Eats: Mamak

When Mamak first opened, one look at the menu and I was really disappointed! Basically, it was another Banana Leaf just in a bigger space located right across the parking lot from the original Banana Leaf. On top of that, Banana Leaf itself opened a second location in the shopping center across the street from the original. So, you had three Malaysian restaurants serving the same menu just a few yards from one another. How lame is that? My mom got the Chinatown scoop, turns out the original chef from Banana Leaf is the guy who parted ways and decided to open Mamak.

The first couple visits to Mamak, we weren't impressed. The food was just ok, we still went to Banana Leaf. I think the turning point was when we had a big family dinner here back in October 2012. The food was better, more like what Malaysian food should taste like. Ever since then, we've been Mamak regulars. It helps they serve one of my favorite dessert here, the es cendol. It's not the best, but sometimes something is better than nothing.

Here are a few of my favorite dishes at Mamak:

Es Cendol - it's considered a dessert, but I order it as a drink.

Inside the Es Cendol

Tom Yum Noodle Soup - not as spicy as it looks.

Roti Canai - they never give enough curry sauce...

Mixed Vegetables w/ Belacan

Asam Laksa - my go to dish! I'm glad they started serving this with
the proper noodles. Sometimes they skimp on the fish (as you can see here),
but if you point it out, they'll fix it. 

Just like Banana Leaf, if you pay cash you get a 5% discount.

Mamak

9889 Bellaire Blvd (Dun Huang complex)

Houston, TX