C & R Cafe, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

MALAYSIAN/SINGAPOREAN CAFE, LONDON, UK

C & R Cafe/Restaurant



This cafe has been around for a very long time and it is my go to place when I feel like some home cuisine.

Tucked away in an alley in Chinatown, London, you will need to queue up for a table at peak times since reservations are not taken.

There is a smaller cafe on the opposite side of the alley which can be used as an overspill from the restaurant though quite a lot of people go in here to just have a drink and small bite to eat.  This is where they also sell curry puffs or as we say "curry pok" and also on Fridays, nonya kueh which are coconut based dessert/sweets. You can order teh tarek or if you are like me, soya bean milk (hot or cold) or ais limao (lime juice) to add to the home experience.


The main cafe/restaurant is on two floors, ground and first. Greeted by the staff in as many South-East Asian languages, the service is efficient and fast. If the owner is around, he is quite charming and talkative, and knows how to get you to "try more" if he thinks you can manage it!

I like the fact that I can hear familiar accents in English, mixed with Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and maybe more between the staff and sometimes with the clientele.

I'm afraid I am quite boring when it comes to what dishes to order.  This time with a friend of mine who hasn't had good Asian food for a while, we decided to order a few dishes to share.  Normally these dishes would be one plate meals for one person.

On the left we have Lor Bak and Stir fried Sotong (squid) with lady's fingers or okra. Lor Bak is marinated minced pork wrapped with soya bean skin and deep fried.

As usual, I think the images of the food say it all. If you are homesick for local food from Singapore and Malaysia, or S.E. Asia altogether, this is the place to eat in London!


C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Above: Nasi Lemak and Hainanese Chicken Rice

Now with Nasi Lemak there are so many variations. This is the style I am more used to, with coconut rice you have a bit of chicken curry, some fried ikan bilis or fried anchovies with peanuts, a boiled egg, some local pickles called achar which could be mixture of pickled cucumber, carrots and cabbage.

Hainanese Chicken Rice is my go to comfort food! Quite an uncomplicated dish and reminds me of home all the time. The chicken in this dish is soft, so it doesn't matter if you have dark or white meat, served with cucumber & fresh coriander garnishing, a chilli and ginger sauce and in this case the black sweet sauce, they translate it to sweet flour sauce, is already used as part of the cooking process. The rice is cooked with the broth from the chicken. A bowl of the chicken broth is normally served with this dish but they don't do this here.

C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Above: Char Kway Teow, Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles and Kang Kong Belachan

C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo
C & R Cafe/Restaurant, London UK | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Above: Lor Bak, Gado Gado, Fried Hokkien Mee and Ice Kachang

ADDRESS



C&R Cafe/Restaurant
4 Rupert Court
LondonW1D 6DY


Open

Tue to Sun 12:00 – 22:00
Sat 12:00 – 23:00

Tags

#SINGAPORE #MALAYSIAN #SINGAPORERESTAURANT #MALAYSIANRESTAURANT #LONDON #UK #SOHO #CHINATOWN #NASILEMAK #HAINANESECHICKENRICE #LORBAK #HOKKIENPRAWNMEE #HOKKIENMEE #KANGKONGBELCHAN #FRIEDKWAYTEOW #CHENDOL #ROJAK