A spot among the South West coastal trail is the place to visit for a taste of refined Chinese-Malay that packs a punch.
There was a time when Chow’s Table was a local favourite, its reputation with visitors to the South West just developing. Times have changed. Chow’s, as you’ll more often hear it referred, is now one of the region’s most well-regarded restaurants and booking is very recommended.
Chow’s, as you’ll more often hear it referred, is now one of the region’s most well-regarded restaurants and booking is very recommended.
Mal Chow draws up on his own heritage with a menu that leans to Chinese-Malay cuisine. Ordering from the well-priced set menu there’s guidance from front of house either to add some greens or drop one of the meat dishes. Starters are opening salvos of punchy flavour, from sesame-coated squid toasts with elegant dabs of citrus mayo, to plump pork and chive dumplings that swim in a dressing of Chinese black vinegar and chilli oil good enough to drink. Well-spiced chicken ribs come with a verbal warning: the chillies are not for consumption.
In building a roster of shareable mains, there’s plenty of dishes like the steamed egg “mapo tofu” or the duck-fat fried rice, but the non-negotiable is the signature Chinese-style roast duck that you’ll spy hanging in the kitchen as you first enter. Like Chow’s, it’s an antidote – if you need one – to the culinary affectations of so much of this region’s fine dining.
