My Malaysian Epicurean Adventures: Blissful Garden

How much do you know about Malaysian food?

Until recently, my knowledge of Malaysian cuisine has been limited to a Laksa or a Beef Rendang that I might have for lunch every few weeks. So when I was asked to compete in Malaysian Kitchen Australia’s blogger summit this month, it gave me the perfect opportunity to discover more about Malaysian cuisine.

Malaysia is a country that has a diverse, multi-cultural population – including Malay, Chinese, Indian and Nyonya people who have all co-existed for hundreds of years – so it was no surprise that the same diversity exists in Malaysian food. Through travel and trade, Malaysia is a melting pot of flavours, as different cultures have adapted by incorporating different aspects of the other cuisines in Malaysia.

Over the next four weeks, I will be sampling four different Malaysian restaurants in Sydney to hopefully, not only learn a little more while exploring Malaysian cuisine, but uncover a few gems as well. I have to say it didn’t take long as I uncovered a gem on my first try: the Blissful Garden at Narellan.

On arriving at the Blissful Garden, we were greeted by a friendly face, who showed us to our table, and handed us the extensive menu on offer. There were so many options to choose from, that with the help of our waiteress Judy Cai, we decided to order quite a few dishes to share. Judy, we found out, was not only our waitress for the evening, but has also run the family owned restaurant for the last two years. A Chinese-born Malaysian, Judy informed us that all the dishes served at the Blissful Garden were cooked slowly with love, by Malaysian chef Frankie Tseu, “because if you don’t spend the time (making the meal) you won’t taste the flavour”.

To start the evening off we decided on two entrees: the Roti Canai and the Lobak. The Roti was light and buttery, fluffy and flaky all at the same time – and served with a curry sauce that was to die for. The Lobak (which I had never previously tried) was chosen for my love of water chestnuts, and it was better than I could have imagined – a mixture of water chestnut, pork and chicken mince, all covered with a bean curd skin. Divine. I was starting to fall in love with Malaysian cuisine before even getting to the main course.

As our mains started to arrive, I thought that maybe we may had bitten off more than we could chew – literally. First came the Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) covered with Satay Sauce, followed by the Beef Rendang, and then the Mee Gerong with Calamari. Yet the food kept on coming – Assam King Prawns, Salt and Pepper Pork, Beef with Imperial sauce and the Beef Malaysian Curry, all finally topped off with a Chicken Sambal.

Every single dish that we tried had fresh vibrant flavours, waves of chili, basil, as well as other herbs and spices that glided over the palate, letting us explore each flavour individually. I purposefully selected dishes from the menu that were all a little bit different – to gauge just how much Malaysian food could vary. And I was surprised by just how much variety was available.

With all these wonderful dishes on our table it would have been hard to choose my favourite from among them. The Chicken Sambal was incredible, as was the Assam, and the Nasi Goreng as well. In fact, all the dishes I tried couldn’t be faulted. The freshness, textures, and flavours bursting in my mouth were so luscious and delectable that I never wanted it to end.

Although when the evening did finally have to end, we finished the night with a bang by sharing two different desserts, the Mango Pudding and Green Coconut Pudding. The Green Coconut Pudding was gorgeous – made from mung beans. The flavour had a savoury undertone, when juxtaposed with the sweetness of the jelly. The Mango Pudding, on the other hand, was so sweet and delicious, with rich mango flavours and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk – so very morish.

Overall, my first impression of my first meal at a dedicated Malaysian restaurant was fantastic. I wasn’t at all surprised as Malaysian food combines some of my favourite foods, flavours and techniques. If this is the norm for all Malaysian restaurants then I can’t wait until next week to try out my next venue.

Maybe it is the Malaysian flavours, or maybe just this restaurant, but so far my Malaysian epicureal adventures are going amazingly well.

After all the dishes that I tried (and feeling rather full) I was still looking over the menu at the end of the night and wondering what I would order off the menu on my next visit – and how soon that could be. This definitely was a blissful garden of incredibly food. I think I may have found my new local.

Natalie Manning from Inside Cuisine dined as a guest of Malaysia Kitchen.

Blissful Garden
5/296 Camden Valley Way
Narellan, NSW 2567
+61 2 4648 3833