Nasi Lemak is a specialty of the restaurant. Photo: Lucy Ridge
A Region reader contacted us recently and said that there was a place in Belconnen Mall serving great Malaysian food.
Colour me intrigued. I went to check out De Wok.
Couple Tse Ming Ng and Yina Zhao took over the restaurant a year ago. De Wok had previously operated on a model similar to Wok in a Box. But the pair have a different goal and they’re planning renovations and a name change to reflect their vision for authentic Malaysian food: Nasi and More.
But for now, the original De Wok signs are still up, which means some incredible Malaysian food is flying under the radar.
Tse Ming Ng and Yina Zhao are the couple behind some of Canberra’s best Malaysian food. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Tse Ming Ng grew up in Malaysia, cooking at his family restaurant. He then took off on an international career in hospitality. He’s cooked in high-end restaurants, specialised in Japanese cuisine and even appeared on cooking shows in Trinidad and Tobago!
In Canberra, he helped to open Ming’s Pantry in City West. After splitting with his business partner, he was excited when the opportunity arose to take on the De Wok space at Belconnen Mall. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing.
“When we first opened, the old customers wanted the same menu as before, and the new customers didn’t know us yet,” Tse told Region.
“But some regulars [from Ming’s] saw me and came in. They posted about us on a Facebook group for Malaysians in Canberra and then the community started to come and support us.”
The sign still says De Wok, but renovations are underway, and it will soon be rebranded as Nasi and More to reflect the Malaysian menu. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Visiting on a Friday night, the store was certainly buzzing with all the tables inside full of customers. I sat out in the public mall seating instead and tucked into a Nasi Lemak with curry chicken.
The chicken curry had a smooth and flavourful base – Tse and Yina make all their curry pastes from scratch – and the dish is served on coconut rice with a crisp pappadum, boiled egg, crispy anchovies and peanuts. There’s also a generous dollop of a delicious chilli paste: do I detect lemongrass in among the punch of heat?
On another visit, I inhaled a brilliant laksa. Regular readers will know of my laksa obsession, and I am always delighted to find another excellent option. The combination laksa comes with plenty of mixed seafood and perfectly spongy tofu. The chilli oil floats on top, carrying the spice in each spoonful.
The laksa here is top tier. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The reader who tipped us off said the dishes here were among the most authentic Malaysian they’ve had in Canberra, and there’s good reason for that.
“I learned all my recipes from my Mum,” Tse explained.
“This is what my family does back home at our shop.”
The Char Kway Teow is one of their most popular dishes. This Malaysian classic is made with thick rice noodles, and the best versions are heady with wok hei: the char and smoke from the wok. And you can watch Tse tossing the woks in the open kitchen while you wait.
Once the renovation and name change are complete, the secret will well and truly be out. Head to Belco now, and you can say you knew how good Nasi and More was before they got big.
Nasi and More is located in Belconnen Mall, in the De Wok-branded space on the ground floor near the fresh food retailers. They are open seven days a week. Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, from 10 am to 9 pm on Friday, and from 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
