Seri Malaysia Restaurant

so sad to hear it has closed :(going into Vancouver will never be the same again.

Yes it’s the BEST Malaysian food in Vancouver and I’m heart broken that Jamal had to close it down last month. He’s from Johor Bahru (West of Malaysia) and has every good intention to promote authentic Malaysian food and it’s culture. The restaurant was decorated with humble Malaysian nature and landscape paintings. There were even touristic brochures.
I will miss his nasi goreng kampong, chicken beriyani, and chendol BIG TIME.

Closed as of Feb 12, 2012.
I came to really like this joint — when we were told Sunday was their final day in business (closing down, no plans yet to relocate), I wish in mild shock. The place was packed on a Saturday afternoon. Even though I visited frequently, I never got used to that police siren door alarm.
They waited until we got the bill to break the bad news. They were considerate enough to let us enjoy my final roti canai (my favourite at any GVRD Malay restaurant), my final pulled tea, and my final curry/​redang here. Sure service was slow as hell and the washroom is a utility closet — but I really came to like this place. It was unexpected.
After settling the bill, the waiter crept by our table and asked if we had a good meal (probably in a moment of weakness). I let out a heartless but truthful affirmation. An awkward silence passes…
Me: [still stunned at the news] «…so… I mean… [choking back]… you guys aren’t going to open up anywhere else?» [I might as well have been on my knees begging for another chance]
Him: [turns away from us and starts walking away] «Sunday! Final day!»
I didn’t detect his voice cracking, but I like to imagine that as he walked away, he murmured to himself, «Stay strong… just make it make to the kitchen… don’t let him see you cry…»
… either that or he was just a curt man. (shrug). Oh well.
But Seri: «Kembali.» In my line of work, I put the end to more dreams than alarm clocks. To quote a former client who said to me this time last year, «I feel like the… most meaningful relationship of my life was ended on Valentine’s Day.» I didn’t understand it at the time — but I empathize now.

BEST traditional Malaysian food in Vancouver! Every dish we had was wonderfully flavorful and delicious!
I highly recommend the Beef Rendang as well as the Mee Go Rang (don’t know if I’m spelling that right)! There’s honestly nothing like it in Vancouver!

My friend decided to move away. Booooo… he chose to eat here the night before he left… Yeah!
My husband and I walk in and are under arrest. The infamous siren. I guess because it’s a small, two man operation that it’s easier to make a lot of noise when someone comes in or out. Easier than running down the street after someone who steals from you. We all can’t be athletes.
I have no idea what I ate because my friend took care of the ordering. He was a regular and has had almost everything on the menu. His party took up most of the restaurant so I got to have lots of small bites of many dishes. It’s the best way to dine. Everything had a nice heat. We had green beans, prawns, roti canai, fried rice, laksa… everything was good. The dishes were huge and served family style. I loaded my plate with white rice and then a little bit of everything. Well, I had a lot of the green beans. They were the easiest to reach and cooked perfectly. They were still crisp and had a nice shrimp-​y flavour. The curry that came with the roti was a little too sweet for me, but the roti was nice and fluffy. There were way more dishes, but those were the ones I could reach. I couldn’t ask anyone to pass anything because my mouth was too full.
There is no alcohol here. I am okay with that… my friends look like the world ended.

They have the best cendol I’ve ever tried so far in vancouver. tasted close to the real thing in asia. Love their nasi goreng kampung (home style fried rice) It’s so spicy and tasty! yumm.
However, I do dislike their door bell. (Got used to it after frequent visits. it will be annoying to first comers though.) Still worth the try! Good value good food!

This place is low on the charm, is fluorescently lit, the wait is long and if the younger guy (the son?) is working you will be lucky to get a hello. Also, the door bell thing that constantly chimes, that some may take as charming I find a little bit like nails on a chalk board. However, that all said the food is fantastic, the proportions are huge and it is rather cheap! It is quickly becoming one of my regular dinner spots. Who cares about niceties when you can get a great meal for pocket change.
Get the lamb and you won’t regret it. Lots of love to Seri Malaysia!

This place is one of my favorites in Vancouver. I’m a hole-​in-​the-​wall kind of eater so this place hits the spot big time. Jamal is chef and owner and often works without help so service can be spotty at times. I suggest coming before or after peak hours.
The first thing you notice when you walk in the doors is well… a really funny sounding door alarm — Jamal had to put one in because people would come in and steal from the register while he was cooking in the back.
You’ll also notice the place is pretty grungy looking, but onto the good stuff…
The Char Quey Teow is one of my favorite noodle dishes in vancouver. It’s got such a beautiful flavour with all that malaysian flavour goodness, love the sweet bites of pepper or greens in it as well. I’ve tried the mee goreng and curry noodles as well, and they are both good but definitely I always get Char Quey Teow and make it spicy! SO GOOD!
The Satay’s are quite good too albeit a bit small on the portion side I find.
The Roti is just alright. It’s a big flat looking, doesn’t have that crispy exterior or layered goodness. It is flaky though and the dip is very good.
The curries are good. I’m not a fan of the fried rices — I don’t like those little salted fishy things on em!
What Seri Malaysia lacks in ambiance and service, it makes up for it in spades with its wonderful flavors and food! It’s easy on the wallet too!

This is my fav. spot for some ethnic savories and a change! I’ve by now, tried just about everything in their menu. Some are more of my favorites than the others but they are all very good! All my friends and families I brought here really liked the food and even asked me to suggest more hole-​in-​a-​wall places.
As you can see from other reviews, this place serves Malaysian food that is as authentic as you can get! Remember it’s best to make reservations or call to make sure they are open. Operated by 1 man with an occasional employee, he admits that sometimes he has large party bookings that he has to devote to.

Went to the Giants game a couple of nights ago and looked up to see where in the area had a good restaurant. After reading the reviews and starting to crave roti it was decided after a coin flip that this would be the place.
A good flip of the coin made for an excellent choice. Between 4 of us we shared roti, chicken currey, chicken fried rice and a noddle dish. All of which were delish. If in the area and a coin flip needs to be made on where to eat this will be one of the options.
Mmmm roti. I could keep eating that stuff.

Warning: when you enter this place, the police sirens will sound!
Not exactly the warmest welcome. I got startled, just like when you walk out of the store and the sirens start beeping like a loud, drunk robot.
That oddity aside, the sole female server was polite and courteous. But ya, the ambience is your typical hole-​in-​the-​wall type. Definitely not fancy, but hey, restaurants are all about the food right?
Ordered up the roti with curry dip (diplicious) and beef and chicken satay with peanut sauce (solid flavours). For main I had their quasi laksa (chicken noodle soup). This was alright, but seemed to be missing something.
Service was pretty slow as I guess it’s just the one chef in the back, so patience and stomach control is required.
Cash only, but no tax on the bill (when I went)!

Free admission day at the PNE causes a hoard of people to flock to the park on Hastings and Renfrew. I LOVE free, so being one of those frugal people, I made my way there… half an hour before the free admission ended. As I left my house, I drove half a block, and then I was struck with a massive traffic jam. Yes, of people all going to the PNE. After waiting for 15 minutes and getting no where, I said @#$% it. Let’s go eat.
So my boyfriend recommended this Malaysian place on Hastings… and little did I know, that I as about to experience a delicious taste explosion in my mouth. At 12 the afternoon.
The restaurant is pretty much a one man show. The owner/​cook/​server is super friendly, chatty and a SUPERB cook. And I mean it. Real (close to) authentic Malaysian food. («Close to» because some ingredients are different.)
I had…
— Roti Canai: Nothing but yummy
— Chicken curry noodle: OMG OMG OMG OMG. Give me the curry and I will DRINK it. (see picture)
— Teh tarik: Malay iced tea. Have you tried? Refreshing. Light. Kind of tastes like chai… but not as strong.
I’m dying to go here again… for dinner, so I can order EVERYTHING on the menu. I guess the owner will have a lot of cooking to do when I come. What can I say, hungry hungry bunnie!

Firstly the place is a time warp back into the eighties, so if anyone is there its for the food.
When I went there was only 1 person running the entire restaurant. He was the server, cashier, and cook. This guy was nuts, an impressive show on its own.
I order the large sized rendang beef, roti, and french beans in a «sambal sauce».
When you order a large size its freaking huge, so definitely good value for money.
The roti is different here, its more like a pastry. Its very flakey which I suspect is due to the high butter content. Its good but different.
The food was good but not great. Unfortunately doesn’t beat the banana leaf, which is the standard I set for Malaysian food.
Unfortunately the food is VERY SALTY, which is a bit annoying.

In my quest to leave no Malaysian Restaurant in Vancouver unturned, the wife and I came here for lunch on a rainy day.
We ordered Roti (of course), grilled mackerel (YUM) and mee goreng mamak style (curried). We also ordered salted fish fried rice. So good, so stinky in the most authentic sort of way, so fricking amazingly yummy.
The service was great, our server (I think he was the owner?) was a really sweet guy.
We finished off with an icy cold cendol. Cendol was a bit on the soft side but absolutely yummy.
For your fix of more authentic homely Malaysian food, eat here!
Oh, everything is Halal, and cash only.

Surprised! When you look at it’s outside, you won’t be attracted at all. But actually the place is neat and clean, the servers are friendly with smiles, food is almost perfect! My detail ranking as below:
Roti Canai (Malaysian puff bread served hot with curry):
As someone already said, it’s amazingly delicious! Price is $ 5.5 for two fairly big bread cut into 8 quarters, served with curry sauce/​dipping. OMG, this was the best I ever had!
*I give it a 5 star!!!
Satay (beef or chicken skewers w/​peanut sauce, cucumbers):
My wife and I ordered 4 chicken and 2 beef. (I think, because they’re Muslim so they don’t have pork!) Honestly, these were as close as what I had in Malaysia before. Unfortunately, pork would be the best choice cuz usually it would be more juicy. The chicken and beef are a little juiceless. Taste was quite good with the satay sauce.
*I give it a 4 star!!!
Daging Kambing Bryani (fragrant rice cooked Malay style w/​lamb):
The very first time for us to try this «fragrant rice», and a little surprisingly, it really tasted good! The rice was not as dry and hard as we expected, but it’s well moist with taste. Pieces of chopped lamb were more than expected, and cooked tenderly without loosing its texture. The dish was really tasty except there’s a type of herb (something like shelled peas?) that we don’t like much, it’s not about the taste of it but the texture (maybe just a personal preference).
*I give it a 4.5 star!!!
So, overall 4 stars!!! Very likely we’ll go again… and again! ^o^

This spot is definitely unsuspecting — what the restaurant lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in East Van charm and delicious food.
I have only ordered food to-​go here but whenever I do, the owner always adds a little something extra which is a sweet gesture these days. He’s mentioned the business is not doing so great, I think it’s the location, so do your neighbourhood a favour and support this place! It definitely deserves to be a mainstay on the eclectic Hastings-​Sunrise strip.
Food is made to order and is always fresh and well seasoned — not a fan of bland cuisine, gimme my spice! I had the Mee Rebus with shrimp on on my last visit, egg noodles, bean sprouts, egg and green chilies bathed in a yummy curry sauce. He packs stuff separately so I ended up with a bunch of the leftover curry which I’ll probably use on something I can whip up at home.
My only disappointment is that you can’t just order one roti to go with your food, you have to order the 2 for $ 5.50 which is too much if you’re dining solo.
In any case, do your tastebuds a favour and check this place out!

Tasty food. Ate the chicken curry special which comes with a ton of rice and a pop. Made the mistake of ordering the roti canai, although very tasty, a little too greasy for my liking and overall too much food for one person. Ended up not eating it all. Still, for the taste, quantity and price, this place is very hard to beat. Will try the curry beef next time sans roti canai.

I don’t know if this place is authentic but it tastes AMAZING. The owner is Malaysian, if that makes a difference.
Chicken Curry w/​rice + pop. $ 6.75.
Beef Noodles… $ 7.75.
Only go here on a cold day, it gets warm in here.
This being my first good experience with Malaysian food, I highly recommend it. Usually certain SE Asian spices bother my stomach, but this was perfectly fine. Also, I thought it was full of flavor and just spicy enough, so it’s a good thing that dish came with «pop» and a pitcher of water.
Please go here. you won’t be disappointed! And your wallet will thank you.

Let’s get this out of the way: cash only.
Every meal we had was tasty. Perfectly spiced. Perfectly balanced flavours.
Starting with the Roti Canai with it’s flaky texture and curry dipping sauce. All fresh and hot.
Ah, the Mee Goreng. Fried thin yellow noodles with fried onion toppings, vegetables and chili. Sweet, spicy and surprisingly not oily. Heaven.
The Beef Rendang I have to say I was never a fan with it’s various incarnations in French and Asian cuisines. But I have to applaud the long and slow cooking process and this restaurant’s flavourful concoction with a hint of just about what the dish is supposed to have — coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger and chillies. Served with a bowl of white rice, it’s a great meal in itself.
We capped the meal with an order of Cendol made with coconut milk, starch noodles and sweetened with palm sugar served over ice. Don’t wait ’til dessert time as it’s perfect for sipping in between bites.
Service is warm, patient and friendly. I couldn’t ask for a better experience than at this restaurant. Even the owner-​slash-​cook came out from the kitchen to check on each table.
Oh and when you order water, they will bring you a big ass pitcher for your table. Use it wisely because we all know that water doesn’t soothe the tongue from the spicy hot meal. So I would suggest pouring it over your head to cool you off because the restaurant doesn’t have any air conditioner. Which is the reason for me not giving it a perfect rating. If you’re going to serve spicy dishes on a hot Summer day, I would suggest a cool atmosphere to make the dining experience psychologically even more pleasurable.
Other than that, I’m definitely coming back with our Unilocal paper fans on hand.

Visited this Halal Malaysian place today. The service was extremely friendly and gave a very warm welcome. Ordered a nice spread including roti canai, french beans with belachan, veggie curry, chili prawns, and keow teow.
The roti canai were piping hot and nice and flaky the way I like them. The dipping curry was flavourful, and very similar to those I have had in Singapore at mamak stalls.
The french beans were perfectly done, with just a bit of crunch left in them. The belachan flavouring was strong, yet balanced nicely with the beans.
The veggie curry was dominated by cabbage and fried tofu. The crunchiness of the fried tofu blended nicely with the softer cabbage and curry broth. I generally prefer my curries to be slightly thicker, but the flavour was nice.
The chili prawns had a nice hint of spice without being overpowering. They were deep-​fried to crunchy goodness and then stir-​fried with peppers. A nice dish overall.
The keow teow had a nice balance, and the noodles were done nicely. There was a bit more oil than I normally would like, but the flavours were well rounded overall.
Had a big bowl of rice for all of us as well. It was slightly overcooked and a bit mushy. But not terribly so.
Among the various Malaysian options in Vancouver, I think this is the closest to the Malaysian food I have had in S.E. Asia. A nice hole-​in-​the-​wall overall!
I will likely return and work my way through the rest of the menu.

Authentic Malaysian food in a non descript restaurant on Hastings St. The flavours are authentic — terrific food and very low prices. Try the Beef Rendang and Malaysian French Beans.
Cash Only.