Nestled inside Strathfield Plaza, Ho Jiak is a hawker style Malaysian joint that knows how to please the tastebuds with the flavoursome dishes on their extensive menu.
On the night that we dropped in, they had an intriguing Indomie Lobster special on the menu – if you’ve ever wondered what turbocharging your Mi Goreng with some premium shellfish would taste like, then you need to try Ho Jiak’s take. Springy egg noodles are coated with an addictive sauce, chilli, red onion and chunks of chewy lobster meat tossed throughout. Although admittedly there aren’t that many pieces of lobster in there, it’s still a solid guilty pleasure of a dish and you can’t expect too much deluxe seafood for a dish priced under $15.
Indomie Lobster, $14.80
Moving back onto some of the more conventional Malaysian offerings on their menu – their Nasi Lemak was a solid performer, with a flavoursome curry beef pairing well with their fragrant rice and lashings of authentic chilli sambal on the side.
Nasi Lemak, $15.30 (with extra egg)
We enjoyed their classic Penang Fried Koay Teow which was delicious coming straight out of the wok, with just the right amount of char on the fried rice noodles, as well as plenty of garlic chives, bean sprouts and pork lard to enhance it all.
Penang Fried Koay Teow, $12.80
Fans of soup noodles will enjoy Ho Jiak’s rendition of Har Mee a.k.a. Penang Prawn Noodle Soup, with its fragrant and strongly flavoured prawn broth elevating it above your standard soup noodle. One of the better ones we’ve had here in Sydney, after tasting the real deal in Penang when we visited a couple of years ago.
Penang Prawn Noodle Soup, $12.80
This bustling Malaysian eatery captures the essence of the hawker style stall that line the streets in Penang, with minimal seating, cheap and cheerful dishes and standard issue plastic plates adding to the charm of the place. Sometimes its the simple, yet addictive flavours that work best when you’re after a quick but satisfying meal – judging by the number of locals who piled in while we were there for dinner, Ho Jiak delivers that on all fronts.
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Ho Jiak.
Ho Jiak
33/11 The Boulevard, Strathfield NSW 2135
Phone:(02) 9008 8020
