I agree with those who say that the service at this restaurant is abominable. Beware of being seated near the door in winter, as you will freeze. Having said that, the food here is delicious and, according to my Malaysian relatives, authentic. I recommend the gado-gado-like dish with fried tofu, the hainan chicken, the beef rendang, all the curries and the chicken satay.
I am not particularly bothered by abusive service, but those who are might sidestep this place and go to sambals in North Ryde, which is similarly delicious.
My husband and I showed up at about 6:30 pm on a thursday night, no booking, heard someone snap inside "tell them they have to be out within an hour" in cantonese, the waitress came out and said politely in english "do you think you could please be out in about an hour?" which was kind! Got inside to find that my husband was about one of three aussies in the entire place, which always says good things about the food!
Sat ridiculously close to the next table, but that's OK. Food was great, service was OK (no frills, but were polite and efficient), ambience not great but we weren't expecting it to be. The food came out quickly, fresh and hot, and with the lack of ambience we were certainly out of there within the hour. Prices OK.
Dropping in for a quick lunch alone, I should've known better than to ask for a table outside on my own, out of view of the floor staff. I was forgotten from the start, having to go inside after waiting 10 minutes to flag a waiter and order the king prawn har mee. Requested water never materialised with the steaming bowl of beautiful smelling noodles. Nor did a spoon for the soup or napkin.
The noodle soup itself though was redemption. The prawn stock soup was pungent, the noodles bouncy and two big, fresh (not frozen!) prawns perched on top were sweet and meaty. It took me right back to the wonderful street food I've enjoyed in Malaysia.
No doubt the tucker is great here and the droves of people that flock here testify to that, it's just a shame the service really lets this place down.
Bustling atmosphere and good quality food. The pace is rushed and tables a little cramped but the flavours are bright and lively. Prices reasonable too.
Busy restaurant tucked away in a small alley which is well known amongst locals and office workers. I quite like their food, especially their Hainan Chicken for which I rate as the best in Sydney. Worth trying this place for their lunch specials.
I love the food at Temasek. I've been there a handful of times for dinner with the family. Always without a booking, we've been lucky, I guess to get a table, although we are seated outside. After reading some horror stories about service without a booking, perhaps, I'll call ahead next time, just in case. My favourite dish is the chicken curry or ayam pircic (curry without cream). One dish could easily feed two adults and for around $16, now that's really value for money esp compared to other eateries in the area.
The wait staff could be friendlier, but the restaurant is always busy, so you can't expect them to stand there and have a conversation with you. My advice don't just sit there and wait to be served if you can see that they are really busy, make sure you call out to them so they know that you are ready to order.
Ate here last night, had a fantastic time. Came here as a recommendation from a friend and was pleasantly surprised as I had lived in the area for 15+ years and had never discovered this place before. Will be eating here much more often from now on.
I had the chicken and potato curry and it was delicious, definitely one of the best curries I had tasted in a long time. Others on my table ordered the Hainan Chicken and commented on how good it was, however, it wasn't good enough to be "The Best in Sydney" as others have claimed. Maybe a few more tastings of this dish could confirm this.
The service was very good. The waitresses were friendly and helpful and the food was served quick and fresh. Definitely the best service I had received from an asian restaurant for a long time.
I have been a patron of this restaurant for almost twenty years and the food is good but now I am not so sure. I have eaten their sambal belacan in the curry laksa and hokkien noodles and always got food poisoning. I must admit their Hainanese Chicken Rice is the best I have tasted so far in Sydney. Unfortunately, their customer service is shocking.
Me and my daughter did not have booking but strolled in at 8.15 pm. We got 'squeezed' in but was directly under a cold fan. I asked to move to another spot but the girl turned me down. Then I requested if they could turn down the aircond but the waitress mumbled something and walked away. Another group of 3 was served before us and the waitress completely ignored me and my daughter.
I then asked if we could be served and asked if I could have a Fukien Chow Malaysian style noodle, one cup of coffee and a sago pudding. The girl then tells me it is less than $12.00 a head and they will not be able to accept my order. I told myself fair enough and then changed my mind and asked we could have it as a take away instead. Guess what. They made us wait over an hour before they could give us our Fukien Chow Malaysian noodle and sago pudding.
We were standing there like idiots. Others who came after us and ate at the restaurant were being served first. I am not sure what we did wrong. The senior staff made an excused that they had to change to another wok that is why the long wait. On top of that I should have checked what was in the takeaway bag, when I got home, it was not the dish I ordered. I was so hugely disappointed. We go to Temasek a lot over the years and have recommended many friends and relatives to go there.
If you are the senior staff of Temasek and if you are reading this, please remind yourself, we are the customers that have contributed to your business wealth and popularity and don't you forget that. I had many times food poisoning from your food and disregarded it. Temasek has really lost out favour as one of my favourite restaurants and sure will be telling my friends and relatives about my disappointing experience unless Temasek start treating your customers nice and fair, you have lost some huge fans that once patronised your restaurant. Without customers where will any restaurant be.
I had been a fan of this place until the terrible service I received after finding black human hair in my laksa. They charged me for the prawns I had already eaten rather than taking it off the bill. There was a group of 10 of us and we had ordered a lot so this was very disappointing service.