Nyonya Kitchen Brings Tempting Malaysian Flavors to China World Mall

Kyle Mullin | Apr 16, 2017 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 2568 reads

Nyonya Kitchen has come a long way since in Lido in 2004. At the time, the Malaysian eatery had very little in the way of competition and was a novelty for Beijing foodies that had nowhere else to turn to for Southeast Asian eats.

Now, Nyonya is part of a far more vibrant F&B landscape in the capital, but is still holding on strong with a new location in Guomao's freshly unveiled New World Mall (the Lido joint has long since closed and this is Nyonya's sole location for now; before the new mall's opening they had a location in the same building's basement). Being situated in the glitzy new mall makes Nyonya a solid lunch option for shoppers and, perhaps even more so, the swaths of business people in the surrounding CBD.

Light-yet-filling, reasonably priced items like the chewy and juicy beef satay (RMB 38 for five) and the leafy and gently spicy sambal kangkong (known by many Beijingers as kōngxīncài or 空心菜, also RMB 38) make for satisfying starters.

We followed that up with a big bowl of pineapple curry king prawns (RMB 118). The seafood's meat was invitingly fluffy and its shells were easy to pluck off. On top of that, its ever-so-spicy tomatoey broth made the dish mouthwatering and flavorful.

We washed it all down with some tasty, though not overly memorable fresh mixed juice (a few options are on the menu, each priced at around RMB 32 per glass). Our cup of creamy, subtly sweet teh tarik (pulled tea, RMB 22 per glass) was much better, and the friendly waitress that readied it in long, Instagram worthy pours made for a great bonus.

The decor has quite an authentic Malaysian ring, thanks to its softly subdued dark tone, flecked with colorful pieces on the tables, and occasional bits of lattice work.

It's a small, intimate, conveniently located eatery with affordable Malaysian eats and solid service, all of which leads us to believe that Nyonya will remain a popular part of Beijing's restaurant scene for at least another decade or more.

Nyonya Kitchen
Daily 11am-9.30pm. 5/F, China World Mall, Chaoyang District
朝阳区国贸商城3期BS 5层