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Old Town Kopitam Mamak, QV

Aun Ngo

Mon Jun 07 2010

Melbourne “mamak”

THE name ‘Old Town’ may be familiar to Malaysians as a spruced-up franchise of the traditional Chinese kopitiam (breakfast and coffee shop).

But while QV’s newest eatery, the Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, isn’t affiliated with the famed chain, it certainly hasn’t dampened the appeal to those hungry for a taste of home.

The eatery has been doing a rip-roaring trade since it opened early this year, the combination of an extensive menu serving favourite dishes and location, location, location.

It's an old-new world at Old Town Kopitiam Mamak. The design incorporates modern elements as well as reminisces of Asia's colonial past. Photos: Shaun Lee

It’s an old-new world at Old Town Kopitiam Mamak. The design incorporates modern elements as well as reminisces of Asia’s colonial past. Photos: Shaun Lee

The restaurant has an open-air area and air-conditioned indoors with long communal tables. Decor is typical of the British Colonial era – timber chairs, round marble table tops, and porcelain tea cups adorned with blue flowers. You’ll find chefs flipping rotis in the background, and shiny rows of milo and condensed milk tins fill the shelves.

No mamak is complete without rotis. Photos: Shuan Lee

Opening the tri-fold menu, you are greeted with a sizeable selection of favourite Malaysian dishes and prices are typical for Melbourne ethnic fare of this sort.

Offerings include nasi kandar, satay, ikan bakar (grilled fish), rojak (cut fruit in sticky sauce) and the trademark mamak rotis. There’s roti canai, roti telur, roti bawang and even roti tissue – impressive paper-thin cone hats served on silver platters, drizzled with sweet condensed milk and pink zigzags of rose syrup.

The roti john. Photos: Shaun Lee

The roti john. Photos: Shaun Lee

No place modelled after an Ipoh-style coffee shop would be complete without soup noodles, from har mee (prawn noodles) and assam laksa, to hainanese chicken rice and hor fun.

Iced Bandung is rose cordial mixed with condensed milk, served here with cubes of cincau (grass jelly – but we assure you it’s not made of grass!) Photos: Shaun Lee

The beverage and sweets selection is more extensive than many other similar eateries. Pick from iced milo, teh tarik (literally, “pulled tea”) and teh-C peng – a three-layered tea with ice. Some of our favourite desserts were ais kacang and cendol.

Some of our favourites included the Cendol. Photos: Shaun Lee

We wanted to try everything when we arrived. The food came out promptly, keeping with mamak standards, and Old Town is well serviced for its size. We settled on maggi mee goreng which was garnished with lime and chilli to whet your appetite, but the noodles weren’t as crispy as they could have been.

Photos: Shaun Lee

The roti telur bawang was crispy and springy, but slightly doughy, though we liked the fact that it was not oily. Very affordable at $4, accompanied by curry gravy and anchovy sambal.

Photos: Shaun Lee

The chicken chop scored points for its crisp crumbed coating yet moist and tender insides, but we were slightly disappointed not to find the usual peas in the tomato and worcestershire sauce-based gravy.

Photos: Shaun Lee

For an asian-style breakfast or to satisfy hankerings for a sweet snack in the arvo (particularly if you’re sick of the cupcake craze) Old Town offers kaya toast and half-boiled egg. It’s no ordinary toast – the slices are toasted over a charcoal grill, filled with a generous spread of coconut jam and butter. Old Town Kopitiam also offers ‘fried bites’ including “ham cheem peng” (a type of fried dough cake) and “yu tiao”.

Our verdict: Getting together with friends is the centre of the kopitiam experience, and it’s well worth dropping by the next time you’re looking for a feed and catch up.

Old Town Kopitiam Mamak

Level 2, Shop 11, QV Square
QV Building, Melbourne 3000, Victoria
AUSTRALIA

Tel: 03 9654 2682
Email: contact@oldtownkopitiam.com.au

Trading Hours
Monday to Sunday: 11:30am till late

Old Town Kopitiam Mamak (QV Square) on Urbanspoon

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