Khoo (26 January 2008)

I feel being a Malaysian in London, it is a must to find an authentic watering hole. My wife and I went to Lagenda for Saturday lunch. It is an in-house restaurant of Holiday Villa. We ordered - mee goreng mamak, nasi lemak and Assam laksa, washed down with kopi tarik and teh tarik.

The nasi lemak was excellent, with fried chicken as the main meat and the sambal, which was the chef’s special, was authentic. The mee goreng mamak was a bit soft and overcooked but it should really be al dente, fried with a little charring, to caramelise properly, and chillies should be used liberally.

The Assam laksa was disappointing - the colour was not right, it was grey and not deep brown, and was not particularly pungent. I guess it is the sparing use of prawn paste, but I asked if it was authentically pungent and was assured that it was so. I guess all things are relative. The kopi tarik and teh tarik were fine. The entire bill came to just over £30 and a service charge of 10% was automatically added to the bill. All in all, it was not quite up to my expectations. Given the relative profusion of Malaysian restaurants in the area, we were not inclined to try other items on the menu. However, the service was prompt and courteous.