Malay Fellas bring Wagyu to 5/5 menu in London Bayswater

The last time we reviewed Malay Fellas in 2022, they blew us away with their precision and balance of flavours to secure a straight 5/5 rating.

Before then, we’d never been delivered Malaysian cooking as consistently good as this in London, or beyond for that matter.

After setting the “cuisine standard” at the time, this brand appears to have set another benchmark by becoming the first Malaysian restaurant in the UK to offer Wagyu beef across its entire menu.

With extensive experience in the food industry, not only has owner Harith managed to source both Irish F1 Rosendale and Australian Wagyu, but is serving it at affordable prices.

Unlike most traditional Malay restaurants, Malay Fellas is modern!

Private room downstairs for a dozen

For his latest venue in London’s Queensway, Harith has also ditched the typical approach of opting for a traditional Malaysian interior theme in favour of a more contemporary, minimalist aesthetic.

The result is this 53-cover modern venue, which offers a prayer space downstairs in its private dining room (subject to availability), which comes complete with a large flat-screen, and can cater for up to a dozen guests.

Having in the past worked at Zoila restaurant, which is part of the Michelin Guide, Harith has brought his considerable skills to bear on this latest menu, with the addition of new items you will not find anywhere else.

Tulang Sum-Sum Bakar – Roasted beef bone marrow, curry sauce, roti, £12.00

Comes with crispy Roti

This Tulang Sum-Sum Bakar is the first of Malay Fellas’ newest additions to their menu.

The story behind this involves Harith’s partner sampling his many experimental attempts, before giving this the nod of approval.

Of course, this is one of those innovative dishes which you will not find at any other Malaysian restaurant.

With the roasted beef bone marrow resting in a pool of textured curry, which had a nutty edge to it and was gently spiced, the accompanying uber-crispy roti was perfect in scooping out all that deliciously soft, gelatinous marrow.

Cendawan Goreng Garam Cili – Enoki mushrooms with sweet chilli dipping sauce, £9.00

The owner was adamant that we give this innocuous-sounding Cendawan Goreng Garam Cili a try.

What we received were delicately crispy, battered Enoki mushrooms, which were beautifully seasoned with flecks of chilli on the out, tender on the in, and paired with a pleasantly sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Ayam Goreng Kunyit – Crispy turmeric-fried chicken, £8.00

We weren’t expecting this simple looking Ayam Goreng Kunyit small plate to be this good.

Rustically covered in a lightly spiced, fragrant sauce, these chicken wings were fried in turmeric, and showed off a sophisticatedly unique flavour profile.

Ikan Bakar Air Asam – Grilled whole boneless sea bass with tamarind sauce, £28.00

What an absolutely memorable dish this Ikan Bakar Air Asam turned out to, with an entire boneless sea bass grilled in salt and turmeric to a perfect finish.

Liberally based in a tantalisingly tangy tamarind sauce, with sliced chillis offering some heat, its crunchy skin gave way to utterly moist white flesh beneath; we just couldn’t get enough of it.

Sotong Bakar – Grilled squid with Sambal, £19.00

And if the above hadn’t impressed us enough, out came this gorgeous Sotong Bakar.

Again, the grilling of the squid was exceptional, culminating in it being firm enough to ensure a springy bite, but soft enough to remain tender.

Smothered in a mellow sambal sauce, this was arguably one of the best squid dishes we’ve had in quite some time, and certainly the dish of this review!

Masak Lemak Cili Api Daging – Rosendale Wagyu Diamond Grade curry, £18.00

Since this review was geared towards the Wagyu, we had to try two of the three dishes from their Beef section to justify our visit.

This Masak Lemak Cili Api Daging was impressive, with smoked slices of Rosendale Diamond Grade Wagyu submerged in a truly aromatic coconut curry, and driven by the unmistakable flavour of the lemongrass, with the chilli meandering in the background. Superb.

Rendang Daging Wagyu – Rosendale Wagyu Diamond Grade, £17.00

It goes without saying that this Rendang Daging was always on the cards, with the Rosendale Diamond Grade Wagyu beef doing all the talking.

What we had here was slow-cooked, tender and flaky meat enveloped in deeply rich and satisfying semi-dry sauce that had a subtle spicy-sweetness to it. The dry onion flakes offered that textural contrast.

Pandan Crème Brûlée – Pandan custard with caramelised top, £8.00

An exquisitely made Pandan Crème Brûlée, with the caramelised crunchy top layer characteristically giving way to fragrant pandan custard with just the right consistency and sweetness.

Milo Tiramisu – Malay twist on Italic classic, £6.00

This Malay twist on an Italian classic had a light and creamy tiramisu being infused with the flavour of Malaysia’s beloved chocolate malt drink, Milo, to end an impressive evening at Malay Fellas.