Local Knowledge: Little Nyonya Serves Malaysian Classics at Two Local Bowlos

When I first arrived at Geebung Bowls Club, it was as textbook as it comes: carpeted floors, a bar that serves XXXX and pink lemonade with a vast view of the flat, faded turf outside. But strikingly, this bowlo didn’t smell like frying oil or burgers – it smelt like a hawker hall in Southeast Asia.

The aroma of wok hei, vibrant sambal and rich laksa emanates from Little Nyonya Kitchen, the restaurant inside the club. Young families sit around tables crunching on curry puffs and sipping on tall glasses of teh Tarik, while polo-clad men in their sixties wait around to toss the coin. It’s an unexpected blend of people, but it’s a distinctively Australian scene.

Annie Kerk, owner and head chef of Little Nyonya Kitchen, couldn’t find any authentic Malaysian food when she moved to Brisbane in 2012. “So I thought, why don’t I start my own? It can help people who feel homesick feel better,” she tells Broadsheet.

Little Nyonya began as a weekend-only stall that served nasi lemak, curry laksa and char kway teow at the West End Markets back in 2014. Four years later, Kerk expanded to a food truck and a kiosk at the University of Queensland. Eleven years after that first market stall, Kerk has two Little Nyonya restaurants: one in Geebung Bowls Club and another at The Grove Sports Club in Ferny Grove.

Kerk’s family – her husband Steven Chew (an IT engineer) and their two young daughters, Josie and Joanna Chew – all help out at the restaurants. The kids don the red polo uniform and deliver large bowls of food with two hands. “I started working in restaurants when I was only seven, like my kids. They take orders, they garnish dishes, they check plating and run food and chat with the customers,” Kerk says. “It’s a great environment to work in and they love it.”

The family had just returned from Malaysia to attend Kerk’s grandmother’s funeral a few days before our chat. “I always watched [my mum and grandma cook] and I’m blessed because I have sensitive taste buds. It’s an instinct – even when I’m sleeping, I dream about cooking.”

Kerk still loves Malaysia but isn’t as homesick these days. “The food I cook here actually tastes better [than back in Malaysia]. We are lucky to be in Australia – we have great resources and the quality of the produce is amazing.”

Her Malaysian eateries offer a line-up of classics built around its signature sambal and wok-fired staples. The menu moves from nasi lemak plates topped with beef rendang, curry fish or crispy tofu, to fried rice and noodle dishes like mee goreng mamak and char kway teow. The team also makes a selection of Malaysian sweets: kuih talam, steamed coconut pandan cake; kuih kelapa, coconut biscuit; and ondeh ondeh, glutinous rice balls filled with palm sugar.

Kerk visits the Inala markets every week for seasonal produce to use for weekly specials. Specials often feature fruit, which isn’t traditionally used in Malaysian cooking, but Kerk likes to experiment with different tropical Queensland ingredients. She serves seafood and pineapple fried rice, lychee duck curry, and tiger prawn Hokkien mee.

Every week, Little Nyonya makes meals for Nourish Street Inc, a local charity that delivers meals to those without homes on the northside. Lunch is also free for kids at the restaurant during the week. “There aren’t a lot of Asian restaurants that let kids eat free, but we do because the economy is bad and families deserve to eat good meals together,” Kerk says.

Little Nyonya Kitchen
Geebung
Geebung Bowls Club, 357 Robinson Road West, Zillmere
0403 185 081

Ferny Grove
The Grove Sports Club, 20 Tramway Street, Ferny Grove
0478 883 855

Hour:
Geebung
Wed 4pm–8pm
Thu to Sat 11am–2.30pm, 4pm–8.30pm
Sun 11am–2.30pm

Ferny Grove
Wed to Fri 5pm–8pm
Sat 11.30am–2pm, 5pm–8pm

@littlenyonyakitchen