Tamarind Hill - New Westminster, BC

I just watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's show, No Reservations, and they were in Penang, Malaysia.  So much great food was shown that I had to get my grubby trotters on some good Malaysian food.  After a few quick searches of the interwebs, I found myself Tamarind Hill - we came here twice because the first time, Mr. Piglet erased all of the photos and the second time, Ms. Porker wanted to do a revisit since the food was quite good.  Hopefully this time Mr. Piglet doesn't erase all of my photos so I can share the food with you too!

Smallish place that's lightly lit with a very warm feeling- great for ambiance, not so great for photos as my camera is just a simple point and shoot (yet another hint to Mr. Piglet to get me a new camera!).  So bear with me folks because there's a whole lotta food for me talk about!

Roti Canai - $6 (for 2 pcs)

Thin buttery flaky bread that has a little bit of crunch on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  There's also a delicious peanutty dip that comes with it.  A piece of roti with a dollop of peanut dip on top = deliciousness.  Everyone at the table loved this dish.

Green Papaya and Mango Salad - $8.95

I need to learn how to make this salad or come here everyday to have it because it's awesome.  This salad is sweet, tart, a bit spicy, crunchy and refreshing!  Crunchy from the jicama root, a bit of spice from the dressing but also citrusy at the same time and then there's the sweetness from the mango and papaya.  A really great balance of flavours and a favourite of mine for the night.

Gado Gado - $6.25

One of the oddest salads I've ever had but Mr. Teddy really likes it.  It's a warm and cold salad all at the same time - it's got cooked bean sprouts, egg, potatoes, tofu and warm peanut dressing on top too.  Weird combinations and it tastes good but be warned that it's not your typical "salad".

Malaysian Calamari - $8.95

Super crunchy pieces!  We all loved that the batter coating stayed on and stayed crispy even when it sat on the plate for some time.  I don't think they should call it spicy house sauce when it wasn't spicy at all.  Just think of the bottled thai dipping sauces that you can buy in the supermarket - more sweet and sour than anything.  I say yay to the calamari and nay to the sauce!

Beef Rendang - $13.25

The tenderest beef around - it basically didn't need chewing because it was just falling apart on its own!  The sauce was only a tad spicy but it's the curry spices that really make this dish - great depth of flavour and it completely permeates the beef.  Pair this with some white rice and you'll be in beef heaven.  No worry beef curry!

Spicy Chili Garlic Pork Chops - $12.95

I knew Q-dog would love this and I was right - lots of salt, pepper and spicy peppers on top of deep fried pork chops.  The chops themselves were a bit on the drier side (well, of course from the deep frying) but it kinda reminds me of those salt and pepper riblets you can get from your neighbourhood bar but so much better since there chili peppers on top.  They also remind me of the salt and pepper deep fried tofu you can get at dim sum places.  Really good and they disappeared quickly from the table.

Sayur Lemak - $11.75

This is one of the few dishes that didn't have seafood - I had order something without seafood since Mrs. Teddy doesn't eat it and I didn't want her to starve. It was basically just a bunch of veggies in a yellow curry sauce - nothing special to write home about.  It went really well with white rice but there was nothing that popped about this dish compared to everything else.

Char Kuey Teow - $10.25

It looks like it would be very salty and soy saucy but it's totally not it at all.  It's got savoury notes from the seafood balanced with some sweet soy.  Lots of seafood pieces (cuttlefish cake is so good!) and I'm a fan of the bean sprouts to give it a crunchy texture.  Everyone really liked this dish but beware - it's a soft texture that you might not be used to as the fat vermicelli noodle is cooked past al dente so if you can't stand the softer textures and you're looking for a crunchy fried noodle, this is not the dish for you.  The only thing I wish is that it came with more prawns as I didn't get a single one.

Pineapple Fried Rice - $11.95

Who doesn't like fried rice???  This one is super tasty and different from the Chinese versions since it also has raisins in it.  I normally don't like raisins in anything but this was pretty good.  Not too salty, not too sweet and pineapple just adds a bit of tartness that's nice.  A nice helping of seafood, veggies and pineapple, which is a nice change from all those fried rices that usually have much more rice than mix-ins.  A crowd favourite.

Will we be back?  Well, this is the second time we've been here for a family function and probably won't be the last.  There's also a few more dishes on this menu Mr. and I would love to try (you're mine laksa!) so it's safe to say we'll be back.  Definitely give this place a try if you've got a hankering for Malaysian food because as far as the Lower Mainland is concerned, this is one of the best places for Malaysian food we've been to so far.  Bon appetite!

Oinks:

• Delicious food
• Moderate prices - we all ate until we were for full for about $13 each for dinner
• Free parking in the back (you can also try parking in the mall across the street but beware of ticketing!)

Doinks:

• Small place - hard for large parties to eat and share dishes
• Slower service and sometimes confused servers - we somehow ended up with 4 bowls of rice despite only ordering 2
• Some of the specialty dishes are not worth it - avoid the Singapore Lychee Prawns!