Tommy Ng and Jonker Street epitomize Malaysian Hospitality.

Friendly and welcoming, always ready with a joke and a smile, Tommy Ng is the face of Jonker Street.

At this Malaysian restaurant (on Pacific Boulevard in Yaletown), the food will transport you to the streets of Malacca, Penang and Kuching, while Tommy’s warmth and hospitality will welcome you in and bring you back, time and again.

Unlike the Kopitiam’s (coffee shops) or Hawker Stalls (open-air food courts) native to the region, where the clamorous sounds, colorful sights and pungent smells grab a hold and surround you, Jonker Street exudes a quiet confidence.

And they should.

1) The concise menu offers many Malay staples:

• Satay; Gado-gado; Laksa; Kway Teo; Beef Rendang; Sago.

2) Many of their dishes standout and are absolutely crave-worthy!

• Their Roti Canai presents as a healthy version of the traditional; flaky on the outside yet never greasy, and soft and pipping hot within.

• Their Hainnease Chicken Rice (which owing to the usual grease and gristle, my mum had avoided for years) has amazingly clean flavors, the taste of the dish benefiting greatly from the use of free-range chicken.

3) Service is attentive and friendly, a Catch-22: with only one server (whenever we’ve been there) you get undivided attention.

• Unfortunately,  if you’re at one of the other tables then all that friendliness takes time… waiting for dishes to be  cleared, waiting for drink refills, waiting for the check.

4) Dishes are made to order and even some of the key ingredients (such as the chili sauce that accompanies the Hainnese Chicken Rice) are made in-house; a detail that is not lost on the taste and composition of dishes.

• However, such dedication to authenticity and perfection can prove consequential, as often there are timing issues with the kitchen as dishes come to the table uncomfortably out of sync;  a reoccurring problem for Vancouver restaurants with too small of a kitchen and too few hot plates and burners.

But, I digress. For authentic Malay food and hospitality, Jonker Street is well worth the visit.

~ kath