Selera Malaysian Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Frankfurt

Cosy little restaurant run by a Malaysian Chinese couple. During my stay in Frankfurt I visited twice ordering something different each time. Although Malaysian cuisine is often made up of street food, this restaurant has a balance of proper dishes and street food to cater for groups or individuals. I order their chicken rice during my first visit and Char Kway Teow during the second.

The chicken rice serving was huge! Being Hainanese (the birth place of chicken rice) and a Singaporean (where chicken rice was made a popular street food) I must say Selena’s chicken rice is neither like the Hainan version nor the Singapore version. But I liked it nonetheless. Okay maybe after 4 weeks in Europe, I missed my chicken rice. But seriously the chicken was succulent and tender. The chilli sauce was somewhere between piquant and sweet. Wish it had a bit more heat. Maybe the rice was cooked with chicken broth or ready made paste, but it was the let down for this dish.

The Char Kway Teow (fried rice noodles) was more the Penang style CKT, not the southern Malaysian type which is fried with sweet sauce. When served, I felt there was some wok heat. I wish they would add more chives and spice it up a little. And no, there were no cockles. This is Germany.

For those who miss Malaysian/Singapore food, this is the best place to be...

⭐Food: From what little we sampled (see pics), the cooking is top-notch. No corners cut. The flavors and textures are what they ought to be. And the two of us are no neophyte to this strand of cuisine, having enjoyed similar dishes in Singapore, Taipei, Guangzhou, Hongkong, New York, Düsseldorf (the capital of Asian food in EU) and of course dozens of cities on the mainland of China. The food is legit. More than legit.

⭐Service: kind, warm but brisk, bordering on rude from a European perspective. For example, plates were whisked away as I was still eating. Eager to turn the table, maybe? Though it was a somewhat slow Wednesday eve. But it reminds me of the heyday Hongkong efficiency and didn’t really stir up hard feelings.

⭐Atmosphere: Love the bamboo hat on the wall and other cultural touches that create a southeast Asian vibe. But the acoustics was very disturbing. The low ceiling and large areas of hard, smooth interior surfaces augmented all the sounds. Due to the coincidence that a very loud guy at the table next to us was passionately chatting away, my husband and I couldn’t hear each other if we leaned back in the chair. As a result, we had to strain our back and voices to be able to chat.

⭐Conclusion: I will be back for the food, but will avoid this place for dates. Hope these details are...

FOOD & DRINKS They offer Dim Sum and a wild mix between various Chinese and some Malaysian dishes. We ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice, Wonton Soup, Asam Laksa and Pepper Squid. My favorite of the bunch was the pepper squid. It was not the best I ever had but pretty decent which seems to be the theme in all their dishes we had. The wontons were nice but the soup was really lacking in flavor. Everything else was again pretty decent. I can't recommend the hot oil though. It tasted bland despite the chili and weird.

SERVICE Everyone was really nice and lovely. Service was really good.

ATMOSPHERE The place looks very outdated. If you prefer restaurants that feel old style like you are thrown back 10 years or so, you will love this. The ladies here still keep the restaurant tidy and clean.

RATING Food presentation is very simple, décor is from the 90s or older, food tasted from ok'ish to good. It is just not for me. If they had like one or two amazing items, I would have given them 4 stars despite the things I mentioned before. Give it...