Just a few minutes' walk from four major Tube stations is Melati, Peter Street. There's a great authentic feel to the place, which is also bright and airy, which lends credibility to its history as one of, it not the first, Malaysian restaurant in London. The simple dining set-up, and great location, is perfect for a different lunch date, or an informal dinner out with friends, and the considerate Malay staff added to the genuine feel. This reviewer wasn't prepared for the sheer number and variety of dishes, so decided to make use of the vegetarian set-menu (£18pp), which was made up of three courses and coffee to finish.
The starters came very quickly, and were a selection of Malay vegetarian specials, namely sayur satay, spring rolls, pergedel, and emping, all served on a bed of crispy seaweed. The Sayur (vegetarian) Satay skewers looked greasy, and certainly not as appetising as their meaty counterparts, but were completely delicious, and these diners couldn't get enough! The pergedel, small fried potato cakes, went down really well, and the helpful staff taught me that "emping" is a prawn-cracker-like side made from a Malaysian plant, and they added a necessary crunch to the soft cakes and rolls.
The mains took a little longer than the starters, but this was probably due to the restaurant having a roaring trade by this point in the evening. The lead dish was Tumis Terong, a traditional dish of aubergines in a thick sweet sauce. The aubergines were cooked perfectly, melting in the mouth from their soft texture, and the sauce, or gravy as the waiters called it, was really first-rate, and we used it as a dipping sauce for the plate of stir-fry vegetables that came. Next came the Mee Hoon Goreng, Malaysian vermicelli noodles with bean sprouts and toasted coconut shavings, which would have been a perfect compliment enough, but we also got a large bowl of coconut rice. Neither of us eating are particular fans of coconut, but the rice only had a delicate taste of it, so we certainly weren't put off. We were shocked when one more dish was added to our already burgeoning spread, namely the Sambal Tahu, a spicy tofu stir-fry. It was little too hot for my tastes, but my dinner partner loved it.
By this point we were both absolutely, and happily, stuffed. The waitress understood our pleas and so we skipped dessert, and the left-overs were quickly put into doggy bags for us.
Melati Peter Street, was a wonderful change of pace to the usual Soho restaurants, with quick, knowledgeable staff and an authentic feel that's impossible to fake. Combined with great value I would definitely recommend it.
Opening Times:
12pm-11pm Monday - Saturday
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Sample Dish: Mee Goreng Istimewa
Related Link
Foodepedia.co.uk - Melati Peter St restaurant review
Review by: Mark Linnane
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