A mate who lives round the corner from here told me about this place a couple of years ago and I finally managed to make it there a couple of months back.
Not that this place is a secret: Normahs has been reviewed and celebrated by various magazines, newspapers and websites.
Reservations a few weeks ahead were essential. There were lots of empty but reserved tables when we were there around 17:30 . They obviously stagger the arrivals so that Normah (who was solo in the kitchen) and the young man, running front of house single-handedly, can keep up.
We opted to share the roti with beef rendang, assam pedas seabass and some fried chicken.
The fish was superb with a warming Assam pedas soup, with the soup a beautiful balance of salt and sour. It’s not a dish I have tried before but it’s certainly one I can’t wait to try again.
Some previous photos online seemed to have had the fish deep fried, but there was no sign of this: no crispy skin. It didn’t suffer as a result though, it was tender, well flavoured, came off the bone perfectly and married perfectly with the soup.
The fried chicken wings were generous in size, well seasoned, tender and juicy inside and had a brilliantly crunchy exterior. We assumed there was a healthy dose of gram flour in the batter. Top notch wings.
The roti with beef rendang was also good.
The roti was one of -if not - the best I’ve had, and that’s including a crawl of roti canai places in Singapore a couple of years ago. Perfectly crisp and flaky layers holding plenty of fat but remaining ungreasy, light and fluffy. The photo’s don’t really do it justice.
The rendang was packed with coconut and did the job with the roti, though was far from the best I’ve tried.
We stuck to tap water here (no booze sold and no BYO permitted) which was evident when the bill came at a mere £37 between two people.
Uzbek corner, Queensway Market, Queensway
Just round the corner from Normahs in the arcade/market is Uzbek corner. I had earmarked this to try the somsa.
Having consumed copious amounts of Xinjiang Samsa in Urumqi and Kashgar many years ago I jump at the chance to try them on the rare opportunity I find them. I’ve become accustomed to the disappointment at not having ever encountered anything near as good as the ones that come fresh out of a tandoor in Xinjiang, but I live in hope.
The food of Xinjiang is closely related to that of it’s neighbouring 'stans so I thought it was worth a stop to try the Somsa here, which are very similar indeed.
These were decent. Generously filled with lamb and onions and a good case. The casing was leaning more towards pastry. Well seasoned and served with a tomato sauce with heavy dill notes running through it. A solid snack to share if you are in the area. The main dishes here of noodles, soups, dumplings, salads, rice and meats looked worthy of another visit.
Coconut tree Malaysian Cuisine, BangBang Oriental Food Hall, Edgeware Rd, London
Stopped here for a late brunch. Lots of different options in this very busy food hall.
The menu at Coconut Tree was very extensive. I went for the CharKwayTeow which was pretty decent and a generous portion.
