Malaysia Kopi Tiam

Sadness — went out of my way to try Kopi Tiam. The front was boarded up. I was really hoping to try out the Roti Canai. Hope Kopi Tiam comes back.

Being a Malaysian in London, I have the occasional craving for Malaysian food every now and then! I’ve tried some of the dishes at Kopitiam — some which I liked, and some not so much.
One of the good things about this place is that they make their roti canai fresh to order (Roti King!), compared to most places that used frozen versions…
Obviously not as cheap and cheerful as back home (!), but when you need some comfort food, price is not a huge issue…
I’ve ordered the Assam Laksa a couple of times, as I quite liked the flavour — so far the closest I can find locally to satisfy my Penang laksa cravings!
Other dishes that I’ve tried include the curry mee, char koay teow and claypot noodles — unfortunately these didn’t impress me. EIther too bland, too watery, and my claypot noodles didn’t even come in an authentic claypot… more like some soup noodles cooked and just served in a plastic look-​a-​like claypot bowl…
Haven’t tried the rice dishes, so will probably be back to settle my curiousity.
Easily accessible and pretty decent Malaysian food.

It was rainy and I had some time before heading over for a football match and I wanted to duck in for some Malaysian. Why do I crave Malaysian food? Well probably because the first national anthem I ever learned (Singapore’s) was in Malaysian, because I was surrounded by Malaysian food, and I’ve always had it.
I ordered Nasi Lemak, which is probably my favourite Malaysian dish (although laksa runs a close second) and had it and a some soy bean milk served hot all for about 10 quid. And she charged my phone for me while I ate!
How else did I know it was good? Two Singaporeans met there for dinner and in their unmistakeable accent spoke about how this was the «best Malay in town.» They ordered off the roti menu, which was extensive for such a small place but not what I was in the mood for that day.

CASH ONLY
Its almost a real malaysian ipoh breakfasr of noodles. this is chick curry laksa with teh tarik and tiger bear. it is 90% good… not 100 percent Malaysians they are mixed with thai. Food passes. Curry sauce pleasent and tasty, chicken okay little tuff. noodles slightly too thick tough but still okay. Overall 90% for this but they didnt have my roti so they only get a 5% rating… ha ha ha :)

We were drawn by the sign that said Malaysian pancakes and went inside.
We ordered Roti Kaya (pancake with coconut jam), Hainanese Chicken Curry Laksa, Salt & Pepper Squid Rice, Rojak (cucumber, pineapple, mango with spicy tamarind sauce).
We got everything except for the pancakes and waited while the pancake chef was making them (we could see him from our seats). After he served a lot of pancake orders and disappeared, we asked a waitress about ours. It turns out our waitress (who also disappeared) forgot to place an order and the pancake chef was on a 30min break. They also told us that they were out of dough… We were very disappointed.
We’d still like to try the Malaysian pancake sometime, but we will probably go somewhere else next time.

I have no idea whether I’m reviewing the right company. They were called Kopi Tiam. Then they expanded to the shop next door and called themselves Asian Twist Delicious. Then I visited a few weeks ago and the name had been changed back to Kopi Tiam? Anyway, I’m going to assume they’re the same business having eaten at both named venues.
When I ate at Kopi Tiam, the highlights were the Curry Laksa. Full of flavour, meaty and extra spicy (at my request). The hokkien mee was great, big portion and lots of seafood as was the other dish I forget the name of which is basically fried ho-​fun (white flat) noodles with hot sauce/​broth with lots of egg poured over. For drink, I had Bobo Cha Cha, which is kind of a malaysian sweet coconut sago dessert with sweet potato and various jellies in it. It was microwaved, right in front of me (as Kopi Tiam was a very small shop before it expanded. In all however, the food was all around good.
Now onto Asian Twist Delicious. The curse of expanding showed here. The food was suddenly substandard. Portions had become a little smaller and the menu expanded. Coincidence? One positive of the move however was the in-​house cooked roti-​canai. Delicious. Downsides?, you’ll smell when leaving as roti cooked indoors uses a lot of clarified butter and just seeps into clothes, but the taste was extremely authentic with accompanying dahl (lentils) and curry. I’m going to assume that this second visit was a case of second reckoning heightened expectations.
This place is still one of the better malaysian restaurants in london and hopefully since they reverted back to their original name, the quality has followed and what I experienced at Asian Twist Delicious was a case of new shop teething troubles.
Neither shop accepted credit cards. I think they gave an excuse that it was broken, so basically have cash.

This place would have gotten 3 stars, however I found myself worshipping the porcelain god later that night… not exactly how I had planned the Valentine’s night to go.
The food was quite tasty and the prices are good value. We had the curry dumplings for starter. I had the chicken laksa curry and my other half had the pad thai. They were both really tasty, however I think it was the mystery meat (possibly squid) in the laksa that didn’t particularly agree with my stomach. The servers were nice and the food came quickly, however with the unfortunate development later that night, I think I will be trying a few more Asian restaurants before a revisit here.

This place is a bit hard to find but well worth it if you’re looking for someplace inexpensive with good food. I recommend the chili crab, curry Laksa, and noodle dishes, especially Hokkien Mee … all of which are hearty and flavourful. My friend swears the food is just as he remembers it from his travels to Kuala Lumpur. The wait staff are attentive and polite and I would give both the food and service a 4.5. Overall, though, I am giving Malaysia Kopi Tiam three stars as the ambiance is severely lacking (it’s very bright with cafeteria-​style seating) and the bathroom is inconveniently located.

Yay! They’re so much nicer here than Rasa Sayang! Everyone is friendly and super helpful.
Food is legit too. Tried the chicken curry laksa, sambal okra, and my fave: young tofu! Yum!
The laksa is spicy but not crazy — thought it was a bit too oily to be perfect but it’s definitely homemade and not from a set mix. Choose your own noodle too; and all for under £20 with tip (and definitely half that if you’re not in a sampling mood like me).
They have a little sidewalk dining space so you can eat outside and people watch — it’s great for a quick bite or a solo meal over a book!

Indeed I am a fan of Kopi Tiam — although I think my other half is more so than I. We had a period where we would go every weekend. It’s the type of place that’s casual, cheap and has good food all rolled into one — what’s not to like?
We usually start with the curry fish balls (could be spicier, but that’s a personal thing) and the fried ‘carrot cake’ which is really turnip cake with bean sprouts and little bits of Chinese sausage, yum. The Hainanese chicken rice is a winner with lovely ginger infused rice and boneless chicken with a little side broth for about £6. I also recommend the Beef rendang and Nasi goreng (nice, big portion) for mains. To accompany my meal a Teh Tarik must be had, and it’s authentic here — I’ve even seen then ‘pull’ the tea from one mug/​jug to another with my very own eyes. If you’re around Chinatown, then Kopi Tiam is a must!

Not exactly impressive but, hey, there aren’t any comparable options in this part of town.
The laksa noodle was fragrant thanks to the coconut milk but it could have used some more heat. The seafood was definitely previously frozen. In all it was very average and, disappointingly, very much in line with other East Asian noodle presentations in London.
At over GBP 8.00 a bowl the price point is admittedly competitive but not enough to warrant a repeat visit.

cheap, tasty and good. My boyf is from Malaysia and he said that he likes it (his brother took him there) so I went there with my best mate to check it out. My best mate is a veggie so he ordered tofu claypot — it was really tasty.
The coconut rice wasn’t bad but they didn’t use thick coconut milk there.
My best mate was baffled by the lychee drink — they comes in cute glass jars (used to store jams!)
The roti was a bit overcooked but the sauce accompanying the roti was very tasty, very tasty!
I ordered curry laksa — the waiter warned me that it will be very hot… maybe they have informed the kitchen that the ang moh (Malaysian word for a white person) have ordered it so they ll make it less hot — or the laksa wasn’t that hot — I found the laksa very average — not something to write home about it.
Either way I wasn’t really disappointed by my meal there — I would come back but I won’t say it is the best Malaysian restaurant. I think the best curry laksa (in London) is in Croydon — at Mr Lu’s (I think)

Maybe it was the dish I got, no.13? It was a rice entrée with some sort of sweet and sour sauce, but I wasn’t blown away. I finished it regardless, cause I was starving and I’m against wasted food/​but I wasn’t fully satisfied. A little disappointed really.
But I might just have to come back and try something else because everything is so dirt cheap!

I can’t get too excited about this place, though it probably holds up well against the other Malaysian places in London.
I usually have laksa. The curry laksa is usually good, rich with lots of flavour — though one time I did get a watered down bland watery version.
I got the Ice Kachang once — it was just a bowl of shaved ice with pinkish red food coloring and seriously only about 6 red beans and a few bits of jelly — very disappointing.

My sister and I came to this restaurant tonight after walking around and around for 30 minutes. But then we suck very bad at reading maps or direction in general haha.
We got the chicken curry laksa and the teh tarik. The laksa tastes reallyy good and super cheap, but it’s super spicy! Thankfully we’re Indonesians so we don’t really have problems with spicy food. The chicken has quite a bit of bones, so if you’re used to boneless chicken, you might not be happy with all the extra work to eat your chicken. The broth is very thick and flavorful and the portion is pretty big. Their teh tarik tastes really good and very frothy just like how teh tarik is supposed to be.
Too bad we can’t go back to visit more often since we’re just tourists. But you gotta try it!

Chinatown district off Leicester Square.
Seafood Curry Lhaksa outstanding.
Lychee drink with Lychee tasty!
Can’t lose in London, seriously. Every random place I’ve ever walked into has been a champ in this town.

Authentic Malaysia food, like you experienced from the street vendor and coffee shops when in Asia. The owner is very sweet and warm, and the service is impeccable. Really friendly helpful servers and tasty grub.
Located in London’s Chinatown district-​just above Leicester Square, it’s unassuming but take a break from your sightseeing and order some of their famous Hainanese Chicken and Rice plate. Deboned, poached chicken with soy and dipping sauces topped with green onions served with white rice will hit the spot for you.
To drink get the soy milk over ice with the grass jelly. The combo is very refreshing and not overly sweet-​you just have to ignore the odd black/​green color of the grass jelly if you are unfamiliar with that ingredient.
A filling meal for less than 10 GBP, with an extensive menu of Malay specialties. In addition, lots of sights close by including the National Museum, the National Portrait Museum, Leicester Square, and Trafalger Square.
Convenient to the Leicester Square Underground Tube Station and a wonderful value and alternative to the tourist traps of over-​priced food sucking away at your pocketbook.

I got to say, there are hit and misses in this place.
The highlight was the curry laksa and the dark Hokkien mee.
I was rather disappointed with the nasi lemak that came with dibs of veggies and meat.
Service is not good in this place. What really turns me off is the sign that says serves «Malaysian & Thai» Overall, the food is for sure the Kopi Tiam level food. Which means «café food» plus one. I tried their «teh tarik» (pulled tea) It was too sweet!!! How does a place called «Kopi Tiam» (coffee house) don’t serve excellent coffee or tea?

I keep chasing this restaurant around Soho! I think this is its third location/​incarnation. It started off on Wardour St, then moved briefly to Dean Street before finally settling in its current location on Charing Cross Road.
The first restaurant didn’t have a kitchen but served a limited menu which was reheated. I’m glad to report that this restaurant boasts a proper kitchen and a more extensive menu, serving a full range of Malaysian hawker food favourites. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, it’s very much an order, eat, pay, leave establishment with little ambiance to tempt the customer to linger but at least, the waiting staff are polite, unlike the infamous Wong Kei experience!
I tried my personal Malaysian restaurant benchmark dish of char koay teow and was impressed by the smoky depth of flavour even if the portion size wasn’t overly generous. Certainly worth more visits to try the rest of the menu, especially now that Lina G has sold the chicken curry laksa so well!

Yum yum yum! In the middle of of the nightmare of the Leicester Square area you’ll find this little gem serving Malaysian street hawker food. Place was packed full of Malaysians who all swear it’s authentic and one of the best in London.
The chicken curry laksa was rich and complex and could knock the idea of a cold out in a second. The hakka mee was homemade and delicious and the pickled veg starter we had was only wonderful. No ambiance to speak of, but when you’re slurping noodles, who cares?
Best part, it’s really cheap! Managed to have a starter, two mains and beer for £25 for two. Get there early for dinner as it was jammed by 7pm.