Melur

Went there with a friend as previously been alone and was very happy with the food. The tempura was extremely greasy, had to send it back for a replacement.

The chicken was very greasy and not enough sauce...very poor quality compared to previously. The Mackerel was excellent and wonderful portion.

Staff are as always were very polite and had no problems in changing the tempura..

I would go again on my own for lunch etc as I work in the area, but im not sure about talking friends as a recommendation anymore, as they were not that impressed.

Come on guys, sort out the greasy food!!
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Mina
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, February 06, 2011

Deliciously authentic malaysian tastes. Look past the slightly kitch interior because the food is really worth it! I recommend the Laksa if you like it hot!
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Joe King
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Agree with all the positive comments of previous reviewers. As soon as we walked through the door this Friday, we knew we had made the right choice. The restaurant was full of regulars .....always a good sign.

As one of our party had (unbelievably!) never experienced Malaysian food before, we ordered the Set Menu @ £24.50 so she could experience the full range of this type of cuisine. We only ordered 2 of these, but there was more than enough for the 3 of us. And SO much did our "novice" love it, she asked for a "doggy bag" to take away what we couldn't eat.

The welcome was warm, the food delicious/authentic and the staff really friendly. They even made us an Ice Kacang , even though (by rights) it shouldn't have been included in our Set Menu ...which was a wonderfully, refreshing end to our meal.

We will definitely be going again!!!!.
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LWarren - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, July 24, 2010

Our team visited this Restaurant for a Team lunch. The ambience was very homely but second to none in luxurious look and tidiness. The portion of food was very satisfactory and the staffs were friendly and served well. More importantly each person in our team had different dietary requirement, the staff took note of it carefully and served food much quicker than expected. If you want to eat a very tasteful food in a relaxed homely environment within affordable price then you should choose Melur.
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Viji
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Went to Melur for a long leisurely ladies lunch and we were really impressed with the authenticity of all the dishes. We took a 2 hours for lunch and enjoyed the starters, mains and even the dessert although we did make a pretence of being too full. The food was too good to say no too. :-)
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Marina Robertson
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

18 of our office staff went to Melur last night to celebrate the end of the season. We were a real mixed bunch and the evening was fantastic. The food was delicious, well presented with good portions. The staff were friendly and helpful, advising of the best dishes to have depending on individual tastes and diatry requirements . Sam and Seb the owners came to welcome our table and the atmosphere was a perfect combination elegance and informality. We will definatly be going again .
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Janice Nuth - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, December 12, 2009

I suppose it is always difficult to step into the shoes of a former well loved restaurant like Mawar which was cheap and cheerful with acceptable Malaysian food. Melur has much nicer decor and the toilets are clean and improved. Service is good. But at the end of the day people go to Restaurants mainly for the food. I ordered the Char Koay Teow (Chinese style) which was OK, but the shrimps were small and there was the unusual carrot garnish on top - something I do not see in the better Penang Char Koay Teow stalls in Penang. I really would not make a special trip to eat this here. The nasi lemak had a weak coconut flavour, nice ikan belis (fried anchovies with peanuts), fairly nice sambal (chilli paste) with hard boiled eggs and 2 largish pieces of fried crispy mackerel fish. The mackerel fish was nice but devoid of curry gravy was not appropriate for nasi lemak. Nice cucumber with sambal though. Overall the nasi lemak was not something I would rave about.. In the 70s this would be great, but in the late 2000s with so many good competitors this definitely lacks pulling power. And the place had few customers. It is in an area where there are some better Malaysian Restaurants. The chendol was basic ice shavings, coconut milk , gula melaka (brown sugary water) and a stringy green jelly cum flour sticks - definitely not in the same league as Kopi Tiam's.
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food critique
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Thursday, August 20, 2009

I was born in Penang and grew up in Oz but my excitement for proper Malay hawker food - you know: spicy char kuay teow; aromatic mood lifting laksa, crunchy frittery snacks of any sort has never left. The search for this proper style is difficult in the UK - even soul destroying as I consumed dish after dish at restaurant after restaurant of oily fried noodles pretending to be a proper char kuay teow (CKT).

So imagine my excitement when I discovered a new Malaysian restraurant near my house. Yay! And they served CKT. Double yay! But they were halal - not so yay - no pork fat means less flavour in some key Malay dishes (in my opinion, however I understand that it is a financially better decision in order to bring business from the Muslim masses). So based on that we have put off trying out the restaurant until today. My partner and I decided to stroll in for a leisurely Saturday lunch.

Big mistake! Mean / overly critical / unnecessarily blunt - make your judgement about my thoughts in 2 minutes please - after you have read my review.

First thing - decor and ambience. The contemporary furniture, wall fittings and colour scheme are in good taste when you first enter. Then you spot the photos of key Kuala Lumpur monuments - reminded me of 80's tourist postcard pictures blown up to A2 size. Very out of place.

Second thing - food (but most important). Both of us ordered the £7.95 3 course special.

For starters - My boy had the Popiah Goreng - first impressions were crunchy and not overly oily. The pastry rolling suggested it had been made in house and the lack of flavour definetely confirmed it was not made in commerical vat with which copious amounts of MSG had been added. But I wished that the latter was the version I had gotten instead - instead of the bland yet bitter cabbage flavour that took over one's mouth when the popiah was bitten into. A plus was the sweet chilli sauce to hide the bitter taste. My starter was a deep fried prawn item - cannot remember the name now. It was standard deep fried fare - not that memorable.

Now the mains - they were something to remember! I ordered the nasi Lemak - literally translated as coconut rice. I was expecting fragrant coconut rice served with a meat or fish side, some crunchy pickled vegetables (acar) and salty deep fried anchovies (ikan bilis). Firstly the rice did not deliver - it was just bland steamed rice packed into a bowl and turned out. The meat on the side was a salty deep fried mackerel which was simple and passable. The acar though was bland and horrible. A well made acar has crunchy vegetables which when popped into mouth is refreshing with the initial taste being sour, then the sweetness from the vegetable come through and the last notes is that kick of chilli. That's how my dad made it anyway and he didn't run a restaurant, so eating Melur's acar vegetables is driving a Proton sedan after owning a Ferrari. Driveable if I had to but boring, there was no guts or power.

My boy's char keuy teow - well literally translated, it means 'fried rice noodles' and it was just that. Didn't even have the wok 'char' taste that we never forget after eating one that is properly cooked in a wok on high flames. The chef was very light on the soy seasoning making the omission of the chilli even more obvious.

Due to all of the above we had to be safe with dessert - so both of us just ordered ice cream. That was the best course as we got what we actually ordered as they didn't skimp on using a quality brand. Just something we were curious about - was it from Baskin and Robbins or Waitrose?

Also I ordered a Cendol (I like to have it with my meals as the coconut milk tempers spicy food). It was literally just palm sugar syrup, green cendol noodles and coconut milk. So so boring and expensive at over £3 per glass. I missed the traditional inclusion of kidney beans.

Last thing - service. It was ok. Waitress was there when she needed to be and food delivery was prompt.

So having written this - perhaps I am being a bit harsh for a place that only charges £7.95 for 3 courses at lunch. However this was probably my worst food experience in London due to the utter blandness of the dishes - at least in Chinatown restaurants douse their food in MSG. And not that I condone it because Malaysian cuisine does not need it at all. Because with a decent wok, a flame, quality fresh ingredients and proper use of spices and seasonings anyone can cook proper Malay. And for now, I don't think Melur can.
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Friday, June 12, 2009

I went to Melur expecting to see Mawar, the former buffet style restaurant. Althought the buffet is no longer there, it is still good value for money. The food quality has improved and the ambiance is cool. A nice break from busy Edgware road. I will definitely go back again.
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Sunday, March 29, 2009

I had diner at Melur last night with a friend of mine. We were looking for a chinese restaurant around Edgware road, and asked a passer-by for advice. He pointed us to Melur and explained that it was not chinese but Asian cuisine. My friend and I decided to give it a try.

We ordered each a starter and a main course and shared them between us.

We had satay chicken and prawn toasts for starters. For main course, we had laksa and lamb cutlets with rice. It was simply delicious. As the restaurant was getting busier, the malaysian waitress kept smiling and was nice to us.

From my experience, this is a nice place to eat, the atmosphere is great, the food is amazing and halal, the service is efficient.

Based on my experience there, I will definitely go back.
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Hassan
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 28, 2009