Satay House, Paddington

I don’t venture to Paddington and Edgware Road much…

I’ve always found it to be a bit of a desert surrounded by a plethora of better places to eat. A bit too south for the great curry places but a bit too north for the upmarket eateries of Kensington and Green Park. But is there more to the area than I first thought?

Satay House is a family owned restaurant which has been around in some form or another for over 35 years. Opened in the Seventies by Jaafar A Shawal, with his wife Zaharah Hashim, who had already run a successful fine dining restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, their plan was to appeal to the increasingly large Malaysian community in London.

Now, many years on, their daughter Fatizah Shawal has taken over the business and runs it, with the help of other family members, including her brother. A recent refurb, incorporating rich reds, black with bamboo tones and Malaysian art has turned the space into an intimate dining area. The restaurant is quite small, with seating both upstairs and downstairs, but it’s a friendly environment and on the night we went it was very busy – always a good sign.

The menu – which encourages a sort of tapas approach to food – is a mix of classic Malaysian dishes and some things that you might be less familiar with. We started with Begedil – spiced lamb and potato cutlets (£2.80) and Udang Goreng Tepong – prawns in batter with sweet chilli sauce (£7.70). The lamb was excellent, the Malaysian flavours making it a rich and succulent starter, and the prawns were huge, fresh and tasty.

It’s clear that quality of ingredients is a priority here, and that became more evident in our main courses. Having rather a penchant for prawns we had the Udang Galah Goreng Berlada – king prawns stir-fried with ground shrimp and hot chillies (£10.70), and the Rendang Daging – slow-cooked beef with coconut milk, herbs and spices (£8.10). The beef was expertly cooked and the sauce filled with subtle flavours; the king prawns were a highlight, a generous portion, succulent and incredibly tasty. We complemented all of this with some sides of roti (£4.00) a fantastic flatbread, perfect for soaking up the spicy sauce, and some Sawi Goreng, choi sum and oyster sauce, a fresh, spicy accompaniment to the meat and fish.

We washed this all down with a well–priced bottle of Mad Fish Cabernet Sauvignon (£23.50), and a lychee sorbet to finish with (£3.90); a perfect way to cleanse the palate.

My meal at Satay House was a delight. It has retained that friendly, family feel and is really good value for money with some of the best Malaysian I’ve ever had, along with friendly and efficient service. Not only is it worth visiting if you live here, it’s worth going out of your way for.

Satay House
13 Sale Place
Paddington
W2 1PX

Tel: 020 7723 6763

www.satay-house.co.uk