A friend tells me that in Malaysia there is a saying that goes something like: “the worse the digs, the better the feed”.

Mazzi’s Kitchen is not a glamorous restaurant; it is a kitchen in the real sense of the word. It is located in a heritage-listed former deli in the south-eastern corner of Adelaide.

This is a place where you can go for a traditional Malaysian breakfast or lunch in the city on weekdays only, but it’s more like eating in the owners’ home.

Mazzi’s Kitchen is located in a heritage building that was once a corner deli. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

The Tahir family, headed by 74-year-old owner and matriarch Maznah (Mazzi), produce fresh Malaysian curries and pastries daily to supply IGA stores, private catering clients, cafes and health stores around the city, as well as their Holland Street Market stall each Sunday.

There is no set menu at Mazzi’s Kitchen. You can eat in or take away dishes and delicacies from whatever the kitchen is producing for its clients on the day.

“What we cook depends on the weather,” says Maznah’s son, Sham. “You don’t want to eat a vindaloo curry (a hot and spicy Indian dish) on a hot day, but we always have our beef rendang (beef curry with coconut milk and lemongrass) and chicken masak merah (spicy tomato chicken) available.”

As walk-ins we chose from what was available in the steaming bain marie and warming oven. One dish with rice costs $8.50 or you can combine two dishes for $10.50 or three dishes for $12.50. Pastries are priced from $3. I chose Nasi Lemak ($8.50), a traditional Malaysian breakfast dish that Sham says is also eaten throughout the day and into the evening in Malaysia.

Handmade sambal. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

Nasi Lemak is coconut rice served with rice, boiled egg, roasted peanuts, fresh cucumber, fried anchovies, pickled vegetables and a generous blob of sambal (a Malaysian sauce made from chilli, dried prawns, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, onion, sugar, lime juice and vinegar). To this you can add beef rending or chicken masak merah. I chose the chicken, which was a mild dish cooked with tomato, ginger and sultanas.

I also tried a selection of pastries, including the vegetarian curry puff, the roti murtabak (spinach and capsicum triangle) and the vegetable pakora, a gluten-free fried snack made with besan flour.

Roti Murtabak and homemade pickled vegetables. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily

Favourite dish: Vegetarian curry puffs; sambal and pickled vegetables.

Other dishes: Sham says that depending on the day, other dishes include gado gado (vegetable salad with satay sauce), vadai (Indian gluten-free savoury fritter), mee goreng (spicy fried noodles), laksa (spicy noodle soup), and vegetarian stir fries and noodles.

“The food is a fusion of Malaysian cuisine, Indian curries, Chinese Nonya dishes and Portugese food in the Malacca Straits style.” All the beef and chicken used is Halal.

Something sweet/to drink: Desserts include seri muka (glutinous rice custard) and kueh dadar (pancake filled with grated coconut cooked in palm-sugar syrup). As expected from a Muslim family business, Mazzi’s Kitchen is unlicensed, so drinks are limited to soft drinks and coffee – “for health reasons we don’t make the sweet Malaysian style as it contains a lot of condensed milk”.

I wish I had asked the price of the four-metre 1960s Woodroofe’s lemonade advertisement hanging behind the counter. It’s a classic.

Mazzi’s Kitchen
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
269 Gilles Street, Adelaide
Ph 8227 2288

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