Review: Rasa Sayang, China Town

Rasa Sayang, Malaysian Cuisine

I’m very dubious of eating in places around Leicester Square or in China Town, but when I was saw Rasa Sayang on Time Out’s list of cheap eats in Central London, I wanted to give it a try. I spent four days in Kuala Lumpur last summer and that was enough for me to know that Malaysian cuisine and I will be in a life-long relationship.

I must confess that I went to Rasa Sayang three months ago (my review backlog is worse than previously feared) so this review is not the most detailed. What I can tell you is that  they a do a great Char Kway Teow (£6.90) – flat rice noodles fried up with soy, egg, fish cake (don’t ask – it’s weird processed stuff), beansprouts and with what I assumed to be pork fat – as it was deliciously meaty.

I also tucked into Nasi Goreng Istimewa (£7.50) – Malaysian-style fried rice topped with a fried egg, served with chicken satay sticks.

Now, this is important: neither of the two dishes listed above were the oily, greasy swamps that they promised to be. Both were much lighter than I expected. And they were so tasty. They gave my dining partner and I the perfect Malaysian fix in the late afternoon.

We got some Roti Canai (£3.90) – similar to pastry – to accompany our dishes. And we finished off with Kueh Dadar (£3.20) – pandan-flavour pancakes filled with palm sugar and coconut – which I adore, because they’re not too sweet. Perfect ending to the meal.

Yes,  we were crammed into caféteria-style seats and yes, we were tucking into the finest quality food in the world. But the food is so wonderfully comforting. Our bill came £23.70 for two with service, we were stuffed, and very happy.

Rasa Sayang 4/5 – Malaysian comfort food at great prices.

Food 3.5/5
Value 5/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Service 3/5

Website: http://www.rasasayangfood.com/
Where: 5 Macclesfield Street London, W1D 6AY (just off Shafterbury Avenue)
When: Mon – Thurs 12pm – 11pm; Fri – Sat 12pm – 12am; Sunday 11.30am – 9.30pm

Author: Phoebe Amoroso

Phoebe Amoroso is a Tokyo-based reporter, multimedia journalist and storyteller. Hailing from the UK, she moved to Japan in 2014 and has since been shouting about the country to all who will listen. She divides her time between covering breaking news and producing feature stories for TV; writing about everything from business and tech to food and travel; and guiding hungry visitors who want to sample the best of Japanese cuisine. When not working and/or eating, she can often be found running up a mountain or cycling by the sea. View all posts by Phoebe Amoroso