A few weeks back, my parents invited us out for dinner with extended family and some friends – there were about 18 of us altogether!
We went to a new Malaysian restaurant called, Mama Nyonya Kitchen, in Canning Vale (all the way down south of the river, at the Canning Vale Markets), specialising in Malaysian hawker food and Nyonya / Peranakan dishes.
The place was clean and new, the decor was modern and fresh, and the staff were friendly and efficient.
Since there were so many of us in our group, I expected to have to wait a looooong time for our food – so I armed myself with paper and pens for my kids, to play word/drawing/puzzle games.
However the food arrived quickly. And my hungry hoard of children were very happy indeed.
We ordered Mixed Satay Sticks of 3 chicken and 3 beef satays for $13.80 and they arrived with onions, cucumbers and pineapple.
Deep fried marinated chicken wings (in house special recipe), four pieces for $8.80.
My dad ordered these for the kids, but the adults nabbed them all because they were really tasty.
The fried skins were absolutely perfect – crispy and crunchy on the outside with soft tender meat on the inside.
We decided to let our boys share meals, so we ordered a few familiar dishes for them to pick and choose from. The Hainanese Chicken Rice ($11.80) looked and smelled pretty good. I didn’t try it, but all my boys really enjoyed it.
One of my boys requested the Nasi Lemak Special, which at $16.80 seemed quite expensive. It arrived and it was HUGE! It looked very impressive and it was pretty good.
They were very generous with the size of chicken rendang pieces; there was also sambal prawns, sambal ikan bilis (anchovies), acar, egg, fried anchovies, cucumber and roasted peanuts.
We probably should have ordered the slightly cheaper Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang ($14.80)… because the special version was just a bit too large for a hungry 10 year old boy, even though we did share.
My husband chose the Beef Rendang $13.80, with rice on the side. He really enjoyed it.
The meat was lovely and tender, and the sauce was suitably fresh and tasty.
It had a real homestyle taste and texture to it, just like the way my mother makes beef rendang.
My choice was the Bak Kuh Teh $29.80 (serves 2, only available on weekends). I shared this with my dad!
Bak Kuh Teh is a slow-cooked broth with pork ribs, pork belly, mushrooms, tofu and a whole lot of special Asian herbs and spices. It’s thick and soupy and you eat it with rice noodles.
Everything was fresh, the meats were succulent, the noodles were cooked perfectly – it was really good! I was very happy!
Overall, I’d say that the dinner serves were nice and large, the food was delicious, tasty, fresh and homey; the staff were friendly, they didn’t rush us out after we finished eating, the tableware were all new and clean, the atmosphere and layout in the restaurant was great for families and groups.
It did seem expensive, but I think I am happy to pay a bit more for the good service, relaxed atmosphere and positive dining experience with my family.
Mama Nyonya Kitchen
Canning Vale Markets
Shop 12, 280 Bannister Road
Canning Vale, Perth
Hope you enjoyed my photos! I’m hungry now!
*Edit: Unfortunately Mama Nyonya has closed.
