When it comes to Manchester’s thriving Chinatown, there are many places that are known for their superior lunches that will make you so full you can’t even contemplate working for the rest of the day.
But there’s one little Malaysian café, tucked away in the basement of a dessert house and nestled between a massage parlour and a bookmakers on Faulkner Street that is gaining a firm reputation amongst foodies.
The family-run Kaya has only been open for a couple of months now but as I sit down for a midweek lunch, staff told me how it’s been packed out ever since it opened. Serving a small selection of rice and noodle dishes, alongside some starters like Kaya Toast (we’ll get on to that shortly), it’s perhaps as authentically Malaysian as it can get here in Manchester.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features
In fact, as I arrived, I overheard another diner empathically heaping praise on staff. “Thank you for taking me to a home away from home", they said as they explained to their server their Malaysian roots. So far, so good and with reviews like that, you can't help but be excited for what's to come.
Having a seafood allergy can be tricky when it comes to Malaysian food - trust me, I’ve spent time there and it hasn’t always been plain sailing - so I was instantly impressed when my server already had a bunch of suitable recommendations for me after greeting me at the door.
Following her suggestions, I went for the Hainanese Chicken Rice (£13), which included jasmine rice and chicken leg served alongside two sauces: one made up of aromatic herbs, spices, ginger and scallion and the other being a tangy chilli garlic sauce.
There were cheaper options on the menu, like the Nasi Lemak rice (£10) and the Curry Laska noodles (£9), but they contained either sambal shrimp or fish paste so weren’t an option for me.
When the food arrived, I instantly felt like I had made a mistake and my allergy had yet again left me with a pretty plain piece of chicken alongside some rice and dip, but those fears were immediately quashed when I tucked into it. The tender chicken meat fell off the leg bone without any hassle, and was flavoursome on its own - but with the two sauces mixed in, it was a culinary explosion.
Packing a punch of sweet and spicy, everything combined made for a fresh and aromatic taste journey. It instantly took me right back to my backpacking days when I visited the rice stalls on the streets of Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
One of the best things about Malaysian food is that it really is an exploration of culture - blending together the best things about traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine together to make something truly special. While I'm not always able to try it all, the dishes I have been able to eat have been stand-outs.
When it came to refreshments, I opted for an iced Kopi (£3.50), a traditional Malaysian coffee that is prepared by brewing ground coffee in a sock filter. It made for a rich and strong brew, packed with flavour, although it was a little bit too sweet for my liking alongside my lunch.
Prior to my visit to Kaya, I had been told that I needed to try the Kaya toast (£4), a British Malaysian side consisting of butter and a kaya jam - a sweet spread made of coconut milk, egg, and Gula Melaka palm sugar - in between two slices of white bread.
Whilst it was down on the menu as a starter, the chefs needed to freshly make up the jam for me so it ended up becoming my dessert (yes, at lunchtime) and I was actually very glad it did. With a consistency almost akin to peanut butter, it was sweet like honey and felt incredibly naughty. We won't think about the calories or sugar intake here.
It’s a pricey lunchtime treat, for sure, especially when you consider a Tesco meal deal can fetch you back just £4, but everything here was served in hearty portions that were all freshly and quickly made. On a normal lunchtime, just the rice itself would fill me up - there’s also sides of hard-boiled eggs with toast strips (£3.50) and chicken satay skewers (£8.50) which would make for a perfectly fulfilling lunch.
The interior of Kaya is simply no thrills, with just some metal tables and a few fabrics hanging over the ceiling, but the food does all the talking here. It's clear to see why it has become so popular in such a short space of time and I’ll forever remember that diner who described it as a ‘home away from home’ - a lovely sentiment that just goes to show how well regarded it already is.
Kaya, Lower Ground Floor, 50 Faulkner St, Manchester, M1 4FH
