William Chong

Website: http://www.skycitymetro.com/detail.asp?id=144; Ph: 09 309 3388; SkyCity Metro Food Court, 291-297 Queen St, Auckland Central; Email: kontak78@hotmail.com; drinks $3-5; mains from $8.

Rating: A

Prior to catching a movie at the Queen St cinemas, we looked around the Skycity Metro Food Court for something to eat. It’s not often we trailblaze into the city, and so we wanted to try something new. Just as we were about to look elsewhere, I spotted the boldly lit sign of Kaya + Toast. I instantly recognised the name as a feature of Malaysian cuisine; we had to check it out.

Once down a short flight of stairs, we looked around. The place combined a modern decor of bold reds, blacks and whites with visual displays of cultural paraphenalia uniquely Malaysian culture. Black-and-white photos of quaint Peninsular storefronts, hanging on the red-tiled walls. Comic books drawn by Malaysian cartoonist Lat, neatly stacked on a white formica bar counter. Jet-black tables with DIY hardwood benches. This place reminded me of childhood pilgrimages to the local kopitiam (coffee house).

While empty when we arrived, the 4-5 tables at Kaya + Toast quickly filled up, filling the air with familiar accents and exuberant talk in Manglish. It’s clear that Kaya + Toast is a hub for these expatriates, like myself, to hang out and remind themselves of food from their childhood, delicacies from their motherland.

Kaya + Toast’s menu throws together all the favourites from the traditional Malaysian coffeehouse. Food options include thick-cut toast and kaya spreads, chicken laksa dishes, and home-made fish curries. The beverages range from the popular Malaysian coffees and iced lemon teas, to drinks with names such as ‘I am diet’ (a mix of malty Horlicks and Nestum, a cereal drink) and ‘Charm’ (coffee and tea in the same cup). There’s an eerie familiarity to the menu, and in my opinion the coffeehouse cuisine here is as natural to the Malaysian psyche as fish and chips are to the Kiwi experience.

For my meal I tried the ubiquitous ‘nasi lemak’, a pseudo-platter of fragrant rice, anchovies, cucumber slices, peanuts and a hard-boiled egg. In Malaysia it’s normally eaten for breakfast, and mine came with an extra chicken drumstick. C stuck to a more modest bread and curry, which was well-flavoured and generously spiced.

While the food tasted great, I was a bit disappointed with the small portions and not-small pricing. It’s a far cry from Malaysian roadside stalls that offer more generous portions, and perhaps underscored the cost of importing an authentic Malaysian taste to Central Auckland. Nevertheless, with neigbouring BurgerKing pricing their calorie-laden combos at recessionary prices, Kaya + Toast could similarly do with a slight market correction.

Owner Vincent Chan opened this cafe in late 2008 and seems to have crafted a midcity hangout for homesick Malaysian students, and others well-acquanted with the eclectic kopitiam cuisine. Time will tell whether this place will draw in the uninitiated mainstream crowd and become a permanent fixture at the Skycity Metro food court.