Top Nine Meals of 2020

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Here are our NINE favourite meals of 2020. 

Previously, we did a list of the top nine NEW restaurants and cafes that opened in 2019. 

This round, we decided to broaden the scope to include any restaurants we discovered this year (regardless of when they opened).

As with all lists, our choices are entirely subjective as we take into consideration the food, service and overall experience. We really took the time to discuss and deliberate our choices (susah leh ‘coz we ate a lot of good food this year) – and if you know us, we only share food that we enjoy here. 

We also excluded cafes from this list (we’ll put some honorable mentions later). This list is not in any order of preference. 

Without further ado, here we go!

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1. Loo Loo Dining [Pork-free] – By cutting off fat from their cost structure, Loo Loo offers fine food at very affordable prices. The setting is simple and casual. We enjoyed the steak, buns and pasta. Read the original post here.

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2. Nasi Padang Kg Baru/Nasi Kapau [Halal] – Ok, here’s a cheat by including two. Nasi Kapau was Max’s first introduction to proper Nasi Padang – the dendeng batokok and ayam pop here are dabombs! However, Kapau was closed for most of the year. Meanwhile, Nasi Padang Kg Baru has become a favourite for us – we love the dendeng balado, gulai ayam and sambal ijo here. Read the original posts here and here.

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3. WOP Pizza [Muslim-owned, pork-free] – With a new location, WOP Pizza continues to dish out delicious sourdough Neopolitan pizzas to its customers. As a litmus test, the Magherita passes with flying colours with its juicy tomato sauce, and mozzarella made from fresh buffalo milk. Crust is perfezione! Disclaimer: Ming has yet to try this, so the review is based on Max’s last visit. Read the original post here.

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4. Charline [Pork-free] – Taking inspiration from Uruguayan cuisine, Charline offers lovely nourishments over custom-made wood-fired grill. The outdoor setting is romantic and service is great. We loved the grilled corn, bone marrow, snapper and Wagyu rump. Full post here.

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5. Loh Kei Duck Koay Teow Th’ng [Non-halal]  – Flavourful soup, silky-smooth koay teow and tender duck meat, this was the favourite meal from our recent Penang trip! Read our full post here.

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6. Masala Wheels [Pork-free] – A social enterprise restaurant offering delectable banana leaf rice. The rice comes with a whopping nine side dishes and six curries to drench your rice with. Love the dhal, onion and crab curries – as well as the mutton peratal and mutton bone marrow curry. Check out our full post here.

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7. Le Shrimp Ramen, Singapore [Non-halal] – Imagine Ipoh kuey teow with a more concentrated shrimp taste and the consistency of tonkotsu broth! So full of prawn-y goodness and umami – this was our favourite meal in Singapore. Prawns were succulent! Check out our Instagram post here.

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8. Canvass KL [Pork-free] – With a focus on local produce and sustainable practices, Canvass dishes out delectable Nordic-inspired dishes in the 100-year old shophouse of Old Malaya. We recommend the Angus beef cheeks and cocktails. Perfect for date nights with a clear view of KL Tower when you dine outdoors. See our original post here.

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9. House of Patin [Halal] – We’ve tried a few patin tempoyaks, but HoP’s is still the best with its rich, savoury flavours. Cukup tempoyak, cukup sedap! Love the tempoyak pais too for a more thicker gravy. The patin is always fresh with no bau hanyir. If it’s good enough for the Pahang royal family, it’s good for us (see our post when we met the Crown Prince). Disclaimer: Ming doesn’t like durians so she no go here. See our posts here and here.

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Honorable mentions:
D’Salai [Halal] – Really good daging and itik salai within the compound of Dewan Perdana Felda. See post here.
Charlie’s Cafe [Pork-free] – Sabahan folks offering good Sarawak laksa, Laksa Malaysia (Curry laksa + Sarawak laksa) and chicken chop. See post here.
Nasi Ahmad [Halal] – Really good Kedah-style nasi kandar. See post here.

Happy New Year! Looking forward to sharing more yummy food in 2021!