Puji Puji
our review
Puji means praise in Malaysian and it looks like word has got around fast. This new, budget spot at the corner of Balls Pond and Southgate Road is already thronging with urbane locals keen to offer just that. Opened in 2005, Puji Puji originally lived in the exotically named Oriental City, a shopping centre with a prosaic food court in Colindale. When the food court was redeveloped, Puji Puji was dislodged further into town ending up here where Azi Campbell, a friendly but shrewd-looking woman who owns the joint with her husband, opened it in July.
It’s a good little location, there being a dearth of budget restaurants in the area and no Malaysian for miles. It seats around 30 at brown lacquered tables with the décor a mix of maroon and chocolate gloss and bamboo. After 7pm on a Tuesday, the place started steadily filling while Asian pop music trilled in the background.
To start, we had chicken satay, they are rightly proud of this, plus roti canai, a spongy flat bread with a tumbler of pungent chicken sauce, and murtabak, little lamb and egg patties that were compact in their kicky spiciness.
When the mains came, we realised we had gorged already. The portions here are huge and excellent value at around £6 for a main dish with steamed rice. We tried the Rendang, a bowlful of chicken pieces cloaked in a rich, coconut and chilli paste spiked with lemongrass and ginger and prickly with herb stems. Also good was the Goreng Kunyit, a dish of squid with onion and green chilies in turmeric that brought out beautifully the flavours of this underrated spice whose colour tends to precede its taste. But the fish curry with aubergine, okra and tomatoes was disappointingly just that, large chunks of veg not doing much with each other.
The service was just bedding in on our visit and was scatty though friendly. If you steer clear of the rosewater drink, which tasted to me of stale cordial, you should find this a great value, chirpily atmospheric little jewel.
AP - August 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Can't believe the negative reviews of this restaurant. We had a great whole fish with spices and roti chanai as a a starter as well as beef rendang. Having been to Malaysia I feel that this is a taste of the east that for a city the size of London is long overdue. As much as I love Thai cuisine, as an Australian living in London I grew up with the tastes of the orient and think it is brilliant that I can finally find a good curry laksa locally.
Comment on this reader review
Naomi C
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, September 21, 2008
the food was very disappointing. there's no taste even though the chefs are malaysians. this is very suprising. this restaurant is only targeting the english customers therefore they are unable to evaluate the quality of the food. being a malaysian, i would say the food is rubbish and the rating i am kind enough to give would be 1/5.
Comment on this reader review
khalid
Overall rating 
Food 2 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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