Dapur
Dap(ur) your friends up and head over for a meal!
Food is a bonding experience for many cultures and a typical hangout activity for many Malaysians.
When you aren’t exactly the best cook and crave a delicious plate of Nasi Lemak or are just interested in trying an authentic Malaysian dish, then Dapur is the place for you!
This little gem is tucked away in Lamb’s Conduit Passage, just a 10-minute walk away from Holborn Station.
Dapur, a Malay word for Kitchen, is a modern, canteen-styled restaurant with little scenes of Malaysia painted on the walls and famous places framed up.
The founder, Sharizah Hashim, started this restaurant because food unites people with a full belly and a satisfied smile on one’s face.
The recipes have been passed down from generation, but because some of the ingredients can’t be found in London, Sharizah has overcome this obstacle by tweaking the recipe while staying true to the authentic flavors.
When you step into the restaurant, you immediately feel like you’re transported across the world because the savoury smell of the food, unfamiliar to London, hits your nose immediately.
The shop sells the national dish, Nasi Lemak, but instead of the traditional sambal (chili sauce), eggs, cucumbers, and anchovy peanuts, you can customize your plate with the various meats and vegetables they offer.
In addition to the traditional condiments, you get to choose your type of rice—regular rice or coconut rice (the classic rice)—and choose whether you want to add one, two or three additional dish(es) to it.
We went for the two-dish option with the coconut rice; the additional dishes we chose were Ayam Kuali Johor (Johor wok chicken) and Lamb Cendawan (lamb with mushrooms) for £14.
Since the weather was not too bad, we sat outside to enjoy our meal.
The tables were the foldable metal ones you can find in Malaysia coffee shops with stools as chair, really enhancing the Malaysian dining experience.
The food tasted authentic. The chicken and lamb were really tender, the curry was not too spicy (good for people who can’t handle spice well), and the rice was fragrant.
However, there was too much of the curry and it basically drowned out the flavours of the rice, and we felt that they could be more generous with the anchovies.
The portions were really good for the price, and it lasted us till dinner time, even then we weren’t hungry at all.
This restaurant would cure homesickness for any Malaysians living in the UK, and it would be a good place for people who can’t travel all the way to Malaysia to have a taste of the cuisine.
Disclaimer: Dapur only opens from 11am – 3pm every Monday through Friday.
Location:
13 Lamb’s Conduit Passage, London WC1R 4RH
Written by Althea Scully