Dining at Albee’s Kitchen has somewhat become a weekly ritual since we discovered this little gem in May this year. Located in Campsie on the southern end of Beamish Street at number 282, Albee’s is definitely the best, and most authentic Malaysian restaurant I have tried in Sydney so far. However, let me clarify that the food at Albee’s leans more towards the Malaysian style of Hakka, Hokkien, Hainanese and slightly Cantonese style of Malaysian cooking – In other words, Nyonya-style Malaysian cooking or Straits-Chinese.
The exterior of Albee's - They have quite an array of photos which definitely helps the decision-making process while waiting for a table!
As Malaysia is a country with a very diverse culture, Malaysian food doesn’t necessarily mean Rendang, Goat Curry and Roti Canai. There are three main types of Malaysian food that I’d like to specify – Malay, Malay-Chinese and Malay-Indian. These three styles of Malaysian food represent the three main cultures in Malaysia. But having said that we cannot forget the various other ethnic foods from other cultures and tribes in Malaysia as well.
Albee’s Kitchen is a small, family run business. The ambience at Albee’s is nothing to write home about – it’s relatively cramped, and expect to share a table with other patrons. They do have a more private dining area out the back – usually reserved for larger groups or really desperate customers! The setting actually reminds me of a typical Malaysian canteen.
The ambience at Albee’s never bothers me – when the food arrives I’m pretty much in heaven! And the food never dissappoints either- Another amazing fact about Albee’s food is the price. Mains range from $7.50 – $28, and the portions are astronomical. We always end up with leftovers and doggy bags without fail! Otto has a collection of Albee’s leftovers in takeaway containers in his freezer. Definitely good value for money!
The customer service at Albee’s is great too. I got a bit friendly with one of the ladies who works there, and we usually have a little banter in Mandarin – she’s got a rather comical sense of humour. During one visit with Otto, as we were paying at the counter she said to me in Mandarin, “I notice you guys always split the bill. Is he not your boyfriend?” – That comment had me in stitches. Enough said.
My three favourite dishes at Albee’s is their Hainanese Chicken Rice and their Fish Head Curry and Asam Pedas Fish Head Curry (Hot and Sour). As I am a regular at Albee’s, you can be sure that this post will become bigger over the months!
Sambal Belacan Eggplant - Eggplant stir-fried in Albee's famous sambal belacan sauce. Belacan is a paste made out of fermented shrimps and has a very strong aroma and flavour. This dish also has a generous helping of chillies giving it that extra kick. A tad oily, but still deelish!
Prawns and Petai (Abacus beans) stir fried in spicy chilli sauce. Abacus beans grow in a very long and narrow pod very similar to sea beans and is quite bitter. You'd like this if you're a fan of bitter gourd. This is a popular Nyonya-style dish or Straits-Chinese, meaning West-Malaysian-Chinese.
The original Fish Head Curry - This version has a thick curry sauce that has a Malay-Indian influence. As you can see this is a pretty hefty dish and can easily feed 4 people! The fish head is cut into smaller portions and is served with okra, eggplant and fried tofu. Strong, rich and spicy just the way a good fish head curry should be. Also served in a claypot which contains alot of the heat. I highly recommend this!
Penang-style deep fried crispy fish with sweet sauce - This is awesome. The fish is very crispy on the outside, yet the flesh is tender. The sauce tastes like it is a combination of XO sauce, plum sauce and dark soy sauce. It's very sweet, and has a generous helping of fresh chopped birds eye chillies and shallots. Very fresh and tangy!
Stir-fried Long Beans with Spicy Belacan sauce - One of my favourites. The beans are firstly deep fried, then re-fried with fermented shrimp paste (Belacan), fresh birds-eye chillies and onions. Not the healthiest, but heh! It's too delicious to consider the health repercussions.
Asam-Pedas Fish Head Curry / Hot and Sour Fish Head Curry - This is the other version of fish head curry available at Albee's. This version is cooked in a spicy tamarind, tomato and chilli-based curry sauce and is also served with okra, eggplant and fried tofu with a dash of raw Spanish onions. This version tastes quite different from the original fish head curry and is slightly sweet from the tomatoes and sour from the tamarind they use in this dish. Hits the spot each time! Highly recommended!
One of the best parts of the fish head - The eyeballs! The eyes have a soft and fishy jelly-like texture and is considered a delicacy. Not for the faint-hearted! But then again, you should give this a go. It's delicious contrary to infamous hear-say.
Another close-up of the fish eye - Check out the gelatinous texture! Just be careful not to bite into the hard bit of eyeball in the centre, you could hurt your teeth.
Otto about to savour that succulent piece of fish eye. That's the first thing he searches for in the curry before he eats anything else.
Malay-style fried glutinous (sticky) rice - Not your typical fried rice dish! This version uses glutinous rice which is sweeter, starchier and has a stickier texture than normal rice. This dish is fried with egg, chicken, prawns, Chinese sweet sausage, shallots, peanuts and dark soy sauce. Definitely a richer version of the regular fried rice!
Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang - Albee's have a few versions of Nasi Lemak. They have Nasi Lemak served with either Prawn Sambal, Beef Rendang or Chicken Rendang. Quite authentic but I prefer the coconut rice to be cooked with turmeric as well!
Crispy fish with Asam Sauce - Like the Penang-style fish, this one is also deep fried before the sauce gets poured over the top. The sauce for this dish is a combination of Tamarind paste, tomatoes and chilli. It tastes quite similar to sweet and sour fish but has a stronger Tamarind flavour. The way this dish is prepared at Albee's is exactly how it's done in my family! Totally brings back fond memories from my childhood.
Spicy Sambal Prawns cooked in a tangy sweet sauce with lots of fresh chillies - This dish also has a hint of some Belacan (shrimp paste) in the mix.
Also known as the 'Four Treasure' dish, this four-bean stir fry is a combination of okra, snake beans, abacus beans and snow peas stir-fried in a Belacan (shrimp paste), birds eye chilli and onion sauce.
Albee's latest addition to their fish head curry range - The Nyonya fish head curry. It's a cross between the original and the asam version. The Nyona fish head curry tastes quite similar to a richer version of laksa with extra tomatoes and also comes with the usual okra, eggplant and fried tofu.
One of the star dishes at Albee's: Their Hainanese steamed chicken. They've got the authenticity of this dish down to a T, and tastes exactly like how my grandma would cook it back home. Of course, they also serve the original Hainanese rice simmered in chicken goodness upon request!
Established in 1994, Krishna’s Curry House is undoubtedly the top banana leaf restaurant in Sabah. I have been dining at Krishna’s since 1995, and I can tell you now the only things that have changed is Krishna’s hairstyle, his ever-growing popularity and expanding franchise. The top quality of the food remains unscathed, and flavours haven’t changed.
Krishna's branch at Jalan Lintas boasts two shop lots across the road from one another while one of them is a 2-storey shop with airconditioning upstairs.
Located in the Grand Millenium Plaza along Jalan Lintas, Krishna specialises in South Indian style Fish Head Curry and the famous Banana Leaf set meals with a Malaysian touch. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night craving food from Krishna’s. It’s harder now that I no longer live in Sabah – A meal at Krishna’s is now an annual event when I return to visit the folks.
Recently when I was back in Kota Kinabalu, my folks took me through the old ritual of lunching at Krishna’s. Once again, the experience was as memorable as the last. So what is the deal with Krishna’s Curry House? The answer is simply unrivalled dizzying-deliciousness. Putting this down on paper is impossible, one must experience the food in person at Krishna’s to fully understand where I am coming from.
Meat Curries on Display
Typically, a meal at Krishna’s for me involves the Fish Head Curry and Banana Leaf Set Lunch which consists of a platter of fish head curry and all-you-can-eat vegetables and rice. There are different fish head sizes available to suit – ranging from small to monstrous! The fish head curry is priced depending on the size of the fish head. A medium-sized one would cost around RM28. On Fridays and Saturdays, Biryani Rice is also available from the menu.
A typical lunch meal at Krishna's - Fish Head Curry, Vegetables and Rice.
Biryani rice and an array of delicious spicy vegetables - bitter gourd, long beans and spinach.
The types of vegetables and curries on the menu change on a daily basis which makes for great variety. The food at Krishna’s is never too salty or greasy and has the perfect balance of spices. Whenever you order the banana leaf set meals, the waiters will bring you a selection of veges in these tin pots. There can be up to 6 different types of vegetable dishes in one meal setting (lunch or dinner) and one is always spoilt for choice!
A selection of vegetables is brought to you - clockwise from left: Eggplant cooked in spicy tomato sauce, chopped long beans with mustard seeds and melon curry.
A closer look at what came out of the tins... From left to right: Melon Curry, Long Beans and Eggplant.
One of my favourite vegetable dishes from Krishna's - Deep Fried Crispy Bitter Gourd Chips!
The star of the show is of course the Fish Head Curry – I’m never too sure what kind of fish they use – from memory I remember Krishna mentioning something about Ikan Putih. The reason why I rate the fish head curry here so much once again comes down to taste and also freshness. I still can’t get over how fish head is SO underrated outside Malaysia! It’s probably the best part of the fish, especially the eyes and cheeks!
A medium sized fish head is sufficient enough to feed a group of three. If you look at the photo long enough, you will be able to smell the wonderful aroma of the fish head curry.
The fish here is sourced daily from suppliers and I have never once tasted a less-than-inspiring piece of fish head from Krishna’s. The curry sauce has just the right consistency and isn’t too thick or watery. They use lots of tomatoes in the sauce to give it a tangy, sour bite which compliments the fish very well. There is also a generous serving of Okra in the fish head curry.
The Banana leaf set lunch is not complete without a hearty serving of hot rice, topped with dollops of curry sauce!
Most of the time, you’ll get to see Krishna and his wife at the restaurant. Sometimes his boys also help them out. He is a really friendly and jolly fellow who loves to interact with his customers – just how a restaurant host and owner should be. Getting back to the earlier comment I made about Krishna’s hairstyle, he used to sport a ponytail way back in the 90’s…
A photo opportunity with the man himself!
