Dewok Noodle Bar — Restaurant in District of Belconnen

Finally...

... Canberra has a Malaysian/Singaporean shop worth raving about...!

We have been wanting to come along after seeing and hearing many reviews about this place.

Ordered the following: char kway teow (my standard go-to) - mi goreng (malay-style fried noodles) wah tan crispy noodles (crispy noodles with smooth runny egg) nasi lemak with beef rendang.

All were served promptly, considering the long queue of customers. Huge contrast to a franchise that struggled with a smaller crowd and more staff that we last experienced.

Standouts were the beef rendang for me; CKT and Wah tan noodles for the children!

Disclaimer: I first went to Ming's Pantry several years ago in the city and thought that was the best. Subsequently, I found out the chef there was family to my then-colleague. They had moved on and were elsewhere a few years and finally took over from Dewok this year. I was eager to try out Dewok for that reason and was not...

Poorly run business that seems out of place in this location. The standard it operates at suits a city centre side street much better, where people don't care so much about aesthetics, in the name of 'character'. Anyway, weekday lunchtime, had to wait nigh on 25 minutes for a simple Pad Thai. One guy cooking, one dish at a time. Dubious pricing strategy too, as published prices (printed and online) vary from what you pay at the counter. A very small notice at waist height, sticky taped to the counter, mentions an extra dollar being added to all prices to 'sustain the business'. All a bit dodgy. Could possibly ignore all of this if the food was exceptional. It wasn't. Average at best unfortunately. I get it, it's tough running a business. Someone needs to take a step back and have a good look at making some...

Apologies if too strict in my review. I came back from Melbourne so comparing the food here to there 😌

Wan tan hit was not bad but not great - the broth is a bit watery. Thicken a bit and it should be good.

Nasi lemak - the sambal had no kick - sorry - that is the truth. Also not enough sambal for the amount of rice served. Curry chicken was a bit bland - no oomph. Too much peanuts though generous amount of anchovies.

Staff were busy and courteous but not friendly - which is unusual for Malaysians. I was surprised. The cook /chef ? did come around and talk to someone they obviously knew. Would have been nice if they had made a slight effort and talked to other customers and asked how...