There are loads of places to eat at Westfield but in my opinion, the best options are on the Southern Terrace, as these are located on street level, it doesn't feel like you're eating in the middle of a shopping centre. I decided to try Jom Makan, a Malaysian restaurant and the second branch of what will probably become a mini-chain. In case you're wondering, the original restaurant is on Pall Mall.
The menu is more Malay-Malaysian than the likes of Kiasu or Rasa Sayang, which have a more Chinese-Malaysian flavour. For some reason, I didn't fancy either the wok noodles or soup noodles that were on offer. I wonder if I'm suffering from some kind of identity crisis?
I was torn between the curries and the rice dishes and in the end I went for nasi goreng kampung (£9.50); a chilli spiced fried rice with prawns, crispy anchovies and vegetables, topped with a fried egg. This was one of the pricier dishes but it did come with two sticks of chicken satay.
The main problem I had with this dish was that it had obviously been on the pass for a while. It wasn't exactly hot (in temperature) and the fried egg yolk had hardened. The lukewarm chicken satay was also too sweet and some might find the rice insufficiently spicy, although I didn't mind. On the plus side, I loved the crispy anchovies or ikan bilis, which gave this dish a very moreish quality. There were also quite a few prawns and overall I could have no complaints about portion size.
Jom Makan doesn't do starters but they do serve sides and extras, and I plumped for some tasty keropok (prawn crackers). Together with an orange, pineapple, lime and ginger crush, and a tip, the bill came to £16. I was full but there are desserts on offer.
I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at Jom Makan but I would return if I found myself back at Westfield. Next time I might go for a curry or perhaps some noodles, assuming that I get over my temporary aversion to them!
Jom Makan, Southern Terrace, Westfield Shopping Centre, London W12 7GA
(Tel 020-8735-5870) Nearest tube: Shepherd's Bush
Harden egg yolk is a big no no lol
ReplyDeleteGlad to know there are such Malaysian eateries in London.
Hardened fried egg reminds me of Malaysian bus stops in Borneo...
ReplyDeleteAfter working at Westfield for several months I rarely ever go back, plus my aversion to shopping means it's unlikely to happen.
We've had fried noodles there - they were pretty grim. There's a Byrons at Westfield though!
ReplyDeleteI went to Jom Makan in Picadilly. Not mind-blowing but pretty decent I thought.
ReplyDelete3HT - considering I was eating in a shopping centre, it's quite a surprise to find a Malaysian joint - even if it was only average!
ReplyDeleteMzungu - perhaps the hardened egg yolk was proof that Jom Makan is authentically Malaysian!
Su-Lin - looks like I did well to avoid the noodles! I did think about Byron but I needed to leave the main shopping centre.
Ute - not tried the Piccadilly branch. Other than my 'temperature' issues, I think you describe Jom Makan well.
Um, it just LOOKS gross. Grim, like Su-Lin said!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't sound like Jom Makan is worth a visit even if you're already at Westfield. How hard is it to make nasi goreng (i.e., fried rice), really?
ReplyDeleteOh, Westfield, ouch. I reckon it would be a tough fight between there and Oxford Street at Xmas to become Dante's tenth circle of hell.
ReplyDeleteThe portion on that dish certainly looks fairly generous (unless the chicken satay are baby skewers) but the hard egg would put me off right away. East Asian street (or mall) food is among the best foodie experiences in the world, but the quality goes down in direct relation to the amount of time the dish has been sitting there. It's one thing that a lot of Asian places in London seem to get so wrong.
Mind you, looks better than McD or KFC any day, so it's all relative.
Went to the Jom Makan branch at Trafalgar Square as part of the Malaysian Dining festival. Staff was not very friendly and food was OK. Like yopu said, I wouldn't go out of my way but if I happen to be around the area, I jus tight pop in again.
ReplyDeleteKrista - I don't think it looked gross. It's just fried rice with an egg on top. And Su-Lin's comment of 'grim' was in respect of the noodles that she ordered on her visit rather than the dish I chose. OK - it wasn't top notch but we can spoilt get sometimes, the mere fact that a shopping centre in London has a Malaysian option is something to be celebrated.
ReplyDeleteA-in-L - the kitchen didn't get anything wrong. The problem was with service for letting the dish sit around. Yes, I would've preferred my food straight from the kitchen but it wasn't the end of the world.
Gworm - the good thing about Westfield was that I managed to keep warm! It was the sight of a runny egg on a nearby table that prompted me to order this dish so I was a bit miffed that the egg was hard. However, per my earlier comments, it wasn't a disaster and besides, I doubt I'll be returning to Westfield until December 2011!
Kay - I'm not sure I'd be as keen to go to Jom Makan's other branch, as Rasa Sayang can't be more than 5 mins away. On service, they were friendly enough at Westfield, if a tad flustered.
I've tried the Jom Makan at Trafalgar Square and I HATED ITTTTTT... I ordered I think a roti with prawn curry.. the roti came rolled up and soggy and the prawns were just PRAWNS no curry. Panu had some noodle soup dish that tasted like soap. BLERGH!
ReplyDeleteGood lord man, are you unwell? NO NOODLES?
ReplyDeleteThat's a sorry looking plate of food, big though it might be.
Was at Jom Makan when it first opened up near Trafalgar. I can't remember how it tasted like but I did remember reminding myself never to return again. Well, we did make the mistake of ordering the roti canai fully expecting it to be freshly made (we were naive then) but it turned out to be frozen supermarket fare.
ReplyDeleteCatty/LChow - it looks like you guys had a shocker at the original Jom Makan, and I can understand if you guys never darken their doors again.
ReplyDeleteLizzie - having read what others thought of the noodles at Jom Makan, perhaps I made the right decision with the rice.
Slightly belated comment:
ReplyDeleteTheir beef rendang wasn't good either -- chunks of slightly dry meat in an oily thin sauce, which didn't taste like the rendang I know...
Westfield eating is a bit hard - would go with the burger joints, or maybe Jamie's. Btw, have you tried the Sichuan place just round the corner of Westfield, the one that's always packed out with Chinese people? I liked it when I went, need to do a return trip...
JenJen - I haven't tried the Sichuan joint in Shepherds Bush - it's on my list along with a millions other places! Thanks for the reminder and the heads up that the rendang at Jom Makan is a bit dodgy.
ReplyDelete