Awana

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There's not much to fault in terms of the service and ambience of the place. Seeing the chef flipping the roti canai was a treat in itself.

However, when the food came, it was hardly the hearty malaysian fare one would expect. The Soup Kambing was not quite as authentic, nasi lemak was made to look snazzy but I've had better in London. Someone in our lunch party ordered a lamb which was overdone, and running out of chicken for the nasi lemak on an early sunday lunch is inexcusable. Come to think of it, I hope my curry chicken was fresh. The desserts barely salvaged what was a disappointing sunday lunch. Would not be returning again, and if you want good malaysian food, there's plenty around in paddington.

We expected a lot more from Awana.
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w.bai
Overall rating 5 stars
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, May 17, 2010

Terrible experience, the food was tasteless. Seafood noodles for 19 pound and all the fish inside was not fresh. Decadence.
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Duccio
Overall rating 4 stars
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The nicest food i've tasted in a long long time! The staff were so pleasant, 10/10 service!
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Patricia Hull
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 12, 2010

We went to Awana on Valentines Day and had the set menu. not good value for the £110 bill. atmosphere is ok but food lacking, nothing special at all and not much choice with set menu.
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Overall rating 5 stars
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Sunday, February 28, 2010

Service was good, food was terrible - plastic and cold lacking taste and spice. Would highly reccomend 54 if you are looking for quality malaysian food!!
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mitesh
Overall rating 4 stars
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Sunday, February 14, 2010

It's valentines day and my partner and I just got back from a hugely disappointing evening at Awana. It was a set menu that sounded exciting with geat variety the ambience and venue was very nice and so we expected the food to be just as good. The food was horendous right from the starters to the deserts. The starters were cold and seemed like they were prepared hours before if not the day before - bland and tasteless. We deceided not to hit up a fuss and thought the main courses would be better. The mains were small mean portions - the duck and pineapple curry had four small fatty pieces of duck. The vegetables were plain with no seasoning. The seabass was steamed with no seasoning and complete lack of flavour and the lobster was disgusting. We were so hungry so were forced to eat the food more especially because we paying a wopping £48 each of which they sneakingly insisted on 50% upfront payment on reservation. We were hoping they would at least redeem themselves by serving a decent desert, but this too was a let down. The sweet potato and banana fritter was soaked oil, there was nothing special about the ice cream and the chocolate mouse was ok.

To be fair the service and staff were good but sadly food was not up to this standard.
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Lisa Hart
Overall rating 3 stars
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 14, 2010

Having just come back from a tour of Malaysia's cities, I have a new love for Awana, which is local to us and therefore visited frequently. My favourites are the roti canai (the curry sauce it comes with is great) and the chicken satay which has all the right flavours yet maintains the chicken's tenderness. I also highly recommend their desserts. And to top it off, true Malaysia hospitality is on show here - the service is fantastic! I will definitely go again soon for more memories of a fantastic trip.
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Overall rating 8 stars
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Thursday, January 21, 2010

I had the pleasure of dining at Awana during a recent trip to London. As a Malaysian, I have to admit that I had some reservations initially about dining in a Halal Malaysian restaurant in London. But all my doubts vanished the moment the dishes were served.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Udang Harimau or butter fried prawns which was was fresh, succulent and aromatic.

We had the corn fed chicken and beef loin Satay as well. Each chunk was juicy and tender. Although it was not grilled over the traditional charcoal pit, all the taste, spices and condiments were in place. I am sure that a charcoal pit will have no place at Awana's pristine kitchen as the soot is pretty messy and may risk contaminating the food with possible carcinogens.

The Roti Tissue was epiphanic, as it shows how an usually oily and heavy dish that is served in Malaysia can be transformed into a beautifully light (as tissue) and crunchy dessert, served with Chocolate Sauce and Cinnamon ice cream at Awana.

Both Me and my dining companions were completely bowled over by our meal. Their selection of wines were fairly extensive and reasonably priced. They were classified by the colour, notes and complexity which made our choices easier.

Special mention must be made about the service team under the leadership of their very pleasant, affable and knowledgeable Restaurant manager who endeavored to make our meal pleasant and memorable.

I really wish we had something like Awana back home in Malaysia but am extremely proud that Malaysian cuisine has come finally of age.
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Gregory Kan
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, January 10, 2010

I highly recommend Awana to homesick Malaysians in London and to locals who would like to experience the country's unique and diverse cuisine. Awana's romantic ambience along with its warm and friendly staff is guaranteed to sweeten your dining experience. As a Malaysian visiting London for a few weeks, I was hit by a sudden craving for 'Nasi Goreng' (fried rice) and upon recommendation by a friend, I visited Awana and had a delightful time there. The nasi goreng was delicious and came with generous servings of fresh succulent prawns. Service was really good too.
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Leanne L.
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

I decided to give Awana a try after reading so many good reviews about the restaurant. The dishes were mouth watering and the service was faultless. The waitresses were extremely friendly and attentive. I had the chicken satay and salt and peper prawns, which were absolutely divine and the cha keuw teow was amazing... Already booked there for valentines day.
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Jonathan
Overall rating 10 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 05, 2010


what the bloggers say

Tamarind and Thyme

Tamarind and Thyme

Friday, September 10, 2010 - The pai ti (crispy pastry cups filled with prawns, chicken,bamboo, mushroom, carrot and coriander) were the best dish that night, I think. The corn-fed chicken satay were the largest satay I'd ever seen! The meat dark, tender and moist but there just wasn't enough flavour coming from the marinade. The satay sauce was very sweet...Unfortunately, the main theme running through all the savoury dishes seemed to be dumbed down flavours, which is a shame when generally, everything was quite pleasant.

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