The char kway teow Ho Jiak is legendary. The flat rice noodles are slippery and chewy and come tangled with thin slices of lap cheong, sweet prawns and hand-picked swimmer crab. There’s a distinct smokiness and savoury flavour and in a few mouthfuls it took me back to scoffing a piping-hot plate of them at a hawker stall in Kuala Lumpur.
You can get these noodles and more delicious Malaysian eats at Ho Jiak Town Hall, located on York Street in the heart of the CBD. If you think the name sounds familiar, you’d be right: there are Ho Jiak restaurants also in Chatswood, Haymarket and Strathfield, spearheaded by executive chef and owner Junda Khoo, and Sydneysiders love them.
You should probably order the laksa bombs, too, which sees plump chicken and prawn dumplings arriving in a laksa broth with bean sprouts on it, combining the best of both worlds. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
Other menu highlights include charred chicken skewers spiced with turmeric and peanut sauce; slow-cooked bone marrow with rendang sauce and roti; grilled calamari with sambal and burnt lime; Hainanese chicken with soy and shallot oil; and nasi goreng with fresh seafood, makrut lime, calamansi juice and garlic crackers.
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With fake plants, neon signs that say: “Save water, drink beer” and festoon lights, the decor at Ho Jiak Town Hall is cherry, colourful and borderline tacky, but it's a feel-good space and gets away with it. When we visited, the vibe was festive, the tables were packed, and most importantly, the food was delicious. And look, beer does taste good, so they’ve got a point.
Coming with a group? Ho Jiak Town Hall has a banquet menu with all of the hits for $98 per person. And if you love truffles, there's a special truffle menu available at the Town Hall eatery now, too.
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