I ♥ Madam Kwong

I've been wanting to blog about this little gem in Boxhill that I've discovered last year and has since dubbed as my favourite Malaysian shop... and it's none other than the awesome Madam Kwong!!!

When I told The Boyfriend that I am finally doing this post, he said to me, "I'm surprised you haven't already done it considering how much you love Madam Kwong." Well, I have to admit, I've been pretty slack, haven't I? I guess I also didn't want to really share at the start. :P

You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was when I first discovered Madam Kwong, well, for a number of reasons:

♥ They serve very authentic Malaysian hawker food! Om nom nom...
♥ They sell a variety of frozen Malaysia durians! *burp* :P
♥ They have freshly made nyonya kuih daily!

I've tried some of the kuih's and I have to say, so far so good - I am very impressed at how authentic and tasty they are. No surprises why they sell out quickly so be sure to get in early, or miss out! ;)

Now to the best part! Let me tell you my fellow friends, Madam Kwong does one of the best Har Mee (or as the Penangites call it - hokkien mee) I've ever had in Melbourne. The first time I had it, I even finished drinking the broth. It was THAT amazing!

And because of that, it deserves a second close-up shot! Just look at that! ;) Every time I visit, I'm torn in between as I want the har mee yet being the greedy me, I want to try something else.

It's quite a tough task having to convince The Boyfriend to do half-half with me as he loves his har mee a little too much to share!

Their Char Kuey Teow was also really good and far exceeded my expectations! I like how there was a nice level of wok-hei (flavour imparted to food by a highly heated wok during the process of stir-frying) fragrance which I really appreciate in my CKT!

You can opt for either mild, medium or spicy. Although I am not one to tolerate spice, I got a little ambitious and went for the medium thinking it would be moderately spicy, but oh hell no, my tummy was on fire! But worth it. So yum! :)

Once, I tried the Ipoh hor fun but sadly was a tad disappointed. The broth was rather bland and my spoon couldn't help but find its way to The Boyfriend's bowl of har mee for some ommph!

I have also, on a separate occasion, tried the Assam Laksa that my cousins have raved bout. Although the flavour was there, I much prefer Laksa King's version. Something wasn't quite right but I couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what. I've yet to try the Curry Laksa which The Boyfriend's mum has commented on, but that's next on my list.

I guess just like any other restaurants, Madam Kwong also has her "hit and miss". But one thing remains consistent throughout; and that's the super duper yummy ondeh-ondeh!!! *slurps*

Think the combination of coconut, pandan and juicy gula Melaka bursting on your taste buds with every piece you pop into your mouth!

Oh my, gimme some ondeh-ondehhhhh now!!!

If you're not a follower on Twitter, you might not have heard of my ondeh-ondeh story.

I was craving ondeh-ondeh for over a week and finally managed to talk The Boyfriend into taking me there during the weekend. As we were in the queue waiting to place our order, the lady in front of us bought the last box of ondeh-ondeh. Nuuuuuuuuuuu! (T_T)"""

The worst thing was, she sat right next to us and after they finished their meal, I watched as she cracked the plastic container open and eyed as she slowly popped the beautiful green round pieces into her mouth. Arghhhhhh!!!

At that point in time, I was this close to grabbing the box of ondeh ondeh and run for my life. This close. The boyfriend cracked up laughing because I was all ^#+£€<%}^#* urghhh! He thought it was really funny, but to me it was pure torture. :(

I then took away some kuih lapis to share with The Brudder instead. He demolished them so quickly. "Better than Malaysian ones" was his remark after he was done. Coming from someone as picky as he is, I guess that says something about Madam Kwong, doesn't it? ;)

I also tried the chai-kuey (steamed vegetable dumpling) on another visit and this really hits home! It is one of my favourite pasar malam (night market) snacks.

I cannot reiterate enough how much I love Madam Kwong's - it is a staple on my favourites list.

The Boyfriend and I have been to Madam Kwong's many times, and more to come for as long as they are open for business. Well, they better not close down the shop, or I will cry BIG TIME!

I would highly recommend you visit Madam Kwong if you haven't already! I give them two thumbs up, no, actually make that four (plus another two from the Boyfriend)!

Thinking of where to go for the weekend? Well, think no more, I've sorted that out for you. ;)