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Unfortunately, the number rating system doesn't do this restaurant justice. The food is very good authentic Malaysian food. Some of the best I've had in town. Definitely try the beef rendang. It's simmered for like 6 hours.
The service is getting better. It used to be a true one man show. The owner was the cook, the waiter, the bus boy, and cashier. So you had to be patient, but he's recently hired a server so that helps a lot.
The ambiance is very basic, like most of the best asian restaurants, but by far the biggest problem is the ridiculous door chime. I have to assume this was installed because with only one person working there, he might be back in the kitchen and he needed to hear if someone entered. Well, he really needs to get rid of this thing, or at least install the chime in the kitchen and turn down the volume.
So definitely go and eat here. Be prepared for a basic environment, an annoying door chime, and great authentic food.
Food: My family is from Malaysia and this is as close to the authentic taste of Malay cooking as you can get in this city. This is not Tropika or Banana Leaf "Malaysian cuisine" -- this is outdoor market, flies buzzing, stray cat prowling, open gutter kind of food. You'll leave smelling like belacan, but you won't regret it.
Service: It's a one-man show so don't expect any. You pretty much seat yourself, get your cutlery and pour your own water.....the owner/chef/server/host/busboy is busy cooking the meal for the table next to you.
Value: It's not street-food cheap, but it's good value even by Vancouver standards. "Mains" are about 10-15, specialty dishes are a bit more, however he's often out of the cool stuff like fish head curry so if you want to make sure you should call the day before.
Ambiance: Plastic chairs, plastic tables, some token things on the wall and a tv that's never on. It's a hole-in-the-wall, literally. It works with the food and the neighbourhood though.
My sister suggested that I give this place a try as it has great value and good portions. As this is my first time trying this type of food, I was impressed. We ordered their daily specials and an order of chicken skewers. The skewers was a popular item as we saw two other tables with the same item. It came with a peanut sauce. The sauce had a lot of oil floating on top, but nonetheless, it was flavourful and went really well with the chicken. My friend liked the sauce so much that he kept tasting the sauce as we waiting for our other orders to arrive.
For the daily special, we ordered the chicken curry with rice and the beef curry with rice. The specials came with a can of pop. Great value for just under $7. The chicken curry was pretty decent. It tasted mild, but wasn't spicy enough for me. I found the beef curry to be better and there was more meat in the beef curry for some reason.
Service was slow. The server was taking forever. He was busy listening to music in between visiting tables. He filled our waters promptly when we arrived and gave us the menu, but then he was gone for a long while before coming back to take our orders. I then watch him make mutiple trips cleaning and setting up a table for a family who had just entered the restaurant. First it was removing the dirty dishes, Then he went to get a towel to wipe down the table. Then he went to get the cups and then went again to get the water. Lastly, he went back to give them the menus. He just didn't know how to consolidate everything. I then watched him walk past this customer, who had seated himself and had arrived before the family in the restaurant. It took another 5 mins to serve that customer. The manager/cook gave better service. He checked up on all the tables and asked if everything was okay. He also talked a bit more about the food and did a great job building rapport with the customers.
Value of food is great. Ambiance is okay. Very basic looking restaurant with posters on the wall. Nothing fancy or notable, It does look like a cafeteria as mentioned previously. I will go back to try their other items.
Okay, I have to admit I didn't have high hopes for this place given some rumours swirling about elsewhere. But hey, that's never really stopped me.
When we went (lunch weekend), it was pretty empty. 1 table. And the host was the waiter and chef as it turned out. (That would be a near-disaster later as just after our food arrived, the restaurant filled to capacity).
Nevertheless, he got our order in and we could hear him working feverishly in the back to get our food ready. Gado gado? I swear there was canned beans involved in the sauce, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt because it was DARN good! The roti canai was also a surprise. Quite light, though not as fluffy as some others in town (or in Singapore for that matter...). That was also a thumbs up for taste and lack of greasiness. Mee goreng? Enough spice to taunt, but not enough to torture, and overall taste was good.
Sure, there's not really an ambience to the place, almost bordering on cafeteria like. But it seems clean and organized and for the price, the food is surprisingly decent. Good, clean "homestyle" food, I've been to some of the more fancier joints in this town that didn't leave my tummy as happy.
Worth a stopover for sure.
Whenever I have a chicken curry fix and want to remember Malaysia, I go to Seri for the Curry Chicken and a Roti Canai. The Roti Canai is flaky on the outside and moist on the inside, just like it should. The accompanying sauce is also very good. For the price, the curry chicken is very good. It has a nice aroma and has the right amount of spiciness and complexity. However, on the weekends, the owner does seem a little over-stretched and short-staffed.
I was on Hastings for no good reason and Mrs. C was looking hungry, so we decided to try Seri. We were met on our arrival by the manager. He seemed like a very friendly guy and he let us choose our table. We were given the usual water and menus, and we made our choices. We had a fluffy and flavourful roti with curry, which was very good, but a little pricey, some delicious satays that tasted authentic, a bowl of chicken curry, and a plate of mei goreng. The curry was tasty, but the seafood mei goreng was outstanding.
There were Malaysia travel posters, some photos, and portraits of the king and queen adorning the walls. The restaurant was clean and very welcoming and the décor was simple but tasteful. Even the w/c was tidy.
I also noticed quite a few Malaysians in the place, and they would know better than I what the real deal was. They seemed to be enjoying their meals, which was a good sign.
I found the food to be unpretentiously delectable, and Mrs. C kept saying “ho mei” between mouthfuls so she obviously enjoyed herself. All in all a good experience, and an excellent choice now that Hawker’s is closed.
Recommended.
Seri is a very are bones operation. The place itself is very sparsely decorated, with only some frames on the walls, and has a very unpolished and unfinished look to it. There was obviously no effort to dress it up, just some basic tables and chairs, and a counter.
The three times I have gone there for lunch, it was just one person handling the cooking, serving, clean up, and cash, although it wasn't busy, that is still a lot of work, and the service was not bad. The chef/owner was friendly and personable, and obviously takes pride in his cooking. Prices are very reasonable too, and I would certainly not pay a premium, because you're essentially just paying for cooked food served on plate.
But the secret sauce is in the food. Simply put, it's good. My favorite is the chicken curry, which is well cooked drumsticks falling off the bone, in delicious curry sauce with potatoes, and passable rice.
Unfortunately it has the makings of a short lived operation, a trial balloon perhaps, or a temporary way to make some money, so I expect it will be closing in the near future, unless the owner gets more serious about the business and marketing side of things.
Food: Flavorful and authentic. I swear this is the tastiest Quay Teow Goreng around (This isn't the Chinese restaurant yellow curry powder variety.) The Kari Daging Lembu and Kari Daging Kambing (Beef and Lamb curry) both very aromatic. Ayam Bryani is very good as well. This place is a must if you love curry.
Service: One man show here, Jamal is the cook and server. Friendly, but don't expect much. He does whip up the food pretty quick.
Value: Good value with the all day specials (Chicken or beef curry and chicken/vegetables on rice) for $6.75 with a pop. Dinner for 3 around $30. So bang for the buck meter = 7/10.
Ambiance: Again, bare bone, you come here for the food. If you want ambiance, order a big pile of takeout, bring it home, drink some beer and enjoy.
I will definitely return again to Seri Malaysia for the food. Yes, you can go to Banana Leaf, Tropika and the likes, but you come here for good food, decent prices, what's not to like?
We were going to head over for some Vietnamese food, when we spotted this place across the street, so we thought we'd take a detour from our usual lunch spot.
We walked in to see that this place only had one person working (as both server and cook - not a good idea). There were tables dirty with dishes and we had to wait a good 10 minutes before our cook/server came out to take our order. I had initially wanted to order lamb curry and the roti, but was told that he did not have lamb because his supplier did not come with his order. He then went on to explain how he got mad at his supplier and they got into a fight ... did I really need to know about that? A simple "Sorry, we do not have lamb today ..." would have been sufficient. So, I just stuck to the roti and my lunch partner ordered the Mee Goreng noodles with chicken.
It didn't take the cook/server very long to whip up the two dishes. The Mee Goreng dish had some good flavors to it, albeit a bit too greasy for my liking. The roti was so greasy that when I picked a piece, I noticed that my fingers were glistening from all the oil. The roti here is nothing compared to the usual Malayasian restaurants that I frequent. The dip that came with the roti was nice, but a bit too watery for my lunch companion. I thought it had a nice flavor.
Anyway, lunch was $15.50 (plus tip). Can't say that I will come back to this restaurant again. Food was nothing special and the atmosphere was terrible. Kinda like a cafeteria (with all the dirty dishes laying around the tables) and no service whatsoever to speak of.
We had Seri Malaysia in the summer time, but that was simply take out. Our first impression of Seri Malaysia was a definate hit; however, every weekend when we were in the area to grocery shop, we were dismayed to find that the restaurant was closed for the afternoon, or not open until the next day / later in the evening!
This weekend, we had the pleasure of actually eating in the restaurant. The decor is nothing too special, although there are some photographs and posters of Malaysia and some conical woven hats adorning the walls.
It appears to be a two person show. There were two larger parties and two smaller ones finishing up their meals when we entered the establishment; they seemed to have enjoyed their meals and had food leftover to take home. Service to some could be a little faster, but we enjoyed how it was laid back, Malaysian style.
We ordered Beef Mee Goreng, and Quey Toew Rendang with Seafood, as well as the Beef Rendang for take out. We requested that the dishes be made to medium spiciness.
Both dishes were delicious, generous in portion, and each were garnished liberally with a shower of fried onions / shallots. These were tasty, and added to the complexity of each dish. Both my companion and I remarked that the portions were almost two to three times the size you get at other "Malaysian" restaurants in the Vancouver area, but at the same price!
We really appreciated the great flavour and the larger portions. Like I told exclaimed (perhaps with my mouth full), "the bad part about Malaysian food, if there is a bad one, is that you can't stop eating it!" It was just so good!
Our bill came to less than $30 for three dishes (we had take out), and we tipped more than our usual amount - we want to come back to enjoy more meals!
We do plan on making Seri Malaysia part of our regular restaurant circuit, and we have recommended the restaurant to others.
We were on our way to Le Do when this restaurant across the street caught my eye. A new Malaysian restaurant in town, I gotta give it a try.
The 2 of us ordered the Chicken Satay, Beef Rendang and Chicken Biryani. The satay was extremely good although the peanut dip was a tad too sweet. Beef Rendang was bad (wrong cut of meat and too greasy) and so was the Chicken biryani.
Service: Had problem placing my order with the lady behind the counter. Friendly, but ...
Ambiance: None to speak of. It is like the old Kedah House when it was on Fraser (I have yet to visit them in their new location).
Return? Not too sure. The satay is smaller than Prima Taste Restaurant's (my current benchmark for Malaysian/Singaporean food) at the same cost, and the latter makes better rendang and chicken curry and the satay is good as well. Add to that the better ambiance and service at Prima.
BUT, the satay is really really good. Maybe just for the satay.
I have been to Seri Malaysia several times, and the food is always consistently good. The chef has been cooking Malaysian food for a long time, and it shows both in how fast he whips it up, and in how tasty it is.
The ambiance, as has been said before, is not attractive. Very sparse and dull , and not the greatest location either.
But the food is the main highlight here : delicious, authentic and cheap ! Specially when compared to other Malaysian fare in town, I truly think Seri Malaysia offers the best value for your money. The place is understaffed most of the time, but the chef/owner/server is so competent that you hardly notice it most of the time.
Don't be mislead if you don't see very many patrons : this is due mostly to the location and doesn't reflect on the quality of the food. The food...mmm...it will be good !
Highlights: Salted Fish Fried Rice ( strong and pungent taste ) , Gado Gado Mixed Veggies with Peanut Sauce
Went here as a group of 8. The restaurant decor is poor, only a few paintings and posters on the wall. Waited for a while before we get any water. Service has got to be the slowest and worst you can experience because there were only 2 people working there. One is the owner/cook/server, the other just well do nothing. However, if you do like malaysian food, you need to eat here at least once. Just ignore the service and enjoy the food.
Food are very good. Very authentic but some are a bit spicy. Their teh talek is right on the money with what you can get in malaysia.
If you are planning to go, go early because they close at 8pm. I don't blame him cause it's hard running a restaurant with only yourself.
It is decent food for the value. Although he was the chief bottle washer and cook, he added a helper now. The food was served within a short time. The food was hot and this is our fifth time there and we found the food was consistent in quality and portions. Free pop comes with the lunch but we found that the food was filling enough that pop was not necessary. The chef maintains a good relationship with his customers by chatting to them when he is not busy. It is definitely a restraurant worth trying and maybe go often so one can taste all the different dishes. You WILL get your money's worth.
I'm surprised that the user below didn't like the Beef Rendang. It's one of the best I have had in the city! The rice cubes that come with the satay are a bit too soft, which they need to work on, but other than that, the satay are good (although a bit pricey). The roti canai is also good as mentioned by the user below. The mi goreng is also another must-order dish when I go.
Here's a place in need of your help. Tried the lamb biryani and it is absolutely fantastic. Good prices too, but the ambiance could be better. Turn the lighting down below supernova and slap a coat of paint on the walls that isn't pale yellow and it'd be ok.
An awesome place to go with the guys before a Giants game instead of the pub but not so good for a 1st date or to impress a client. Just be warned that they don't serve beer. Of course I don't think the owner would mind if you brought in a pack of your favorite "pop".
Checked out Seri as it had such good reviews. Boy was I ever disappointed. Tried the lunch special which was chicken curry. Never in my life had I seen so much oil. The taste was ok but seeing all that oil really supresses your appetite.
Also tried one of their noodle dishes...same result..lots of oil.
The service is ok for a family run restaurant but they need to make the food less greasy.
I've been there twice. Had a couple of different food like roti canai, nasi biryani with lamb, biryani with chicken, nasi lemak, and satay. I am a Malaysian and I can tell you that all of them are really good, especially the curry/rendang. The aroma is simply mouthwatering. Price is pretty reasonable. You can get a good meal at less than 10 bucks (nasi lemak or biryani are good picks). The ambiance is nothing to brag about. A few posters of Malaysia and some Malaysian songs. The restaurant is clean, neat, and bright. Highly recommended if you want to taste real Malaysian food
I'd admit we've only done takeout so far, coz there isn't much of a restaurant feel to this place, more like a cafeteria. Their satays are worth having, come with the rice cubes that you don't get everywhere else, and the roti canai & dipping sauce was good too. Go for the food, not much an ambiance...
I have read positive reviews about this restaurant and I decided to give it a try. We were there at about 11.10am on a Saturday (finished running our errands earlier than expected) and the restaurant was still closed. The hour sign on the door says they open at 11am. We were poking around the front and saw a piece of newspaper taped on the front window. It was a review of the restaurant. We learned from the review that the restaurant actually opens at 11.30am. So we waited.
It was a one man (server/waiter/cook) job till 12.30pm. Then a helper rushed in. What can you expect when there was only one person serving and cooking for several tables? I can tell that he works as hard and fast as he can. Both the cook and the helper were very polite.
We ordered roti (flaky and crispy, yum), Mee Goreng, and Beef Rendang. We forgot that we have to mention the kind of protein for the mee goreng (we are new in ordering malaysian food). The server/cook didn't ask us about choice of protein either. Though my husband meant to have chicken, we ended up having shrimp. The taste of the mee goreng was good, but it was a bit salty, and a bit too much like the Chinese pan-fired noodles with dark soy sauce. I was quite disappointed. As for the rendang, it was very rich in flavor. Worth a try!
Though I didn't find the food too greasy, the rich flavor of the food filled us up for the rest of the day (1 appy and 2 mains for a couple). Was it the coconut oil or palm oil that they use in cooking? What made us feel so full for the entire day? I'm still wondering...
| 1. | Hastings Pizza Factory (10 m) | |
| 2. | Seto Cafe (15 m) |  |
| 3. | Church's Chicken (25 m) |  |
| 4. | King's Cafe (33 m) | |
| 5. | Le Do Vietnamese Restaurant (38 m) |  |
| 6. | Campagnolo Roma (42 m) | |
| 7. | Red Wagon, The (43 m) |  |
| 8. | Moccia Italian Meat Market (71 m) | |
| 9. | Mr. Donair (77 m) | |
| 10. | El Barrio Restaurante Latino (81 m) | |
