I tend to keep my head in the sand about festivals. Don’t get me wrong, I love them but I often miss them, too busy working or scouting out restaurants, cooking or entertaining. But when a NQN reader Doro emailed me a month ago saying that she was part of the committee organising the Malaysian Festival I could hardly plead ignorance. And I was only too pleased to have a look see as I love Malaysian food.

Today, the weather is quietly foreboding with a forecast saying “Clearing showers” but with that impending rain scent pervading the atmosphere. Still I am looking forward to a family outing with my in laws and getting to sample some of the Malaysian goodies on offer.

We arrive in the afternoon and there are several stalls offering food as well as a marquee where we witness an array of dancers and singers from all over the world. There are people in Malaysian dress and there is a convivial and friendly atmosphere. The lines are long at some stands and we notice Mamak and Sydney Kopitiam Asian Cafe have a stall, two places I’ve yet to eat at but I’ve always meant to. Prices are reasonable with items starting at $2 to $10, a steal really.

Tuulikki, Cuddlepie and I have a look at our food options. We like to have a look at everything before we make a purchase and we always figure that the long queues mean that the food is better. We line up at the long queue at Mamak and I buy a Nasi Lemak $6.50, Anneli buys a Roti Telur with a vegetarian curry $6 and Tuulikki buys a Roti Canai without egg $5.00.

The long queue at Mamak

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