Rempah, Miramar, Wellington

This post was originally written for the Makan Blog Squad. Mr and Mrs Cake dined anonomously courtesy of Malaysia Kitchen.  

Rempah is an unassuming wee shop located in Miramar. It’s more a takeaway than restaurant, but there are three or four tables and it would be a great spot for a quick curry before a movie across the road at the recently refurbished Roxy.  Takeaways were order of the day for us, though – we chose a couple of nibbles and a meal each, and perhaps ten minutes later we were on our way with a delicious smelling bag of food – I commented to Mr Cake that the only bad thing about takeaways is the tormenting trip home, with the aroma of dinner wafting through the car.

Mr Cake ordered the chicken Nasi Goreng, while  I had my favourite (I’m so boring!) beef rendang, and we also got some beef satay and lamb curry puffs.

The curry puffs were absolutely delicious – still good and hot even after our pilgrimage home – with a flavoursome and gently spiced lamb filling. The satay sauce was scrummy, though the meat was a tad tough - perhaps this is just not a dish that travels well.

My rendang was just as I like it – warming, rich with coconutty goodness, and with generous and tender chunks of beef.  The curry meals come with included rice and roti, and the roti was great: Rempah make theirs on site, which does tend to indicate (correctly in this case) a softer and tastier roti.
Mr Cake’s Nasi Goreng was great, mild but with a nicely level of spice and flavour, and the chicken was well cooked and moist. It was also a very generous serving - he probably didn’t even make it halfway through it at dinner. That’s great, of course, as you get to experience the great flavours all over again for lunch or dinner the next day (perhaps even breakfast if you can stomach it!).
The whole meal was great value as well – we only spent $32 all up, for a very generous feed. If we lived a little closer to Miramar Rempah would definitely become a regular destination for us – luckily, though, they sell their sauces at Moore Wilson Fresh so I’ll still be able to get my rendang fix!

If you read this before lunchtime tomorrow and you're keen to get a taste of Malaysia for yourself, check out the “Can you handle the Malaysia Kitchen heat?” challenge. The first 100 people through the door at Istana Malaysia will get the chance to taste five different curries for free in return for rating the curries - and there will be spot prizes as well!

Friday 27 May, 12–2pm, Istana Malaysia, 1 Allen St, Wellington. Visit www.malaysiakitchen.co.nz for more info. 






Rempah is located at 4 Park Road, Miramar, Wellington, ph 04 380 9249, www.rempah.co.nz