Abell's Kopi Tiam, Manuka

It had been a while since I had been out to dinner, due to a number of reasons, not least because now I am working part time I have less money to do it. Hard for a foodie, but made slightly less so knowing that the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) is spurring many on to be equally frugal when it comes to eating out. And it has been nice eating lots of healthy home cooked meals.

An opportunity to have a nice restaurant dinner presented itself though, with Mother's Day, and a family favourite, Abell's Kopi Tiam in Manuka came to mind. Excellent!

So, at 6pm on the Sunday night, having pre-booked well in advance, we turned up, ready for some yummy Malaysian eats. Although it was quite a chilly Canberra autumn night, it was very warm inside, with tables quite close to one another, and a cosy, bright colour scheme on walls. There is also a display of about 8 photos for sale on the wall, done by a waitress who works at the restaurant. When we are served by her, she helps with advice on taking photos of the food, but politely refuses a request to be photographed with her works, telling me that 'photographers prefer to be on the other side of the camera'. A common refrain from the photographers I have met!

Inside the restaurant

Kopi Tiam is apparently Malaysian for 'Coffee Shop'. I had fond memories of Kopi from a couple of years ago, with typically Malaysian dishes such as Char Kway Teow, Nasi Goreng and a dessert favourite, the green Pandan Pancakes, topmost amongst those memories. They are still most definitely on the menu, and this time we go for the Nasi Goreng again, along with Crispy Chicken with Ginger and Shallot sauce, Stir Fried Oriental vegies with Wood Fungus, and Twenty Chilli Lamb Curry, which is indeed very hot, causing some minor choking fits and furious rice eating in an effort to soothe seared palates.

Stir fried vegies with wood fungus, pumpkin and enoki mushrooms

Nasi Goreng

Crispy Chicken with Ginger and Shallot Sauce

Twenty Chilli Lamb Curry

While waiting for mains, I enjoy a tea with condensed milk, deliciously sweet and caramelly. They also offer this as an iced drink, and coffee with condensed milk is also a very popular drink.

Other drink options are fairly standard, although they do offer a few choices in pots of tea - jasmine, green and black tea are all available by the pot.

Chefs hard at work in the kitchen!

The dishes are all delicious, with the crispy chicken being our favourite - lean but moist chicken breast coated in batter and fried until very crispy then topped with some capsicum and a tangy sauce filled with thin pieces of fresh ginger. As my sister said 'it's like a Malaysian version of KFC'. Except much fresher and less greasy!

The stirfried vegies add a point of interest, with the interesting slippery yet chewy texture of the wood fungus, and the firm triangles of pumpkin.

For dessert, we went for the favourite Pandan Pancakes and some Sticky Black Wild Rice with Coconut Cream and Palm Syrup. The rice dish was so moreish and comforting - the combination of the chewy warm rice, the coconut cream and the sweet syrup was absolutely gorgeous and a lovely end to the meal.

Pandan Pancakes with icecream

Sticky Black Rice with Coconut Cream and Palm Syrup

As it is Mother's Day, we have been told when booking that the table will need to be vacated by 8pm. We take our time over dinner and it is not until past 8, when we have completely forgotten about this, that the waitress gently reminds us that the table is needed. It is representative of the friendly and polite service that we experienced throughout, with little things such as opening the door for customers at the beginning and end of the visit and topping up water glasses regularly making all the difference. So we gather our things and brace for the cold outdoors, with the memory of good food to keep us warm until we get to our cars.