Tags
Abell Kopi Tiam restaurant, ACT, Australia, canberra, Chinese, Malaysian, Manuka, noodles, Vegan
Dinner on a week night!
A friend at work told me about a restaurant that she goes to regularly with her husband on the way home from work and said the food was fabulous. So I knew I had to go there and soon after arranged for three of my friends to come along one weeknight.
Abell’s Kopi Tiam restaurant is a combination of Malay and Chinese food with its website saying that Kopi means ‘coffee’ in Malay and Tiam meaning ‘shop’ in Chinese (Hokkein) so it’s said to be named after coffee shops in Malaysia who serve traditional and home-style meals which is exactly what this lovely restaurant did.
It’s a rather sweet and colourful little restaurant with chairs and tables outside along with heaters and blankets on the back of chairs as Canberra gets quite cold even in the lead up to winter and I guess some people still like to sit outdoors (not me). We sat inside!
My friends ordered the special spring rolls for entree but I didn’t want any as I wasn’t that hungry.
My friend Ray was trying to be a bit funny as he knows no-body can eat until I have taken a photo for my blog; so he pretended he wasn’t happy with the presentation of the dish so moved one of the rolls – I really don’t think he will be a food presenter (ha ha).
They also shared the red curry fish cakes, the spring onion roti and pork and prawn dumplings – which were absolutely loved by Ray and Nat (but in particular Ray).
The restaurant was opened in 1998 by Abell Ong, of Chinese/Malay heritage and his wife who are both from Sarawak, one of the Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. When he arrived in Canberra he said he could not find any authentic Malaysian restaurants so decided to open his own….and I am so glad he did!
For our main dishes my friends ordered beef rendang and mixed vegetables with tofu and mushrooms.
I ordered the vegan noodles with vegetables. There are many vegetarian dishes on the menu and it’s great to see that vegetarians and vegans are equally catered for with plenty of stir-fries and coconut curries. I found out a funny story that Abell tried introducing fermented tofu (stinky tofu) to the menu, which is another Chinese classic, but I think only loved by the Chinese, and its distinctive pungency wasn’t well received – so off the menu it went! (I say thank goodness).
This dish was so good, so tasty…I loved the noodles. I tried the tofu and mushroom dish as well and that was good too but certainly not as good as the vegan noodles.
An excellent night and I will return soon!!
Sue's Fabulous Travels 
Heaters and blankets on chairs would have been handy on my recent visit to Scotland. I did like that food there was served very hot. Wind is another story. From Edinburgh to Dublin, by the longest route possible, was at times extremely windy. That would cool the food served outside!
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It made me smile thinking about your patio heaters when we are enjoying our first warm sunny afternoon and I’ve returned home and am sitting on my patio for the first time this year. I haven’t gone mad and brought out the parasol yet but, hopefully soon. When we were in Taipei stinky tofu could be smelt from a long distance at the Night Markets. I’m happy to try most things but I couldn’t face that at all! I love Malay food and your meal looks so nice, you are spoilt for choices of good dining options in Canberra Sue.
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Clap Clap Clap for Ray and his special plating design! Hahaha! That was the funny part! For the rest, I would very seriously eat quite a few of these dishes, your noodles look great by the way, Sue! Good luck getting into the winter, here the Summer is just around the corner 😉
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I’ve eaten there several times and enjoyed it a lot. That whole area is great for eating.
A few years ago, Abell’s mother or aunt opened their own restaurant called Mamak Corner at the Garran shops. I would eat there weekly as it was closer to where I lived with easier parking and mostly less busy. But same high quality.
Lots of great options in Canberra.
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It looks like a great place to enjoy Chinese food. The vegan noodles with vegetables looks so delicious. 🙂
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Thanks John. Yes I noted in your posts it’s been pretty cold but you look like you are having a great time with great photos.
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Thank you Marion. Yes isn’t that stinky tofu disgusting. I did try it in China and nearly vomited. It’s as bad as it smells. Lovely to hear you are out in the nice weather back home. Enjoy.
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Thanks as always Sophie. It’s really cold here. Just went for an early morning walk and popped back into bed as it was so cold. Now I am running late for work. Yuck
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Hello!! Good to know about the other restaurant. Thank you. So many good restaurants around now and especially in Braddon on Lonsdale St.
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I agree Amy. Those noodles were so delicious.
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Thank you. Yes we saw a lot of snow up on the mountains and felt the chill but were never at snow level. Weather in Scotland is definitely irregular.
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Seems very satisfying even though no meat.
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I like the first photo of the food it looks yummy! Ambiance is simple and the price is fair or affordable!
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It was. The noodles were the best I think.
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Thank you Vivienne. It was an inexpensive meal which is good for mid week.
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That place certainly is a true gem, it’s so hard to find Malay food, although it’s so good!
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Yes Julia it is a dream find.
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