Malaysia Hall Canteen

J’ai vécu 3 mois à 100m de là et déception ultime: alors que j’apercevais de la rue des gens manger des plats qui avaient l’air appétissants … le lieu est interdit aux non malaysiens (sauf si vous êtes accompagnés d’un malaysien). Je n’ai pas apprécié le concept de né même pas pouvoir rentrer de part ma nationalité.

Authentic Malaysian. But have had better. The roti canai and chicken curry were a bit disappointing. Wife liked chicken satay (I thought it was a tad too overcooked and dry)

Got take out there last week. A variety of dishes. While all the dishes were pretty good, the portions were TINY! For one person, you would have to order 3 – 4 dishes to be filled. Apparently the new owners are have cut the portions in half but left the price the same.

Best Nasi Lemak in Europe hands down. Super authentic/​actually spicy sambal. Cheap too at only 2.50£, extra if you want chicken/​egg. The catch is it’s Malaysian only (unless accompanied by Malaysians) because the food cost is subsidizes by the Malaysian government. I would recommend the Ais Bandung and Kari Puffs too.

Best meal I’ve had in London. Caveat is that this was during the first weekend since I moved to London.
Lovely little walk to get to it, though I definitely doubled back at least four times looking for a sign that said Malaysia Hall canteen. I eventually realized that it’s underground, and there’s no sign because it’s underneath the Malaysian consulate.
There are plenty o’ signs to deter you that say you should be Malaysian or have a Malaysian accompanying you, but forge ahead, Brave Unilocaler!
Food is delicious and cheap (around £3 or £4 will get you a rather nice meal). Rice plus various curries, fish, or other sides. Every dish will come with a pickled salad. Also a wide variety of drinks, from iced milo to ginger lemon tea.
And get some dessert to go!
There was kueh lapis — layered rice cake flavored with pandan leaf & kueh lopes — pandan-​scented rice cake that you dip in a thick black palm syrup. The kueh lopes was more tasty in my opinion, but either is a good choice.

I wish I could tell you the names of the dishes that I had, but they were all really good… and as far as I can tell they were authentic. I mainly make this statement by the fact that our table were from Scotland, England and the USA… all of the other customers were almost definitely Malaysian.
I had a couple of chicken dishes that I scarfed down. And cooled my mouth down with a tasty milk tea. If you’re not into experimenting with ethnic cuisine that is uncommon to find in the UK, then you probably wouldn’t enjoy it. Your loss.
The only downside is that it’s a bit difficult to find, but maybe that’s part of the charm. (it is actually the canteen for the Malaysian embassy and it’s in the basement. We thought we had actually gone the wrong direction until we had seen the embassy)
The value is incredible for the amount of food you get. You shouldn’t even need to bring more than a £10 note for just yourself.

Super cheap and super delicious! It is in a STRANGE place under neither the Malaysian Consulate, so it we almost missed it. Defiantly meant for «those who know» but welcoming to those like us who found it on Unilocal

Nasi lemak with rendang beef and Teh Tarik for breakfast 6 pounds.
I also bought ‘ketayap’ — pandan-​flavored creped wrapped around palm-​sugar soaked shredded coconut meat, ‘kasturi’ — deep fried battered ground red bean, koci — palm-​sugar soaked shredded coconut meat wrapped around mochi-​like cake (glutinous red rice flour)
fyi — ketayap does not last an 11 hour flight but the koci and kasturi did.
4* on value
3* on food quality
Ok, I will be honest. It’s tough to review restaurants when you know you can cook the same dishes better. For folks who does not have 6 hours to spare to cook beef rendang or can’t/don’t want find the ingredients like galanga, fresh tumeric, kaffir leaves etc, having a canteen like place that makes these dishes at a cheap price is definitely deserves 4 stars in itself.

This is THE place for the food and atmosphere you will get in a typical Malay mamak restaurant in Malaysia.
The nasi lemak is authentic where the sambal (chili paste) is on the right spicy level (translation: above-​average spicy at a British level) and the fried egg has runny yolk. YES.
There is an array of mamak «appetisers”(such as pasembor — Indian rojak) or typical mamak food like (roti tisu with fish curry, mee mamak, mee rebus, laksa, etc.) The concept here is so reminiscent of home you forget you’re in the UK altogether until someone opens the door and cold wind drifts in.
Although in Malaysia you can get at least 5 nasi lemak for the price of £5, the prices here are reasonable on a British scale (just take it as a re-​investment since the Malaysian government subsidies it). Why pay £3−4 for cold pasta when you can get an awesome plate of nasi campur (mixed dish with rice)?
The staff are exceptionally friendly and pleasant.
Went for lunch, ordered takeaway for dinner later. If I didn’t live so far away from Queensway, I will definitely be more than just an occasional customer!

Having lived in Singapore, I often crave an authentic food court experience. Despite not being Malaysian, I decided to try my luck. The food was incredible I had some fish with sambal paste, and the aubergines with salad and rice and lichee juice. All tasted great and the atmo was the icing on the cake. Will be sneaking back soon! Left a big tip to show my thanks to the Malaysian government :)

For once, I feel a bit dodgy about reviewing a place, but since others have edumacated people about it I’ll go for it anyways. The reason being that the Malaysian Hall Canteen is really a home kitchen type place set up and subsidized by the Malaysian government to provide some quality food to the Malaysian population in London, particularly students looking for a bit of home.
However, after an hour or so of bubble tea insanity, we were looking for something substantial and filling and Tracy L and Yee Gan O both suggested this delightful little place. Keep in mind, this isn’t a proper restaurant that advertises for walk ins. Other than the Malaysian flag (which looks like a US flag until you get close enough to really look at it), there is no indication that one of the best value places to eat is open for business on this quite road just off Queensway. I rode by at least half a dozen times before finding everyone else and being led to the door.
You can’t fault the food with the great Malaysian classics on offer. There is a standard canteen style option where you get rice and pickled veggies as your base and 2 – 3 dishes (2 dishes costs you £3.40 and 3 a whopping £4.50!). One plate is more than enough to satisfy even the greatest of hungers but at those prices you almost feel like you should go for a second round. You can also opt to order one of the traditional dishes (pictures are posted on the back wall to help) which are incredible. If they did takeaway I’d stop by at least twice a week despite it making my journey home roughly 10x longer.
There is a sign on the door that says you need to be Malaysian or come with a Malaysian but they didn’t seem to mind us (we would have been safe as we had 1.5 Malaysians in our group). We did get yelled at for being too loud though… oops.
Overall, an excellent find and one to keep in mind whenever I’m in the area and just looking for some comfort curry food and a truly brilliant price.

This place is excellent if you miss home cook authentic Malaysian food. It is cheap, you can get 1 item to 3 items with rice from £2.50 — £4.50. I will recommend this place to anyone.
The ambient of this place is like a hole in the wall. If you been to Malaysia, it look just like little coffee shop in Malaysia. That’s what makes it homie.
I will definitely come back again an again.

*You need to either be Malaysian or have a Malaysian in your group to enter.* — so says the sign, but it seem pretty laid back when we rocked up. Probably a good idea to phone ahead if you are Malayless.
This is a little hidden London gem. Found in the basement of a grand townhouse, you’ll find a simple food canteen. There’s plenty of choice, and being neophytes, we all plumped for the choice of 3 dishes plus rice and vegetables at a bargainous £4.50. The food was joyfully devoured by our party although personally I wouldn’t have the chicken gizzard curry again. Everyone speaks Malay so I felt foreign, but the staff are super friendly and made us really welcome.
You’re in a Muslim country so no booze, but they have a great selection of soft drinks. I went for coconut juice from a can which was perfect for taking the heat out of some of the hotter curries. For an added challenge, try to crush the can.

I can’t believe there are only 3 reviews. You Brits are so lucky to have such an authentic Malaysian place for food. I am visiting from San Francisco and a Malaysian friend of my recommended I try the Canteen.
I took the tube to Bayswater and walked towards Queensborough Terrace. I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn it was a quiet street full of small hotels. Next thing I saw 2 young guys smoking outside and the Malaysian flying overhead. The front entrance is located at the bottom of small stairwell.
Indeed there is a sign posted saying Malaysians or people accompanied by Malaysian are allowed only. I went in with a little trepidation (secretly I am a Singaporean American, close enough I figure). Lucky me I saw a non Malaysian (pretty sure he was white) in front of me ordering. No problems!
Let’s get to the food (I am smiling all the way deciding what to order). They have specials listed on the wall: Nasi Lemak, Rojiak, and Satay and more… They also have a menu with a massive variety of Malaysian appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks. You can also order a combination of items behind the counter with rice.
The prices were very reasonable considering I am paying with converted US dollars. I ordered Nasi Lemak, Rojiak, Chicken Satay and Lychee Bau drink. It cost me around 13 pounds. It was a lot of food.
The Nasi Lemak consisted of the coconut rice, Sambal chile sauce, little fried anchovy fish, hard-​boiled egg, fried peanuts, a fried chicken and I think it was fried duck egg. It was one of the best Nasi Lemak I have tasted outside of Malaysia or Singpore. It reminded me of the lunches at Elementary School in the 70’s. The fried fish was perfect with the peanuts, samba and rice. I had a big grin as I wolfed it down with my Lychee drink.
The Rojiak salad was tasty mixed with the shrimp paste based dressing and it had ground nuts, slices of pineapples, jicama, green apples, and cucumbers. It was good and just the right amount of heat (didn’t have to a drink whole glass of water).
The Satay Ayam was good but not spectacular. The chicken wasn’t dry but the seasoning could have been better (chicken thigh meat, more galanga and turmeric please). The condiments were spot on with nasi him pit (rice cubes), cucumber, red onion and a red peanut based satay sauce.
I would recommend anyone missing the foods of their childhood and their homeland of Malaysia or Singapore when you are London please go there. You won’t be disappointed.
I only wish I had a Canteen like this one back home in the San Francisco Bay Area where the best Malay or Singaporean food is cooked at home :(
Cheers!

I go here when I feel homesick
It smells like a Malay foodstall like back home
Very cheap and tasty food. Sorts me right out everytime.
I love this place!
Nuff said

After my 2 recent disappointing visits to Sukaramai and Jom Makan, I was starting to lose faith in Malaysian restaurants. However, coming across Amary N’s post on Malaysia Hall recently brought a smile to my face.
Malaysia Hall is a secret among the Malaysian community. Technically, it’s not a restaurant and there are no signs. It’s a food hall subsidised by the Malaysian High Commission in London and is in fact located in the basement of the High Commission. Just aim for the big Malaysian flag on Queensborough Terrace
As it’s subsidised by the Malaysian government, officially, you have to be a Malaysian citizen or accompanied by a Malaysian citizen to eat here but I saw a few non Malaysians slip in here on Saturday.
Somehow, I’ve managed to get to a ripe old age before coming here for the first time on Saturday. However, I had to restore my faith in Malaysian food and boy, was my journey here repaid.
The place recalls the atmosphere in a nasi campur restaurant with people sharing tables and all sorts of chatter in many languages taking place over the clinking of utensils and plates.
Most people went for the nasi campur — rice with a combination of dishes. There were probably about 15 – 20 dishes covering curries, seafood and vegetables but all authentically Malaysian — good home-​cooked food. To give you an idea of price, rice with 2 main courses is £3.40
There were also specials available like nasi lemak, mee goreng, mee rebus, pasembur, yong tao foo, ice kacang and the list goes on. Basically too much to eat all on one visit!
There’s also a selection of kuih for dessert.
Drinks wise, you can get freshly squeezed juices, teh tarik, Milo or just have some free water or rose syrup
I gorged myself on roti canai (OK) and a nice nasi lemak. I was persuaded to try lepat pisang for dessert — a combination of mashed banana, sugar and condensed milk, which is steamed in a banana leaf. Nice.
Because I’m a nice brother, I left with some authentic tasting curry puffs to share with my sister. I will be back!

Malaysia Hall canteen started in the 1950s by a group of Malaysian students. From their old location, they moved to a new location in 2004. The Malaysian Hall is subsidize by the Malaysian government.
THEREFORE: It’s meant for citizens of Malaysia. And must be accompanied with a Malaysia citizen upon entry. (as stated on the sign)
You will not see any signs on the street. The only giveaway, is a flag of Malaysia. When you do find your way in here. It’s a small canteen. Menus are written in Malay, self-​serve, and you’re expected to know the food. There’s roti canai, rendang, rojak, kuih…
The favorite here is Nasi Campur (combination meal with chili, tofu, fish) Meal comes with FREE rose water. Heck! the food is cheap (5.00), and decent.
If you want service and you hate being in crowded area. This is not your place. Most of us end up standing while eating. It can get really loud. They have Malaysian newspapers, and Malay pop music to add more to the Malaysian feel.
Hours: 8am-​10pm (Makcik & PakCik will crowd on the weekends)