I went to Ms. Mala's in Jordan for the first time in September 2014. As of November 2016, I've been back maybe ten times, maybe more...I've lost count. I have been there enough that the staff now recognize me and I'm always greeted with warm familiarity. Who'd a thought I would find that in the metropolis that is Hong Kong?
I love Ms. Mala's. It is everything that I love about a restaurant: an unassuming, "hole-in-the-wall", unpretentious place with awesome food, great service, and CHEAP. Their sign says they serve Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern, European, Mexican, and Spanish food...they offer quite the eclectic mix of dishes! While I'm sure their menu items are good, I go there primarily for the Indian food. I go most often for their weekday lunch sets which come complete with soup, pappadum crackers, and a drink. It's a full-service restaurant, but there is no service charge.
Today I took my son, Alex there for lunch. He had a day off from school, so this was the perfect chance for me to take him to take advantage of the lunch sets. Alex chose to have what I have eaten ordered most often there, the South Indian Fish Curry, and he chose naan bread as his side while I chose rice.
We were given a roasted vegetable soup with pappadums as our set appetizer. I have found that no matter what soup they serve (and it varies with every visit), it is always tasty, and always with a bit of a bite, perhaps from white pepper. No matter what it is, the soup is always a great appetizer to the main dish.
Then came our South Indian Fish Curry and it did not disappoint. Boneless fish in a rich mild coconut-based curry sauce, topped with a light sprinkling of coconut flakes and full of oh-so-good flavor.
Every time I order it, I am never disappointed, and this time was no exception. Needless to say, my son enjoyed it, eating every last bit of curry, all his naan, and half my rice (and this all on top of the soup and pappadum starter). I finished my meal with a sugarless lemon tea while my son had fresh-squeezed orange juice.
And the cost? Total for both lunch sets came to HK$124, which is about $16USD. For all the tasty food that was included in the lunch, and the full-service, it's a deal. Another thing I really like about the restaurant is it's not noisy, and they don't rush you to finish up and leave so they can get more people through.
Ms. Mala's is definitely a hidden gem worth discovering.
Where to find Ms. Mala's:
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