The Malaya crosses half-century

The Malaya crosses half-century

Wong Tai See’s love of food was formed during his travels throughout South-East Asia as a merchant sailor.

It was along the journey that he had the opportunity to sample an ever-changing range of cuisines including Malay, Nonya, Indonesian and his native Chinese cuisine.

When he opened The Malaya he sought to recreate his experiences by taking the best elements of the cuisines he sampled and creating them into unique dishes that reflected his own tastes.

The philosophy has continued to define the Malaya up until today. This August, the King St Wharf restaurant is celebrating 50 years of providing Sydney with South-East Asian cuisine.

The Malaya has been managed by his son Lance Wong for the last 20 years, and he said he’s delighted to be celebrating the restaurant’s 50th year.

“We are very proud of this achievement and know that it has only been made possible by the support of our loyal customers,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be continuing the tradition that my father started in 1963.”

A fine dining restaurant, The Malaya is celebrating its history and status as one of Sydney’s oldest restaurants.

“It’s a pretty big milestone to reach, so we are happy to have overcome it,” said Mr Wong.

The Malaya introduced South-East Asian cuisine to Sydneysiders in 1963, when it was located on George St. The restaurant has since proven a lasting success for the family-owned business.

“It’s definitely taken us closer to our market and the harbourside location is quite beneficial,” said Mr Wong. “We are surrounded by a corporate audience.”

Various ‘Through the Decades’ menus will be available this month to represent the restaurant’s progress. The Malaya’s signature dishes are available on Thursday and Friday nights.

“We are celebrating this week with private functions at the restaurant and a grossest wine dinner will take place on Tuesday,” said Mr Wong.

The Malaya has original recipes on its menu, including the laksa made with cows milk instead of coconut milk, which is more commonly used.

As a pioneer of Sydney Southeast Asian cuisine, originally Wong Tai See would import spices and ingredients from Asia to Sydney.

The Malaya has been able to keep most of its staff together for long periods, with current head chef Mustapa Jaffar in the role since 1987.

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