Mietta's Review
Long established and very popular for all eaters - tourists, business folk and families - there is a kids menu available. The laksa which uses cow's, not coconut, milk is rated very highly here.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010 Score: 13/20 "So this is where corporate-types linger over a long lunch. The wines keep flowing as waiters shuffle tirelessly between big groups in this tall, slick eatery overlooking King Street Wharf"

Sydney Eats 2009 "The Malaya has been in business for over 45 years. In fact, they couldn't even buy coconut milk for laksa when they started"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 13/20 "The Malaya made its name with laksa. That was more than 45 years ago. It has been turning up just the right amount of heat ever since, delivering a culinary journey around Asia with infinite skill and flavours that still pack a mighty punch"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "This stalwart's glassy harbourside setting is now familiar territory to a new generation, but it was the old George Street and North Sydney locations that taught many Sydneysiders about laksa, as far back as 45 years ago"

Sydney Eats 2008 "Older than many of this guide's readers, the Malaya has been showing Sydney just how great Malaysian food can be for more than 45 years"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "More than 40 years old and still going strong, The Malaya does a roaring trade, sun-up to sundown. While these days you might arrive via one of the enormous cruisers flanking flashy King Street Wharf and begin with a Malaytini (lychees muddled with vodka), you're well advised to stick to the old faves from Malaysia and beyond that gave this massive 300-seater its reputation."

Sydney Eats 2006 "It seems there's always been a Malaya. Well, since 1963, at least. Of course, it wasn't always this flash, but in the move to a stylish waterfront location - now extended to fit in even more devotees - the food has lost none of its gutsy flavours."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 "Here you can indulge it; the laksa's as good as ever. You can also try light and fluffy otak otak, tasty char kway teow (kwai du on the menu), smooth, tender, coconutty rendang and spicy kapitan prawns. We also love roti canai (flaky bread served with the yummiest chicken curry gravy). There's no disputing that the flavours here are spot on, with plenty of sambal heat, so beware. The service is smooth and the decor is very upmarket with prices to match, but well worth it for one of the best Malaysian meals in town. "

SMH 26/2/05 Annette Shun Wah "The Malaya has a lot more competition for devotees of spicy Asian food than it did 40 years ago, but authentic nonya cuisine is still thin on the ground in Sydney. Theirs is a tradition that has life in it yet."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 13/20 "There's activity everywhere, from the long, open-plan galley kitchen filled with elderly Asian chefs to waiters busily side-stepping each other to squeeze past tightly packed tables. It feels as if you're eating on the top deck of a cruise ship, complete with views of Darling Harbour and the National Maritime Museum. Service is a busy production line and efficient"

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Best Vegetarian "The view and space are fun, no matter what you eat, and if you're taking a group, there's plenty to amuse the carnivores."

Sydney Eats 2005 "Not many Sydney restaurants can claim institution status quite like The Malaya can. Not only did they make a successful transition to flashier waterside headquarters a couple of years back but their most renowned dish, laksa, is still made as it was four decades ago - on cow's milk"

SMH GFG 2004, Score 13/20, And-no booking no table;it's packed,'Malaysian goes post-modern...It's certainly a crowd-pleaser, red chilli-hot with hissing woks,spits of fire from the stove-top,the room packed every night,and at lunchtime with the clattering chopsticks of the suit-and-tie crowd...Billed as the best in town