Coconut House

449 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne CBD

This might not be the first place you’d think you’d find a Malaysian restaurant, but it’s actually one of the best I’ve had in the CBD, not to mention cheap!

If you’ve ever been to Malaysia, Coconut House is almost like one of those makan places you’d go eat at, from the decor down to the food.

The establishment doesn’t all the dishes you’d expect from the usual Malaysian restaurant.  There’s chicken rice, which you can get with either BBQ pork, Hainanese chicken, or classic ‘crispy’ chicken.  There’s also a couple variants of laksa, nasi lemak, and a Yong Tofu.  The cool thing about this place is that not only is the food pretty authentic, it’s damn cheap too!  $7.30 for Chicken rice?  You won’t find cheaper in the CBD.

My latest sampling at this place is the Nasi lemak with Curry chicken.  You get one egg, some cucumber, ikan bilis, sambal paste, and you choice of meat (in this case I picked the curry chicken).  The curry chicken is in what looks to be the same kind of curry as laksa, and you get about 4-5 small pieces.  At $8.80, it’s one of the more expensive things on the menu, but still cheaper than most other places.  The serving is a bit small though, after finishing this I find myself full but always wanting that bit more.

Value: 7/10

Taste: 8/10