Jom Makan: The Magic Teleporter

discovered this restaurant on a rainy day on my first month in London. Hungry and frustrated, I was skipping the puddles: my left shoe started leaking and it was too late to go back. Lead-grey clouds were pissing a cold sprinkle on the stressed out urbanite crowds. As I moved along the grey gravitas of Pall Mall towards the National Gallery, I saw an unusually bright sign: Jom Makan, C'mon Let's Eat in Malay, sounded exactly the right kind of invitation.

Inside the minimalist post-modern cafe interior nothing told of what kind of sunny fest I was in for. With the first bite of rendang daging, beef slowly stewed in coconut milk with herbs, I was magically transported from soggy November London to sun-drenched Kuala Lumpur. Everything is made right: you could count grains in fluffy and fragrant coconut rice and teh tarek, Malaysia's national drink is "pulled" at the bar to form a frothy cap at the top of the glass.

Malay food is not very well known outside its country of origin and undeservedly so. It uses all the herbs of the neighbouring Thailand and the spices of its cultural cousin Indonesia, but with a unique twist of its own. Sitting exactly half-way on the main trading route between India and China, Malay cuisine seems to have very creatively absorbed influences from those culinary giants too. It all makes for a great mix, healthy, flavourful and exciting. However, even in London, the seat of Malaysia's former colonial master, Malay eateries are still far from being a familiar sight.

I have come to Jom Makan umpteen times since my first visit. I think I have tried every dish on the menu. They all have been consistently good, just the right bit easier on spices than in Malaysia, since hot food does go down as easy in a colder climate.



Begedil, when cooked right, IS a big deal. It's a deep-fried curried potato dumpling. Do not let the word deep-fried put you off, it is done the Asian style so you end up with a crunchy crust and tender spice purée inside.



Nasi ayam hainan, chicken with rice Hainanese style: if spice is not your thing, you will like this. It is served with great sauce, mix of ginger and sweet chilli. A wee bowl of chicken broth that comes with it is to die for, mixing the flavours of toasted garlic, ginger and scallions.



Kari ikan, fish curry, is a great way to cook sea fish. Zesty from ginger and mildly sour from tomatoes, its spices only accentuate the flavours of okra and salmon. I remember in Malaysia they use red snapper or other white fish for this.


Kerabu daging is slivers of grilled beef on a bed of lettuce and asparagus sprinkled with Assam vinegar. Sometimes the asparagus is missing, sometimes the vinegar. When you get all the ducks lined up, you're in luck: it is a really great combination.



Chicken satay with peanut sauce on a bed of lettuce, a classic Malay street snack. Satay is said to derive from the Hokkienese word for "three pieces".



Rose-flavoured milky cold drink, air bandong, literally means "rose water".



Malay bread, roti canai, although fried in oil is not greasy. I could eat it plain, really, so tasty it is.



My favourite, nasi lemak, consists of a dollop of sambal cumi-cumi, belacan-based squid curry, and a dollop of rendang daging, beef stewed with coconut milk and spices. It comes served with fried peanuts and dried anchovies and a boiled egg and chicken or coconut rice.



This popular South East Asian dessert, tapioca pearls topped with coconut milk and palm sugar, is a bit of acquired taste. I love it with crushed ice because this is how they serve it in tropical climates.




This is a true chef-d'oeuvre: creamy mango and coconut sorbet in the shape of a boiled egg. Just the right amount of sweetness and full of original fruit flavour.