounce chah-nye), I go to Gopal’s Corner at Market Halls. My favourite is in the Oxford Circus location next to John Lewis, where you can watch the roti being stretched, folded and cooked.
What makes it good is that it is prepared exactly as you would find it in Malaysia. The dough is worked with plenty of oil, rested, stretched several times, rolled into a coil and flattened before being pan-fried with ghee. That process gives it the flaky layers and crisp exterior I am looking for.
Traditionally, we eat roti canai simply with dhal, and that is still one of the best ways to have it. Once in a while, I order roti planta, a sweeter version drizzled with condensed milk.
Many children growing up in Malaysia have not yet built up their spice tolerance, so the sweet roti becomes their alternative to what the adults are eating. It is simple, nostalgic and, when the craving hits, exactly what I want. Also, they do a very nice pulled tea made with condensed milk. A perfect combo when eating your roti. markethalls.co.uk/trader/gopals
Malaysian Deli, Brockley
For the East Coast flavours I naturally gravitate towards
Located in Brockley, Malaysian Deli is somewhere I have spent many of my years in London eating. My palate naturally leans towards the flavours of the East Coast and northern Malaysia, so the cooking here suits me particularly well.
I come for the ayam percik, Malaysian roast chicken served with a spiced coconut sauce made with lemongrass, ginger, shallots and coriander. I have not found anywhere else in London that does it as well.
Once in a while, Malaysian Deli also serves nasi kerabu as a special. This East Coast staple is made with blue butterfly pea rice and served with prawn crackers, fine beans, beansprouts, dry coconut sambal, budu or anchovy sauce, and a protein such as chicken or fish.
It brings together herbs, saltiness, spice and texture in the way East Coast food does so well. Living in South East London, this is also my local Malaysian eatery, the place I return to when I want those particular flavours without travelling across the city. malaysian-deli.square.site
Ad
Check out more London restaurant guides here:
Best Indian restaurants in London
Best Chinese restaurants in London
Best Italian restaurants in London
Best Mediterranean restaurants in London
Best steak restaurants in London
Best pizza places in London
Best pasta restaurants in London
Best afternoon teas in London
Best bakeries in London
Best London wine bars
Best brunches in London
Authors
Ranie Saidi
Comments, questions and tips
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...
Want to see this content?
This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue