Ho Jiak Haymarket

Junda Khoo’s original business was the Ho Jiak street-food-inspired stall in Strathfield Mall. Now, for the first time, he’s cooking and serving his family recipes.

Khoo grew up on Lebuh Ah Quee, a street on the Malaysian island of Penang. He spent a lot of time with his grandma, a passionate and skilled cook, and the food here is what she used to cook for him.

The menu is enormous. There’s charcoal-grill-roasted whole chickens and crab by the kilo, as well as a choose-what-you-want seafood station arranged as they do it in Penang – over ice at the front of the restaurant.

If you’re looking for something punchier, turn to the “Signatures” section, a collection of popular, mainly fried dishes from the menu of Ho Jiak Strathfield. For an authentic experience, eat these downstairs – the brightly coloured window frames and striped awnings are exactly like those of Lebuh Ah Quee Street.

If it’s the more family-style dishes you’re after – like an omelette – head upstairs; the large space has been meticulously fitted-out to mirror Khoo’s family home. The floors are lined with imported tiles, the walls with knick-knacks from Penang, and there are even a few framed shots of Khoo’s family.