Immaculate vibes - walls, tables, lighting, and even waiter uniforms come together well.
Food - food is really tasty, albeit on the pricey side for Malaysian.
Friendly staff and great food. Can’t wait to go back.
Ho Jiak is definitely perfect for a family feast! Their mi goreng noodles are full of flavours! And I also love how crispy their spicy fish skin is! And not to also forget their satay chicken stick- I love the smoky flavour from it!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Located in the heart of Chinatown, this little gem of a restaurant is easy to miss if you're not looking, but definitely did not fail to deliver if you pay them a visit.
We are here a few weeks before the first wave of Covid-19 restrictions came about and I am so glad we were able to try this place before these changes.
The atmosphere of Ho Jiak reminded me of all the Malaysian street food food tours I had watched from food bloggers and gave a feel of authenticity to the cuisine. We ordered the Hainan Chicken Rice, one of my favourite dishes, and the classic Nasi Lemak. Personally, although the serving size was on the smaller end, I thoroughly enjoyed the Hainan Chicken and was disappointed that I had finished it too quickly. The chicken satay skewers of the Nasi Lemak was the hero of the dish and was probably my favourite out of the three different lots of meat on the plate. We did not have the stomach to try a Jumbo drink that day as we had eaten beforehand, but we will definitely be back when restaurants are open again to try more dishes on the menu!
The best Malaysian I've had. Really intense flavours but with unusual subtleties coming through. Not necessarily spicy although both the laksa and the char koay teow were rated as spicy yet the former was several times spicier than the latter. Both had perfect meats and noodles. The lunchtime dishes are even a decent price given the large serves.
I had a craving for Nasi Lemak and so it was a no brainer to get takeaway from Ho Jiak in Haymarket. Eating it reminded me of being in Malacca in Malaysia. Just divine and the right amount of heat too!
I am editing the review slightly as I finally got to Ho Jiak for dinner and what a wonderful Malaysian feast it was. The highlights were the chicken curry (pictured) as well as the king prawn char keow teow (pictured). Both dishes had depth of flavour and left me wanting more.
#hojiak #nasilemak #malaysianfood
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Ho Jiak in the famous China Town area of Sydney is quite popular for their Malaysian cuisine and also, some interesting twist to the usual Malaysian Cuisine.
Place is done-up reflecting eateries you'll find in Malaysia and it's quite interesting to see. That have a sophisticated version of the eatery on the first floor but we wanted authenticity, and probably why we did not try the twisted menu.
After a tiring day we just wanted to get done with our meal so ordered an Indomie Goreng and Beef Redang with a beer.
Beef Rendang just took away all our tiredness and laziness. It was one of the BEST we have eaten in Australia....Quite like what we ate in Malaysia. Robust, tender.....melt-in-your-mouth, full of flavors.
Surprisingly, Indomie Goreng wasn't overshadowed. King prawns were perfectly charred-grilled and the flavors were amazing.
Hospitality was top-notch and friendly. Vegans will.have plenty of options to.choose from. A bit expensive but the portions and quality is too good.
Definitely returning soon
If you've ever wanted a feel for what authentic Malaysian cuisine is like, come to Ho Jiak and spend a little higher than average prices - albeit, worth it.
Ordered a classic Nasi Lamek with Wagyu beef Curry and extra fried chicken. The fried chicken was a miss, two rather small pieces and mostly bone, but the main dish was gorgeous. Aromatic, flavourful and authentic all in one - you can tell the chefs know their stuff. Egg was fresh, Wagyu beef / curry was very coconut flavoured and delicious. What surprised me was the dried fish and nuts which added a unique take to the dish, with the dried salted fish having maybe 10% too much as to what I will have preferred.
A lovely dinner nonetheless offering great quality, authentic Asian food. Expensive sure, but well worth it.
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
This place exceeded my expectations! Definitely coming back!
Loud crowd on Friday night. Did a good job with the interior designing to reflect the olden days vibe. Lots of Malaysian variety food and drinks. Prices were on the higher end but portions were large. Dishes were a little too salty for my taste. However, It has sufficient spiciness for people that could take the heat. It was nice of the waitress to check if we’re able to take the spiciness of these dishes prior to placing our order. Taste of all dishes were pretty spot on for Malaysian cuisine. Overall experience was good. There’s a good variety of vegetarian dishes as well. Will definitely head back in the future.
Food is always of high quality and is packed full of flavour. Never disappoints!
Mi Goreng is one of the most simplest packaged noodles to enjoy. Ho Jiak to a notch up and made this dish bomb af!! It was mildly spicy and well distributed with malaysian flavours. I feel like the ingredients building this dish is worth $20. Expect some savoury asian flavours, bit of meat textures and a punch of spice.
the best char kway teow i’ve ever had - tbh the duck egg wasn’t that different to the normal egg (tasted the same) so next time i’d stick with the normal version for a cheaper price point. the service was so lovely, the girls really took care of us. remember to sign up beforehand for their vip list to get a free dessert tasting tower!!
Usually a line or wait to get into restaurant. Their salted duck eggs and giant size Teh Tarik or Teh C Peng is what I go back for. Pricing is quite expensive, particularly for the choy sum dish which was $28. The food is tasty, the service was quick and the staff were very attentive and nice.
We had the Tau Eu Bak, Hainan Chicken Rice, Coca Cola Wings and Chee Cheong Fun to takeaway and they prepared our food surprisingly quickly despite how much we order and most of the food still had good quality and was even tasty the next day as leftovers.
We chose the Chee Cheong Fun and Coca Cola Wings because they were recommended on Zomato by many people. They both were good, although the branches skin in the Chee Cheong Fun was too chewy, but our highlight from Ho Jiak is the Tau Eu Bak.
The pork belly in the Tau Eu Bak was incredibly soft and melted in our mouths. This sensation was even there the next day, which was a pleasant surprise. The flavouring was also very good and had a lot of depth.
The Coca Cola Wings were had a sweet taste which suited the wings and the other flavours of the wings well. The Hainan Chicken Rice was also very good and had a lot of flavour in the rice. The chicken was also very flavourful and well-cooked.
Very tasty menu with dishes curated by Head Chef Junda - coca cola wings, chee cheong fun, vegemite pork ribs, eggciting and yin yong choy sum. This feels like a classier Asian dining experience than most and I really enjoyed the flavour journey of this menu. In particular, I liked the sweet, sticky glaze on the wings and the tanginess in the chee cheong fun. I think a little more effort could be made into making the presentation of the eggciting more exciting (as the pun would suggest). I also felt that, though the staff were friendly, they were a little overbearing which made me uncomfortable.
If you'd like to read more of my reviews, please check out my Zomato page and visit @cynthiaeats_ on Instagram for more photos!
I have walked past Ho Jiak in the past and always seen people line up to try their Malaysian food, so when I had the opportunity to try dishes from their menu I took it straight away. This restaurant is always busy even on weekdays which gives a good indication of the quality of food they offer.
I ordered 'small drinks' and boy was it huge! Great value for money with the drinks and theres alot of options with Milo which is one of my favourites so I can't complain. The highlight dishes for me was Chee Cheong Fun and the Cola wings. The rice noodles were so flavourful and soft, which surprisingly the wings were packed with flavour and so succulent.
I recommend Ho Jiak to anyone who wants to spoil themselves with Malaysian cuisine. I look forward to coming back to try their Banana Left Rice set.
Great venue for group lunches or dinners. Staff lovely and very accommodating on dietary requirements. Caters to vegetarians very well. The menu had bold flavours and generous portions. Some dishes can be medium to very spicy. Portions were huge and there is definitely something for every taste preference. The standout dishes were the appetisers and vegetarian mains.
Amazing food and friendly service. They have a variety of dishes to choose from: from the standard staple Malaysian dishes like Char Kway Teow and Mee goreng to Malay fried chicken curry and steamed eggs. Their chicken rice is a must order! They also have plenty of vegetarian options. I’ve been there 3 times and haven’t never been disappointed. Highly recommended😋
Delicious salt egg fried chicken wings.
Really like food here. Last time I came here with.we finished the breakfast and lunch, but we passed by this restaurant, so we came in and ordered one serve of fried rich. It was wagyu fried rice, so yummyyyyyy.
This time ordered a lot, it’s really tasty. I like the salted egg with anything, chicken wings or prawns, crab. So tasty.
Joanne | Melbournecitay
+5
I made reservations for Hojiak a month before my Sydney trip. It’s worth the effort - food really is hojiak (roughly translates to yummy!) and this is coming from a Malaysian!
*
Overall score: 21/25 or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
in 5 words: levelled up Sydney malaysian cuisine
*
What you should order: char kuey teow, prawn mee, Singapore chilli crab
*
Review: Hojiak provides a range of Malaysian food options. You could opt for a regular chilli pan mee, or you could order the same dish with scallops. These recurring “level up” seafood options are applicable for most of their signature Malaysian dishes.
You would of course have to pay the price (we paid $40-45) for our scarlett prawn mee and marron char kuey teow. Having eaten Malaysian food all my life, I have admittedly never had such extravagant local dishes. I can say that the seafood is fresh and went well with the dishes. To me, ordering the special prawn me was especially worth it as the Scarlett prawn went well with the fragrant seafood infused broth and chilli sambal.
To answer the common question - do you really need to get these pimped up dishes? Yes, if you want to indulge and are on a holiday (as we were). Otherwise, a regular char kuey Teow would easily do the trick to satisfy your Malaysian cravings. Service was excellent and the ambience reminded me of a nyonya restaurant in my hometown. Would definitely be back!
*
Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I came with a friend to try the new Banana Leaf Rice special! This dish looks stunning and is best eaten with your hands & consists of a full meal served on a banana leaf! It's full of flavour, has a great spice kick & also comes with unlimited rice, curry & yellow vege!!
Banana Leaf Rice Set - Rice, Belachan chicken drumstick, Fried fish skin, Fried potatoes peanuts & anchovies, Yellow veggies, Salted duck egg, Picked veggies & Sambal.
Drinks: Teh C Peng layered milk tea &
Ice bandung Godzilla rose milk with vanilla ice cream & milo powder (get the jumbo size - the food is spicy so you will need it)
Tip - The banana leaf rice set is only available Mondays to Thursdays from 12pm, & you need to book from 5pm onwards. Staff were welcoming, friendly and super organised, even though it was busy.
.
Food is great, service is good and ambience is cool. Must try the Crispy skin Salmon Laksa. Great late night feed as they close at midnight.
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Ho Jiak
This was not my first time eating at this restaurant, my usual order is the Nasi Goreng with a Godzilla Milo drink, however, this post is not about that.
Upon sitting down and having my order taken I had 2 additional guests that were joining me for dinner, upon their arrival they had broken the news that they had already eaten and will just be keeping me company. I kindly accepted their offer as I can now enjoy a delicious meal with friends, however, the staff were extremely aggressive as they wanted both of my friends to make an order as per their policy is it is minimum $15 spending per head.
I was extremely apologetic as I was unaware of such policy and I hopefully wish they can it slide this time. At this point of the waitstaff signals another employee as if they needed backup to take $15 off my friends.
The gentleman that was called over had a ponytail and was not of Asian descent, he asked what the issue was. I explained the story, he brings the menu out and points at the fine print which states “minimum $15 per head”. Personally I believe it was unnecessary with this employees attitude, as I felt extremely uncomfortable for my friends, myself and to the rest of the restaurant so all I wanted was to quickly eat my food and get out.
I apologised again to the ponytailed man for being unaware and explained to him that my friends had already eaten; once this registered through this employees mind that the other people I was with were not going to order he put on THE performance of the year; he turned his head and emitted a long and deep sigh, expressing his disappointment at us. The ponytailed man closes the menu, and walks away.
The entire night he didn’t bother us.
After experiencing what I just went through, I no longer believe that he was after the minimum spend per head, but an Academy Award for Best Actor.
I wish to be able to return to Ho Jiak one day, and hope to see the infamous ponytailed man again.
10/10 for food as always
11/10 for front row tickets to a performance
Dis place calls for a muzz
Amazing Malaysian cuisine with a modern twist. Huge variety of options it was hard to choose from as you feel like trying everything. We loved the char kuey tiao which was authentic and flavoursome. We also tried the lobak and satay skewers. The cendol was satisfying and a good way to end the course
Really good and authentic Malaysian food in Sydney. Teh Tarik is on point and the salted egg calamari and laksa is amazing!
First time here and there was a bit of queue at the front. However service was prompt and efficient. We ordered the Belacan kangkung, salted egg and spanner crab meat indomie, assam nyonya barramundi and the teh tarik with jelly.
For those who enjoy a bit of spiciness in their food, this is the place to go! Remember to have them in less spicy as they can be reallllly spicy. 😀😀😀
The food was mind blowing. But so was the price. Could’ve been more reasonable and proportionate to the serving sizes.
Ho Jiak is a great place for a casual lunch date with your significant other, serving great, wholesome food with no gimmicks.
We were seated in the upstairs dining area, which had an interior that made us feel transported to Singapore.
The roast chicken with dry eye noodle was simple but cooked well, making it a great dish. The broth served on the side helped to make it a complete meal.
We ordered the JUMBO teh tarik and were astounded by the size of the jug when it came out. Be warned, this is probably best shared with your date.
Tastiness: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Satisfaction: 4/5
Pictured:
- Roast chicken with dry eye noodles
- JUMBO teh tarik
Best to make a reservation as there was a long queue when we arrived at 6.30pm. Ho Jiak serves authentic Malaysian food. It is on the pricey side compared to other Malaysian restaurants. Food had a lot of flavour but my partner and I did not enjoy the 'burnt' taste (apparently that's what makes it authentic according to friend). Overall, we still enjoyed the food and would come back to try other things. It is best to go in a group of 4 to order a variety of dishes to share.
The closest thing to authentic Malaysian/Singaporean food in Australia! Generous serving sizes, a bit pricey, but worth it if you come hungry.
I would ideally give a 3.5. I don't think I was able to appreciate the authentic cuisine! We ordered beef nasi goreng and it had tripe in it which is a very unfamiliar food for me, so I didn't eat much but it was a lovely rich flavour. We also ordered a signature dish which was noodles (kind of like pad see ew) wrapped in an omelette which was so tasty I loved it. For entree, we ordered pie tee which was nice but not my favourite. This was way too much food, the entrees are like main meal size. The restaurant was buzzing while we were there, I think I just ordered badly
Sorry I might add an extra star later after I try more menu. Strongly recommend Hainan Chicken which is both soft and juicy. Also like the fried noodles with minced pork (sorry I forgot the name).
Pretty savoury food and fits for people who enjoys strong flavour, e.g. spicy and salty. Also it is a rather smart tactic to list suitable drinks for most of the dishes in the menu.
Enjoy the friendly staff, warm & welcoming interior decor and extensive menu to choose from. Would definitely come to eat again.
Great Malaysian restaurant with a lengthy (but worth it) wait time, it certainly lives up to its hype. The steamed egg was amazing and served with meaty sauce. Laksa had a rich broth and was served with 2 types of noodles, the char koay teow was simple but perfectly fried. Come here for a cheat day !
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Booked 42 guests on a Saturday night with preorders for a birthday.
Upside - Food presentation came as on the pics and within time specified. Guests have remarked about the good taste though for some, a little spicy and well marked on the menu. Casual, informal vibe. Bit busy with walk-ins. Line up of customers at the door but still managed to please. Reservations and casual dining on separate levels. Tended by at least 4 staff who seemed happy to assist led by Monica, our host. Requests were promptly taken care of. Pre-party, corresponded with Cassandra via email. All questions and concerns answered accordingly.
Downside - it helped that we booked an early dinner with preorders as there was a 2hr dining limit due to later reservations. Would be nice if longer to make room for dessert for 40+ guests. Preordered drinks/sides didn't come alongside main dishes when served. One didn't come until prompted. Though understandable as there was just too many.
Overall, a delightful experience. Guests have asked how we found out about the place and noted that they'll happily dine here again simply because of the food and service.
My favourite Malaysian restaurant right now, although sometimes the service is pretty crappy depending on which waitress/waiter you get.
A bit pricey, but worth it.
Their noodles are good, especially the char ho fun. I’ve had better Hainese chicken, the flavour is good but not as tender as I’d hoped.
A must eat spot in Sydney! It is always a good time when I’m here. It’s so hard to pick my favourite dish here because they are all just so good! Take chances, order any dish from the menu and I’m sure it will be a hit.
Friends have been urging us to try this place so we finally came for lunch. Very crowded but service was fast. We simply had to order the banana leaf rice. It brought back memories of my childhood. Very tasty, especially the Ayam Belachan but it is not cheap, at almost $30 a person. But if you need a fix of delicious Malaysian food, this is highly recommended.
Saturday night arrived near 8 o 'clock, need to wait, but the speed is still relatively fast. The whole decoration style is Malay, a kind of old old feeling, ordered hainan chicken Laksa, taste super, a bowl of very satisfied. The waiters were busy, but the service was ok.
I knew I had to visit Ho Jiak this time in Sydney, not sure why it took me so long! But I did my research and booked way in advance as I had heard about the long queues! So damn glad I did because there was at least 20-30 people waiting outside when we go to the restaurant and lucky for us, we just walked straight in 😊 I am a huge fan of Malaysian food! So I knew I would like the food here. But the wok hay or breathe of air was honestly on par with the dishes I’ve had in Singapore. Everything was packed with so much flavour. Our favourite was the Char Kway Teoy with king prawn and also the Indomie with spanned crab. We all washed it down with a iced teh rarik and also dessert was ais kachang!
Modern Malaysian cuisine cook with perfection. I cannot fault anything. Went to this place twice for my 4 days vacation in Sydney.
Everything is so so so delicious!
Eu Chen (deep fried barramundi with soy sauce) and Char Koay Teow Pattaya are my favs! Ipoh hor fun is my 3rd choice. I am sure I will find new favourites if only I have time to try all their dishes.
Full menu from apptisers to desserts. Home sweet home to all Malaysians!
Interesting place, coupled with option for Nyonya dishes. Nyonya is basically flavours from assimilation of Chinese immigrants with the local native Malay population.
Had the fried radish cake (char koay kak) for staters then settled in the dry egg noodle with roast chicken. Yum followed by more yum. Especially like the ginger + chilli dipping sauce.
Felt a bit adventurous so we tried the Char Koay Teow Pattaya. Means CKT wrapped in an egg omelette outer layer. Wow... didn’t know it works like that. Interesting next level stuff. Lots of charred flavour!!!
Finished off with Cham Peng, Malaysian coffee mixed with Black Tea + condensed milk.
Def will be back to try their other dishes. Son much choices so little stomach space.
This is hands down my favourite Malaysian restaurant in Sydney. And even my Malaysian friends and family agree with me!
Whilst the dishes at Ho Jiak are slightly on the pricier side, the food is tasty and I can see why there are long queues outside (tip: you can book a table at the city branch).
This nasi goreng packs a fiery punch with the chilli sambal flavours. It is a Ho Jiak signature house favourite - spicy seafood fried rice with house made shrimp paste. Whilst my mouth was on fire, it had an addictive flavour making you crave for me.
Other fave dishes include the char kuey teoh, Lo bak, actually most dishes!
The other thing I love is that they do BYO and also open till late.
Does My Bomb Look Big In This
+4
It doesn't take much to get me back to Ho Jiak. I've got a lot of time for this Haymarket restaurant and the way owner Junda Khoo is working to raise the profile of Malaysian food to the heights of popularity enjoyed by other Asian cuisines here in Sydney. Banana Leaf Rice ($25/person) is Junda's latest initiative. It's a neat way to transport your workday lunch somewhere exotic in the space of an hour. Banana leaf rice is actually a traditional South Indian way to serve a meal, but with the migration of South Indian people, it's also popular in the places they immigrated to, which include Malaysia. Built at the table right in front of you, the...
Hands down my favourite Malaysian restaurant. Chef and owner Junda puts so much care in the preparation of every dish and menu. Can’t go past the friendly staff, warm interior and lots of good home cooking. My favourite is the Chow Quay Teow with crab meat and Inchi Kabin. The Malaysian style drinks are also a must, from lemon ice teas to a cold milo with grass jelly.
Stopped in for dinner after a long shopping trip at the Haymarket. What a delight! Scrumptious flavours and a HUGE menu. The chicken wings were divine and everything was super reasonably priced.
The food is very strong in flavours and is of good portion sizes. We ordered the indomie goreng with salted duck egg and spanner crab meat, sweet and sour chilli squid, and the marron nasi lemak. The food was very nice, however left me quite thirsty afterwards.
Service was slow at times with the last dish being brought out quite a while after the others , despite the place not being super packed.
Absolutely best place for malaysian food. We tried almost everything and love it! Always come back here for Hainanese chix rice. Quick and attentive service.
Ho jiak is definitely a must try if you love your Malaysian! Just make sure to get there early or be prepared to wait because the line can get long. Once you get in and order, your food comes flying out which is great if you’ve had to wait in line for abit. Every dish was full of flavour! Can’t wait to go back already.
The place is really busy during lunch hours.Had to wait a while before all the orders were served for the table.Tried their fried hainese chicken with rice.It was really good.other people on the table ordered a variety of dishes and were satisfied with their meals.Definitely visiting again to try other items on the menu.
Very delicious authentic Malaysian food. So many options! Servings quite large. Wonderful and fast service. Definitely will be back to try the other dishes!
AMAZING here! Went to this place with family for the second time, where the place is near Chinatown. The food so far is the best authentic Malaysian cuisine in Sydney, and also in Australia. The food portion is big, price is affordable. The most important is the taste is DELICIOUS! Will come back if travelling to Sydney again. Thank you Ho Jiak! 👍
The food was absolutely amazing. We order Loh Bak (a deep fried pork rolls), Sam Wong Dan (steam egg), Kiam Ah Nui Kay (Salted Egg Chicken Wings), Nasi Goreng Wagyu, Laksa, and Indomie Goreng, and WE LOVE ALL OF THEM! Our favorite were Loh Bak & Indomie Goreng. Seriously everything was really tasty, burst of flavor in every bite.
We got here early and so glad we did. The place is in the best location in the Haymarket district right across the road from Paddy’s Market. The menu is extensive. In fact there are so many options it was hard to choose. We started with the Loh Bak which was fine. I ordered the Indomie Goreng Lobster which is spicy but was truly an amazing dish full of flavours and fresh beautiful lobster. A really fantastic dish. Wine list is good and staff were all fantastic. When we finish our meal and walked outside there was a queue waiting for tables around the corner. I can see why.
Bought Groupon Voucher $34.00 (usual $50.00) for 2 person Nonya High Tea set.
Refer to the photo for food included in the set.
The quality of the food was generally good.
Free top-up for your drink - e.g. Kopi O, Chrysanthemum tea, etc.
Each person gets 1 serving of each food item. So no need to fight. :-)
Value For Money: 4/5 (with Groupon voucher)
Food Quality: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
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