Eat like a local: Kingsford

Anthony, a lover of Asian food and travel, is the perfect guide. When he’s in Japan, he plans his holiday around the opening hours of his favourite ramen shop, while in Kuala Lumpur you’ll find him eating beef rendang at the renowned Madam Kwan’s. In Singapore, he spends his nights haunting the hawker centres for the city’s renowned chilli crab, and in Kingsford, he can tell us exactly where to go for dumplings, bubble tea, noodles and much more…

Where can you get a great lunch deal?

“Nanya Singapore serves both Malaysian and Singaporean food. They do a great lunch special, the Seafood mee goreng. This is stir-fried noodles with plenty of seafood and a spicy sauce which is very aromatic. If you haven’t tried Hainanese chicken rice, you get a generous portion here, and it comes with a free drink. Bonus!”

So I hear you love fried chicken. Where should I go?

“Definitely Ayam Goreng 99! It’s known for its Indonesian-style deep fried or grilled chicken with fragrant spices in the coating and people love it, it’s always packed and there’s always a queue going out the door. You order by the piece, I recommend the drumstick.

If you can’t get in, go across the road to It’s Time for Thai. It’s a boneless thigh piece flattened out and it’s got a batter that is tempura-like. You can choose your own noodles or rice to go with it. My hot tip here is to go with the Thai fried rice and ask for the Khao Mok Gai sauce to go with it. Otherwise you will get the usual sweet chilli sauce (so everyday!), but if you ask they’ll give you the Khao Mok Gai which is a green chilli coriander sauce and it packs a wallop of flavour. This sauce is amazing – the dish itself is ok, but once I realised I could eat the fried chicken with the other sauce, now it’s a thing. The staff are very friendly and they will mix and match. There’s a great range of Thai dishes and it’s also halal.”

Where do you go for Malaysian food?

“If you want really good Malaysian, Albee’s Kitchen is the place to go. They’ve got a wide range of Malaysian soups, noodles and stir fries. A few unique things worth trying are the Malay fried chicken (yes, I know a lot of fried chicken, what can I say?) which is coated in a kind of cereal, it’s a bit wacky but it works. Also, the Marmite chicken or pork is great as the umami hit from the marmite takes this to the next level. Lobak is another good option, it’s seafood and pork rolled in thin beancurd sheets. A must have is also the curry puff, which is quite large and has a whole egg in the middle. I mean egg, wrapped in mince, wrapped in pastry – what’s not to love?”

What about if you want something sweet?

“I’d go back to It’s Time for Thai for Mango sticky rice. It’s all about the balance between the sweet mango and the glutinous rice cooked in coconut cream. A great Thai dessert – very refreshing.”

Best noodles in Kingsford?

“I go to Like Noodle. It has Shanghainese and other Chinese cuisines. The Signature braised meatballs are from northern China and are also called lion’s head meatballs because they are kind of lumpy like a lion’s mane. Braised these are so delicious. They use a really fatty pork so not at all diet friendly but they are so good with the dry noodles in scallion oil. This is a hand-cut wheat noodle and with an onion-y, scallion-y oil it is perfect. And I haven’t seen this anywhere else.”

What about dumplings?

“Everyone goes to Papa Han’s Chinese Dumpling and Noodles, even Kylie Kwong!”

We know you love Japanese ramen, so where should we go?

“Manpuku! My pick is the Gyokai black kogashi ramen. It’s a thicker ramen broth and it’s soy and pork based, I have it with the regular ramen egg noodle, but it’s the charred flavour of the garlic that makes it so good.”

You’ll find me shopping for food at…

“You’re really spoilt for choice when it comes to Asian grocery stores here – there are heaps and you can go in for a snack or a treat. Maybe durian ice cream or wacky biscuits from somewhere in Asia. Chips like salted duck egg that are completely off the wall but completely great. Go to any of them. You’ll find something good.”

Kingsford’s secret gem is…

“Not a secret but 1014 Ten Fourteen do two for one bubble tea. It’s pretty good, I would have the matcha green tea, but there’s heaps of flavours and you can go crazy…”

Kingsford is a great place to eat because…

“I think people would call it cheap and cheerful but I think Kingsford has really good food that’s really great value. There’s a wide range of Asian cuisines to choose from and it’s all along Anzac Parade.”

Your Kingsford address book:

Nanya Singapore: 466 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

Ayam Goreng 99: 464 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

It’s Time for Thai: 2/309 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

Albee’s Kitchen: 470 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

Like Noodle: 363 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

Papa Han’s Chinese Dumpling and Noodles: 323 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

Manpuku: 482 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

1014 Ten Fourteen Bubble Tea: 315 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032