As the cost of living crisis continues to ravage Australia, more and more medium to high end restaurants are closing down. Now more than ever, it seems that targeting a certain segment of the market matters. Either you aim for high end fine dining or you aim for cheap and cheerful weekday eats. Without a doubt, Lemak has cheap and cheerful down to an artform. I had gone to their East Brisbane restaurant a couple times and really enjoyed the food but it was largely limited to take-away given limited seating. They recently changed this with their gabba opening along the Logan road dining district, creating Lemak Kitchen and Bar.
I had been meaning to go for some time now to check them out, but managed on a weekday night after picking up some friends from the airport. Even though we arrived fairly late at 8pm on a Thursday, the place was still packed and we managed to snag the last table available.
Although they have branched out to a handful of higher end main sized dishes, they retained their original menu with malaysian classics that I love. As far as I can tell, prices are the same as what they had at East Brisbane.
It didn't take long after ordering for our drinks to arrive. Both Dr L and I had the Teh Tarik, he had cold whilst I had hot. We agreed that it was creamy and frothy but definitely on the lighter side when it came to tea flavours and had nothing on our favourite at Pappa Roti.
Our companion ordered the Lemak Chicken Sandwich Super Combo. For $15 it came with a chicken burger, waffle fries, two sauces an extra drumstick as well as a pick of any drink from the menu. The value proposition was unbeatable and it beats out even the large fast food chains. The food quality was fantastic and they said the chicken was superior to KFC. Waffle fries were freshly fried and well received by all. This meal alone makes for a good reason to come back.
Dr L had the Nasi Goreng with two pieces of fried chicken. Stealing some (half) for myself, the rice was really well fried with adequate wok hei, albeit not too much toppings. The fried chicken was absolutely delicious, crispy and juicy out of the fryer. It had essentially the same taste and texture of the KFC hot and spicy without the spice. Speaking of spice, if that was desired, it was available in spades by way of the sambal on our plate.
Wanting to stick with the classics, I had the Char Kway Teow. This was fantastic with an abundance of fiery wok hei. Toppings were generous as was the serving size. It was delicious in all aspects with the only improvement they could make being the addition of crispy pork rind which would have made it perfect.
Overall we had an amazing time at Lemak, I am thrilled that they opened so close to home and now offer a dining space. We will definitely be back on nights when I don't want to cook.
Price Range: $15 - $25pp
Taste: 8/10
Value: 9.5/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
