Hidden amongst tall buildings in Quartermile, almost as a secret location, there’s a beautiful Malaysian restaurant of Edinburgh; Nanyang. I’ve often wondered how the Quartermile is mapped out although the offices and block of flats take up most of the space in that area there is still few places to visit. With Pure Gym, Peter’s Yard (cafe), Starbucks, Sainsbury’s for shopping and another restaurant across from Nanyang, I do have to say Nanyang steals the light! With gorgeous tall windows, warm and welcoming atmosphere and not to forget the beautiful colourful dragons dangling from the ceiling, the restaurant itself is a classy and serene family friendly place.
I made a reservation at Nanyang – very last minute for my sisters’ birthday meal, thankfully the booking was successful. I found a parking space right outside the restaurant, which was great. I did have to put money in the meter for an hour till it was free but it was worth it. Now, we all know how hard it is to have a little 2 year old with you in an elegant restaurant such as Nanyang. It’s a challenge and sometimes it can be a little embarrassing if the child has a tantrum. Although my niece was very well-behaved, she had her moments of out-bursts and running – or as I would like to call it ‘exploring’ the restaurant. The staff seemed understandable and quite relaxed, sending us smiles. There was no hostility or annoyance but we were met with politeness. I would have liked the staff to be a little bit more interactive with us, they seemed to be on the quiet side but other than that the experience with the staff was pleasant. I don’t remember them having a name tag so I couldn’t tell you who served us. I find many restaurants have no sense of how low or high their background music should be, however, this smart eatery Malay restaurant had the perfect volume which mixed well in the background. Now, we were seated by the window, and to be honest if we were seated in the middle it wouldn’t have been any different. There wasn’t much to look at! I mean, after all, we were surrounded by tall glass buildings, there was an occasional passer-by here and there. There were some lovely flower beds outside with blue orchids and various vibrant flowers.
Now moving onto the main part of the review, the actual meal. Well, what can I say!? Last time I went was a long while ago but it seems that everything from decor to food has changed immensely. The meal was ah-mazing! For starters we had Roti Canai, which was a delicious Indian flat bread sort of shallow fried with mild curry sauce. The hot crispiness and the softness of the Roti was simply delicious. Alongside that we had mouth-watering Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers and sweet-ish peanut sauce. It was just enough for us three adults and my little niece just wanted Roti Canai she loved it that much! As for the main course we had the Kapitan Ayam; chicken curry with hints of red chili, lemongrass, lime leaf, tamarind and coconut milk. It tasted all the more better with vegetable Chow Mein for myself and my mum, and fried rice for my sister and niece. The portion size were generous and since we shared amongst ourselves, it worked out great.
Overall, location and atmosphere of the restaurant was good as well as the service, food was amazing. For me the best part of the meal was the starters. I would definitely go back again and recommend this place to anyone who likes new, different, exotic and Southeast Asian taste.
Check out their Facebook page: Nanyang Cuisine
Rabya Mahmood