Review Alice's Makan

Johnny Wong

Alice’s makan is a fast food store located at town hall in a very quiet foodcourt. My friend who is Malaysian suggested to eat here and recommended a few dishes such as fried hainanese chicken and rice cake. I decided to go with fried hainanese chicken rice and was pleasantly surprised how good it tasted. Firstly 👍🏻 for being boneless and secondly it tasted different to the traditional hainanese chicken. It’s not common to find the fried version in Sydney but it’s common in Malaysia. The rice and chilli sauce isn’t as good as Jimmy’s but it’s still a nice dish. Teh tarik a milk tea also tasted good. It wasn’t too sweet and tea was strong enough to keep me working for the afternoon. Service is rather slow for a non busy foodcourt 👎, and this why jimmy’s is more popular because food is served quickly. If you’re looking to eat here at lunch, main meal + drink will cost you $20. It’s worth a revisit though, and I’ll definitely try other dishes next time.

Pris Koh

Tried the fried radish cake (chilli level- mid spicy) today and i am pleasantly surprised that it tasted yummy. I think having the chilli level at mid spicy made it more flavourful. The kolo mee(dried noodles with char siew and wonton) is also pretty good. 👍🏻

Behram Mali

The shop is conveniently located in the food court which is right next to the town hall station on the corner of Bathurst street and George Street. It’s open for lunch only Monday's to Friday’s. I have tried their Nasi Goreng with roti which I would say was quite good but wouldn’t say it was the best I have ever had as there are similar and even slightly better options around but yes I do agree that this place is good for a quick weekday lunch if your office is nearby.

Matthew Yong-O'Gorman

The food is pretty authentic but they didn't have satay's and that's really frustrating!

Choong Lin

Sydney, cbd Authentic South East Asian lunch. Variety of noodles. Not bad for a quick lunch

Joanne L

I was there yesterday around 11.30am. My review here is for Char Kway Teow. So, my order was a plate of Seafood Char Kway Teow - $14.50 Now, the price for this plate of CKT does not change what I'm going to write. I don't even mind paying $15 or $16 IF it is up to the normal CKT standard which I know back in the days when Alice was a sit-in restaurant at Thornleigh. Ok, so Alice now is not a sit-in but in a food court at present day. Understand. BUT the plate of CKT I had yesterday was .... yuck! Photo attached. First, the most important - no wok hei (wok breath/wok flavour) at all. 2nd the colour of that plate of CKT is not appealing - at all. Not tasty at all. Did they change the chef??? Being a Malaysian this plate of CKT can be nice for most non-Asians. If I want to compare Alice Makan to another really authentic Malaysian CKT store in another food court, do go to Hawker Street in Castle Mall, Castle Hill. You will not be disappointed.

Y T

Found this place by accident as I was attending a Medical Centre in the building. I had the Hainese Chicken rice and I have had many in Sydney at other places. But this was superb - from the chicken, the rice and even the soup. Very tasty and the best I have tried to date locally. Have to make another trip into the City to experience the other dishes.

ElonMuskett

4.5 stars. I ordered a fried and normal Hainan chicken rice, Nasi Lemak, two Kopi-Os and one Teh Tarik. The food here is great, and the chicken is crispy and soft, like the ones They actually serve in Malaysia/Singapore. The fried and normal variants of the rice are both delicious. The Nasi Lemak was also pretty good. However, one issue is that the Kopi-Os just tasted like normal coffees - but the overall meal is pretty great.

Langyu Wang

My lunch favorite. Really like the authentic flavor! Highly recommend Hainanese chicken rice and stir fried, yum!

Hungry Teddy

Alice's Makan makes the best Laksa in Sydney CBD. The quality of the ingredients are different, and the portion is so generous, it makes you cry with joy. If you love laksa and happen to be in the city, don't hesitate and visit Alice. I give Alice's laksa 5 bears.

JJ

The CKT was truly delicious! Being a Penangite, I have high standards and this dish totally fulfilled my cravings. The only bad thing is that they only open on weekdays and during work hours which makes it so difficult for people who don't work in the city!

Barney Barnett

Best Malaysian meal in Australia, these are my two favourite dishes that I have eaten in many places around Australia. Yours are the BEST.

Candy Huang

They are very generous with their toppings and the food is affordable, which is nicer however I had a mi goreng and it was excessively salty. There was also a piece of cold fried dough in it, which I discarded. Might try again to see if the other items are better

Dominic Svensson

Finally some great roti canai! If it were crispier, it could have competed with the best I’ve had overseas but it was still light and fluffy and so much better than the soggy dense roti that I’ve been finding at highly rated Malaysian restaurants. Plus you get it at food court prices! The trade off is that the rendang wasn’t that good, rather chewy and bland. Not sure if you can get the roti with a plain gravy.

Trivial

Friendly and warm service. The wonton noodle soup tasted good, however it wasn’t flavourful enough. Reasonable prices and value though - couldn’t finish mine due to the large quantity!

Hungry Sumo

One of the best Malaysian restaurant in Sydney! We ordered the hainanese chicken rice and char kway teow, both of them were SO DELICIOUS! If only they open on weekend, it will b perfect 😋

Martin Lukman

Alice's Makan has by far THE most authentic Malaysian-style Char Kway Teow I've tasted in Sydney. It never fails to impress with tasty wok hei flavours. The 2 or 3 choice bain marie options aren't the most outstanding, but worth going for if you're after a quick bite. Definitely one of my go-to lunch spots for a quick bite of Malaysian classics: chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak, etc.

Sneha

10/10 for everything! There was a queue of about fifteen people ahead of me waiting to order, since it was lunch time, and I braced myself for a long wait. But thanks to the friendly, quick and efficient service, it took all of 7 minutes (yes, I timed it!) for me to sit down to a meal I'd been looking forward to for a long time. I had the dry egg noodles in soy sauce with BBQ pork and wonton soup (kun loh mee), and my weakness, a glass of hot teh tarik, on the side. The only thing I don't like about Alice's Makan is that they're not open on the weekends, and close at around 5 on weekdays. I will most DEFINITELY be going back, despite the damage to my waistline (there's little-to-no damage to the wallet, as everything on the menu is reasonably priced).

Small Olive

It is very close to the exit of Town Hall railway station. I ordered Nasi Lemak including coconut milk rice. I originally wanted to order hainan chicken rice, but the meal was over. Before eating coconut milk rice i specially did not drink milk tea for feeling the coconut fragrance of milk white rice. The beef curry smothered nicely. Malaysian milk tea, not very sweet but it is very good with tea and milk flavor, smooth.

Christine

Today, I went to taste this house with my friends. I didn’t think it was quite good. The waitress attitude was super good. After hesitating for a long time, I decided to order something. The fried bare strips are really delicious, the taste is especially authentic, and the laska is also ordered. The thick soup has the aroma of coconut and is perfect with a cup of ice-cold ice jelly. Miss Sister also recommended Hainanese chicken rice, come back next time.

Lee Claire

Such a tasty food had a fun time with my friend and found this shop which is in a quite convenient location the food is super delicious with so many ingredients to make the food so special the soup is deep and unique plus the environment is nice and price are reasonably low Love this restaurant and recommend to you guys!

Tastingthecloud

this is my lunch pick. Fast, tasty Malaysia food. Hainanese chicken rice and laksa are two signature dishes. Today I am craving for some mi goring( fried rice) so I ordered that. It is chicken and prawn. The samba sauce was a great rice add on. The portion is big and I didn’t manage to finish in one go. Malaysia milk tea here is also good and it is not overly sweet. It is located in a food court though and can be very busy. Overall I enjoy it as a lunch option.

AMYYY

great location and Nice food here！ Good for a quick healthy work lunch. Hainan Chicken is absolutely delicious. The services is also good and you only need to wait for like 3-5mins to get you lunch.

Abby3

Fasting service and great location. The food is yummy and the prices are great. Nasi Lemak for 11.5💰 Good for working lunch and quick meals.

Yanruyi95

All the food here looks fantastic. I went there in the noon on weekdays. It’s located in the food court on George St. There are many choices for me. It’s hard to decide. Finally I got the hot milk tea and fried noodle. I love the fried noodle so much. There are sausages, eggs, prawns and squid inside, making it tastes so good. I would recommend my friends to come.

Zara Zhang

Nice lunch. Not very spicy but still can taste spicy. I ordered chicken laksa and jelly juice. It's very close to townhall station. I'll go second time.

Weiqi Maple Feng

Nice place to have weekday lunch. I ordered the chicken and prawn laksa and milktea. The laksa was good and the milktea was refreshing. These seriously made my day!

Culinary Artist

Char Kway Teo from this place actually not bad at all. Combination laksa also good, broth is full of flavour. The best “surf and turf” combo prawn and chicken will keep you coming back to this place.

Michelle__xin

Located in the Food Hall just opposite the KFC. Hainan chicken rice is good. I picked the leg piece. It’s juicy. Severed with sticky rice. Staffs are professional. Only few minutes wait for the meal. Serving size generous as well as a good price. Highly recommended for lunch.

Lihaoyoo

Do something here with my friend, and then we find this restaurant in food court. I order a fried rice. There are egg, chicken, shrimps in it. I would like to say it’s delicious! My friend order a laksa. Also there are plenty of ingredient in it. Jelly ice is tasty but little bit sweet. This is a cost effective restaurant!

Janelsf

Just grabbed a lunch with my friends here. It is on the ground floor of an office building which is essy to access. The lady working at thr cashier was very nice as her recommendation is really delicious. For the food, Personally highly recommend you guys the laksa. The soup is rich with coconut flavor and the chicken was soft, the prawn was just so so but still not bad. I also ordered a cup of jelly ice but I don’t appreciate cuz it’s too sweet for me.

Leo Lin

This Malaysian restaurant is such a pleasant surprise. We ordered one prawn laksa and one ice jelly drink. The laksa is plenty with generous servings of prawns, fish cakes and tofus. The ice jelly drink is also pretty nice, not too sweet and I love the textures of the jelly. Price is reasonable and environment is clean and pleasant.

Jingxuan Lyv

This Malaysia food is very easily to find .Many people were there during lunch time but service was really good and quick. The dishes are super yummy! My friend and I ordered prawn laksa and a noodle called KUN LOH MEE.They looked really nice and the taste were nice too. Highly recommend , friendly staff , best lunch choice !

Melody Chen

Recommend Teh Tarik and Laksa with prawns. The soup is delicious and reminds me of the days in Malaysia. It locates near Town Hall station and provides 10% student discount.

Lei Xia

Malaysia food at 580 George street food court great location just opposite KFC George street. nasi lemak beef rice and jelly ice taste special

Lucia Yan

This Malaysia restaurant is located at the food court of Pavilion building. Great place to have a simple meal at CBD. It’s tasty and cheap. Good value! The Hainan Chicken Rice is so good. The chicken is tender and juicy. The meat is not dry at all. Perfect match with soy sauce and white rice. I also recommend their satay chicken skewers. I love the strong taste of peanut butter in the satay sauce. I always have it with the roti. Their roti is really buttery which I really like.

Shijing Wang

在Food Court里面，进门第一家就是，中午来吃便餐的人不少。 可以单点一份，也可以有自选组合。 【Wat Tan Hor】$15: 本来以为自己点的是炒面，原来是汤汤的，蛮特别的。下面是炒宽面，上面是还嫌弃、蔬菜和蛋白羹，单吃有点淡，配上给的咸菜拌在里面更好吃，后悔没有问多要一份。 【Hainan Chicken Rice】$11.5: 要了鸡腿肉，很嫩哦！最喜欢海南鸡饭的饭啦～ 【Thai Milk Tea】还不错，蛮正宗的泰国奶茶味道，偏淡一些没有那么甜蛮清爽的～

Alice4everfun

at the entrance of the food court,nice fast food with fresh food,wide-acceptable flavor and varies choices.Quite a lot people at lunch time.A must try fast lunch option.

Jannet Chen

Hidden gem in CBD. The taste is the most authentic Malaysian food I've eaten in Australia. Loved the nasi lemark beef and Teh Tarik. Must try if you like Malaysian/Singaporean food. It’s a good way to have a quick lunch if your working place is near Town Hall.

Yunshuyunjuan

Been craving for Malaysian cuisine for a while. It’s great to find this hidden gem - Alice’s Makan for lunch in CBD today. I’ve ordered prawn laksa and cold milk tea. The broth was so flavorsome with the aroma of coconut; prawns were juicy; garnish like bean sprouts, fish cake and tofu were perfect; a bit sambal paste on the top was the bonus! I don’t really like the sweet drinks but this milk tea was just right there to balance out. Price is reasonable as opposed to the big portion. Highly recommended!

Nan Chen

great place for a weekday lunch. good taste for the prices. I have ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice ( cuz it's super hot today & don't have the appetite for a stir fry). The chicken breast is well cooked, tender and juicy. The rice cooked with chicken soup was great. And the milk tea with ice really saved me from a hot summer day.

Rachma Mctegg

Need shelter to keep me dry in the middle of heavy rain in city this arvo, a bit hungry too so i manage myself to try this Malaysian foodcourt after seen so many positive review about this place. Had char kwe tiao, it smells good, literally cooked in char, got seafood, some lapchiong (chinese sausage), some fish cakes and some crunchy fried pork fat. I never had char kwe tiao with cruncy pork fat like that, so i think it the best char kwe tiao i’ve ever had! Price also wise, not really pricey around $13.50

Eva.ccc

I would definitely recommend this place :) tried their Hainan Chicken and roti, perfect potion and taste for that price. Told my colleague I was going there for lunch and was requested to takeaway for them lol. For sure I will go back and try the rest of the menu ~

Elle

Love this place! There's a huge range to choose from and the portions are massive. You get some really authentic flavours at a decent price. I would recommend their Hainan Chicken Rice and their Roti (which comes with a really tasty Beef Rendang). I also prefer their Homemade Milk Tea, which I find to be not as overly sweet as most places. Overall a very convenient and quality lunch place!

Stephanie Karlinda Sari

Heard abt this place ages ago,yet always walk pass ed town hall without noticing how close this foodcourt from the station. Finally on last weekday i made a special trip to finally try this stall. I ordered char kwe tiao, so happy seeing the dark color hue, accompanied by char/ wok taste to it. Portion is good and meat is quite generous. Not to oily compare to others I chomped down the whole plate less than 10 minute 👍🏿

Amit Tripuraneni

First stop off the plane and had their char keuy tiew. Really really nice. Good flavors, generous meat, perfectly cooked. So low key but so good. Highly recommend.

Ann

Went this place for a weekday lunch and didnt feel like noodles or rice, so I ordered rotti. It was ok, somehow had a big taste of butter? Overall not bad

Andrew C

Great Malaysian restaurant cleverly disguised as a regular food court outlet. Really nice Laksa, great soup base, the chicken is cooked very nicely despite being breast meat (but the prawn was quite overcooked and tough). Noodles were very good. Also had the curry puff which was really nice, despite being pre-made. Lots of customers means high turnover, so fresh food. It’s not too hard to get a seat in the food court area which is a nice plus.

Aimee.

Convenient location and easy to find. However huge lines during lunch so expect to wait a little longer than usual. Not many vegetarian or vegan options (none displayed on the menu at least). I got the migoreng with tofu and vegetables - minus the egg. A little bit too salty for my liking but overall great flavour and decent portions.

Prida

Tried the Hainan Chicken rice. Was good. Portion was just right. The chicken was tender and rice had the right texture. Service was quick enough during peak lunch hours.

Food Is Really Great

I had heard that this place had closed and I was so sad after intending to go there for ages (life lesson: don’t leave bookmarked restaurants sitting in the dust), so as soon as the Facebook page announced that they’re actually staying open, I raced here ASAP!!! I ordered the fried radish cake out of curiosity, and whilst it was quite oily it did make a good meal! The radish cakes were soft and addictive, to describe it (as someone trying it for the first time) it’s kind of like kway teow but a cube. There are lots of other options on the menu too which look good!

Manz

This Malaysian food court offer came highly recommended by a couple of my friends. So I came to try them for a late lunch at around 1pm. The foodcourt by them wasn't packed out but still busy. Not an extensive menu, but all the essential Malaysian Street Hawker favourites are there. I got the Char Kway Teow. The first thing you noticed is that all the trimming you expects are there, prawns, fish cakes, Chinese sausage, eggs & sprout. Then on first bite you'll notice the smokey wok taste, and it's not oily at all. The surprise comes when you hit the crackles in your mouth. Well & truly exceeding expectations for a foodcourt offer!

Food_Rampage_AM @INSTA

Traipsed here one weekday determined to beat the lunch rush as many a times i have walked past alice without getting to buy anything. Har mee (prawn noodle soup w pork) 4.25/5, definitely one of the star dishes n my fav. As close to an authentic penang style as i have come across locally. Hokkien noodles n vermicelli, tick. Kangkong (water spinach), tick. Bean sprouts, tick. Prawns and sliced pork, tick. Boiled egg, tick. Fried shallots, tick. Dash of belachan (spicy shrimp paste), tick. Key to a yummy bowl of har mee is its painstakingly prepped broth, simmered in prawn heads prawn shells n the requisite porky porky bone. Well done alice makan. Char kwee tiao 4/5, rice noodles a tad overcooked, good charred wok aroma, complete w fried pork lard pieces n lap chiong (chinese pork sausage). Roti with chicken satay 3.75/5, took a bite of the fluffy roti n satay. Juicy succulent meat but not much charcoal aroma. Peanut sauce on point. Need the malay acar (pickled veg) though. Still good n would order for myself on next visit. Hainan chicken rice, i didnt get to taste this as it was ordered for one of the many takeaways so wont rate it till i stuff my face. Had a whiff and a good look. Promising stuffs (see pic). Fried radish cake 4/5, as good as it gets. Too easy to over cook the fragile radish making it 'mushy'. Too easy to under cook it too lending it with not enough charred aroma. Topped off w green onions n shallots👍🏼. Back for more? Yeshhh!

The Engineer Eats

Headed to Alice's Makan to check the Wanton Noodle (dry) and it didn't disappoint! Loved the taste of the dish, it was pretty authentic! Would have liked the noodles to be more al-dente otherwise I really enjoyed my lunch. Alice's Makan also sells Malaysian kuih-kuih, hope to try these next time!

Leon

Besides Japanese cuisine, I love Peranakan or Straits Chinese cuisine. Tucked in a food court at Pavilion on George, it offers some authentic Nonya kuehs. Although the range of kuehs was not extensive or as authentic as those I tried in Singapore, they still taste pretty good. I have tried Coconut on Sticky Rice and it tastes pretty good. The Prawn Noodle was also rich in flavour and tasty. Worth another try!

Anna

This is the most popular eatery in Pavilion Food Court so we had some sort of expectation when trying this place out. There was actually a health inspector there while we were ordering, seemed kinda funny how he was placing his thermometer device into everything. We ordered the Hainan chicken rice and DIY stir fry. Both were $11. And both were no where near worth the $11 it was a little sad. My friend (just standard eater; not big nor small) couldn’t even comment on the taste because there was a much larger concern – the serving was just so, so tiny. It is the CBD yes so prices may be high, but there are a ridiculous amount of Asian eateries, especially Malaysian, that will serve far bigger portions even if it is a couple of $$ more (some for less than $11 even). It was actually ridiculous how she had to go hungry after an hour. My stir fry was a very basic stirfry, exactly the taste you would expect, nothing special. At least there was more to it, is all I can say. Don’t think we will be back in a hurry.

The Next Rush

Such lovely service here. Needed a hit of street style and had the wings, veg spring roll, beef curry puff, chicken satay and roti with curry sauce!! Perfect just perfect!!!

Andylimp12

Gr8 food compare to other near by places. Excellent taste. Quick service specially in lunch hours. I tried many other similar restaurants and found this much better.

Eatwithmyfoodsafari

Highly recommend the roti. Together with a satay chicken skewer, it's a great value, tasty snack. It's also always nice to come across a food outlet offering fast, friendly service with a smile.

Sweetandyummie

Delicious food in a popular food court. I remember this place when they use to have a standalone restaurant north west Sydney so I knew the level would be high. Customer service is very friendly and the food arrives fast. I highly recommend the char Kway teow and the laksa.

Allofthefoods

Came here for a quick weekday lunch and was absolutely stoked with the food. I ordered the chicken laksa which was recommended by the staff. The laksa was a generous size and the perfect meal on a rainy day. This is a great spot if you quality food, served quickly.

The RnB Diary

If I have to rate my top 3 roti in order, it would be Mamak, Malay Village, and Alice's. I have only tried roti with chicken curry here, it was satisfying and the portion was huge! You can see the air bubbles under each layer, and the curry sauce was tasty too. As much as I liked it's roti, I can hardly say the same about its laksa. In fact I hated it from the first sip! It was salty, salty but no other flavour! I couldn't taste tamarind or palm sugar. On top of the $10, I paid extra 30c for a takeaway container so that I could season the dish myself at home. It was disappointing to say the least. After such hit and miss experience, I am not sure when I will return.

Dave Carroll

Don't let the bland foodcourt put you off. Alice's is my favourite lunch time place in the CBD. It's worth paying a couple of dollars extra than the other asian foodcourts in the vicinity. Freindly staff and consistent quality. The Won Ton noodle soup is the best. Love it!!

FoodLuva

Who would have thought this little gem would be in such a tacky food court..? I was lured by the good reviews and proximity to my barber. Decided to try the signature Char Kway Teow. I can only describe this dish as a journey to goodness. It started with chili that smacked me in the face, then the actual heat made it hard to develop the flavours in my mouth and it had a bitter aftertaste.. But then, once it cooled and my mouth acclimatised to the chili, something awesome happened, it tasted incredible. Noodles are so smooth, and dish had a really nice flavour, then the crackles where a nice surprise popping in my mouth and exploding more flavour.

Emily

Quick stop here for char kway teow. Delicious! Definitely reminds me of being back in Malaysia/Singapore hawker stalls. Glad I came here in my short time in Sydney. Noticed many people stopping here for lunch.

Expat Gourmand

So this craving for chai tay kuah (fried radish cake) went unsatisfied for a month, until our trip to Sydney, and my younger sister had promised to take me to a place that did dished out yummy chai tau kueh. I know I can get good Malaysian food easily in Australia, and that is one of the many things I look forward to whenever we visit Australia. Alice's Makan is located inside a busy food court, and I was pleased to note that it was a popular choice at lunch time amongst the office workers and casual lunchers like us. Malaysian cuisine is delicious but the appearance and description of many dishes may prove too different, "too exotic", for unadventurous non-Malaysians, so I am always happy to see people outside of Malaysia enjoying my birth country's cuisine. There were quite a few items on the menu board, a nice variety for a food court shop. Indeed, there was chai tau kueh on the menu - labelled as 'Fried Radish Cake' on the menu board - and I could finally satisfy my month-long craving!

MerryJ

One of the popular Malaysian food places in Sydney city. My friend and I went there yesterday for fried radish cake and teh tarik/kopi. Fried radish cake was tasty when we first dug into it but as we went on we found it to be too oily. The drinks were quite diluted, perhaps because of the ice cubes being sitting in them for a while in the fridge. The portion was big for girl so I reckon two of us can share one next time and order some sweet cake or curry puffs.

Weekendfoodescapes

Alice's Makan is known for delicious stir-fry meals Malaysian style. It's located in the food court but could easily rival any of the Malaysian restaurants in China town. I spoil myself a little bit and order a can of chrysanthemum tea and a char kway teow ($12 top photo). The flat rice noodles is very sauced up, with a spread of seafood, egg, sprouts and chinese sausage. The noodles had a nice bit of chili. I died in noodle heaven a little bit.

Howard Phung

Alice Makan is in fact best Hainan Chicken you can get in Sydney, skin is silky and tender, just wow. Sauces that come with it - authentic!!! & Chicken soup is delicious.

Kai Luv

Monday is one of those days of the week where the last thing I feel like is cooking. So char kway teow at Alice's Makan was a great alternative. It was tasty with plenty of seafood and soft thick rice noodles.

Sir And Mlady Dine Out

Sir and M'Lady Dine Out is a restaurant, travel, bar and food journey across Australia and the world. Come with our group as we eat, drink, holiday and cook our way through life. Tuesday, 8 September 2015. ALICE'S MAKAN - SYDNEY CBD. Alice's is something of a legend in the Malaysian restaurant world in Sydney.

Matchachacha

The fried radish cake brings me here - smokey, savory & delicious. Char Kway Teow is better than anywhere else too. Never been tempted to try anything else because these two dishes are so good! The people are lovely and friendly - a pleasant change from all the indifferent service at most other places. Forget the TV cooking shows, here you can stand and watch the chef cook your order right in front of you, a real master of the wok. Some of the kuih are nice but the interesting ones sell out early, $5 for a small box is also pricey in the competitive Asian takeaway dessert market. But there's no competition for that yummy fried radish cake! Update Jan 2016 - Chicken Laksa from here is excellent too. While Alice's is mostly a lunch place, it's open till 7 most nights. You'll have the whole food court area to yourself, it's not crowded & you can watch TV while eating Malaysian.

YUXIPANDA

Alices chicken laksa is very good value for money. Especially when compared to a few other food court locations particularly those in hunter connection. Actually had real pieces of chicken (not just chicken skin) and sliced fish cake which made it very appealing! The flavour was quite strong which was delicious at the time but I was definitely feeling very thirsty after an hour! Would go back to try the roti they looked very fresh :)

Khana

For a quick lunch after uni, we stopped by Alice’s Makan, located in the Pavilion on George Food Court just outside Town Hall Station! I ordered a roti set with chicken curry, and a satay stick on the side. I was so pleasantly surprised with the quantity, as I received 3 rotis, and the curry had chicken pieces in it as well.

Emily W

I love Alive's Makan. My favourite dish is the char kway teow. The 'wok hei' is strong in this one. Chili gives it a delicious heat and every element is important, from the fried cubes of fat to the bean sprouts so that you can pretend to yourself that you've had something healthy. Best char kway teow I've had outside of Malaysia, but if anyone has any suggestions for other Malaysian places to try, I'm all ears! I returned last week to try the fried radish cake dish! It was equally delicious - next stop, roti canai!

Daniel May

Have had satay here over the years. Feels like it has degraded over that time, particularly the sauce. Have previously made a special trip to this food court just for the satay, when visiting Sydney, but maybe not anymore.

Dimsumforone

I’d recommend skipping the desserts on the board in favour of the various ‘nyonya kuih’ on offer at the cashier. At $5 a (small) serve, it would be daylight robbery if there was any semblance of competition in this space. Again, best kuih I’ve had in Australia but given the price I would be quite disappointed if it was anything less.

DroolWorthyWorld

This dish came in an adorable red takeaway box. The noodles were average. The pork sausage was delicious - definitely should have been more of it. Seafood - prawns and squid was plentiful which were tasty. Could not actually taste any crackle. Expected more noodles for this price.

GiGi MV

Post contains photos only.

Invidiaz

At HSBC Centre’s food court in the heart of the city, with amazing Malaysian food. It’s been awhile since I picked up some lunch from them. This is the last day they are doing popiah. (I heard it is coming back at some stage! Hopefully soon) so I rushed out, and picked up 3 boxes! I wanted 2, but my co-worker took 1!! So I went back after work, but the lady in front of me bought the last one! It’s such an amazing dish. Loved it. Perfectly done, the rice paper is good, the vegetables are done perfectly, the eggs is lovely, everything is good. I want more.

Ilovemyfoodlots

Alice’s Makan has recently opened in the HSBC food court, taking over Lee’s Malaysian. I really like the colourful menu on the board and the pictures of food sure do look appealing. Apart from Malaysian dishes, Alice’s Makan, is also known for their signature handmade Kuih and you know how much I love my desserts so I had to get one to try.

Feasting In The Know

Husband-and-wife team Paul and Alice Tan were responsible for injecting a splash of Malaysian spices into Sydney’s northwest. When I went to their Thornleigh eatery 10 years ago, the restaurant already looked lived-in; that shows how long these guys have been in the game.

Running For Ramen

Nasi Lemak is the dish I seem to judge a Malaysian restaurant by and I think Alice does one of the best.The beef rendang was delicious, rice has that great coconut flavour and sambal the perfect amount of heat. I shared a ice kacang and cendol for dessert and the meal was complete. I was happy.

Steph L

This place…was popular in Thornleigh?? But sadly NEVER got to go Luckily, they opened in the city…it’s more of a take out place, instead of a full restaurant, but nonetheless better than nothing… It was good! The flavours and everything was authentic , as good as I heard it was It is quite difficult to find, I didn’t even know it was there until I passed it one day. It’s in the centre on the corner of Bathurst and George street, that HSBC building! So if you work in the CBD or is around the area during the day, you should go and try it! http://www.alicesmakan.com.au/ Posted under: Do Fork ,

Kerancia

All the usual Malaysian favourites are also on the menu (fried keow tway, hokkien mee, har mee), which I'm planning to check out on my next visit there. Also there is malaysian kuih available if you want something sweet afterwards!

Missklicious

I really enjoyed their char kway teow though, tasty rice noodles in thick soy sauce with seafood, egg, chives and sprouts.

TheLaksaBlog

While some of the other dishes at Alice’s are great, the laksa is not quite at the same level

Sneh Roy

If you would like a fantastic eating experience, head there on a weekday as weekends tend to get a bit crazy, by Alice’s own admission.

MissPiggyEats

Radish Cake is one of my all time favourite Malaysian dishes though I'm not exactly sure what it is - possibly shredded radish mixed with some other stuff like flour + water. This concoction is compressed or steamed or something and chopped up and wok-fried until the edges are crisped + charred (whilst the innards remain soft + bouncy). Sadly when I rocked up to Alice's they had all but sold out (wah)! They managed to scrap together a half serve for me when they saw how upset I was. and it was PHENOMENAL!

Helen | Grab Your Fork

It's taken us a while to get to Alice's. On our first attempt (after about a year of intent), we'd arrived to find it closed, ending up at bbq one instead, a tasty consolation nevertheless. After a forty minute drive on our second attempt, we were relieve

Mr Shawn & Miss Chicken

There's gold in them thar hills - roti canai, har mee and nasi lemak at Makan@Alices Malaysian in Thornleigh. It takes a lot more than Hillsong to get us out to The Hills District. Our kind of happy clapping happens at Makan@Alice's in Thornleigh when we see menu full of Malaysian street food classics. Alice's is worth a trip across town for, on our visit the place was packed with hungry Malaysians who obviously agree. Nasi lemak - $10.80, your choice of beef or chicken. We're usually not excited about beef rendang (we prefer the dry Sumatran style) but this one is a ripper, fall-apart tender. The rice has just the right amount of coconut, the sambal is divine without being super hot, and the ikan bilis is unadorned, just the way we like it. Our first choice was Hainanese chicken rice but they had sold out, we hear this happens often, apparently you need to get in early for a chicken rice fix. Har Mee - prawn noodle soup - $11.80 (Friday and Saturday only). This has the super prawny br

Lisa Manche

It started with an email from Karen, who had a craving for Malaysian. I was curious, as I’d never tried any Malay cuisine, but had been hearing so much about the Sydney food bloggers’ favourite restaurants and was eager to finally try it for myself. We qu

Does My Bomb Look Big In This

Alice used to run a restaurant in Thornleigh that my folks would drive 1.5 hrs to get to. This new joint is quite different. It’s in the food hall under the HSBC building near the cinemas on George Street. It’s brand spanking new, got cool branding and a short & sweet menu - my kind of place.

Penguin Says Feed Me

Sometimes I get cravings for Malaysian or Singaporean food but I'm feeling lazy to travel out too far. So my go-to place for nearby Malaysian food is Makan@Alice's which is a mere 10 minute drive from my place.

Checky_sexymonkey92

Alice @ Makan, is the business run by thornleigh. On the 17th Sept 13. My mother tell me the Har mee is not really good and nice to serve when she have her lunch and I try the Chicken Curry with Rice. It taste non spicy. The rice was very overpowdering and too much water to it. Curry Chicken is too much coconut milk like a Thai curry. The points I'm going to give them taste 4/10 Service 6/10 My mother Har mee Service, 5/10 Taste 4/10

Ben 001

Overall it's not bad....nothing special

Kevin Yong

A Mixed Bag?. Teh tarik was served in a paper cup and somehow this tea latte with a cinnamon twist did not give the same experience when drunk from a glass. Three of my group of four had the char koay teow, stir fried rice noodles best eaten on Penang Island but generally above average here, especially when served on a banana leaf. Another mate had the nasi lemak with beef rending but he felt it lacked something. The place was well patronised. The har mee and ais kacang were below my expectations a couple of months ago.

Jeune

Delicious BUT incredibly stingey. I used to go to Makan @ Alice's in Thornleigh and was really looking forward to it opening in the city. I went today for lunch and ordered the tastyiest dish I can remember - the chicken curry and roti. I placed my order and waited to collect it and sit down. When my food arrived I couldnt quite believe my eyes. I received a small plastic container - about the size of the small salad container you get at woolies - tiny. And that was half full of curry liquid. Get this.. TWO (2) bite sized pieces of chicken(about the size of a 20c piece). -TWO!!! And a tiny cube of potato! ONE small PIECE of potato!! For $10!! I went back to the counter and said "you must have made a mistake, I only got two tiny pieces of chicken and..." she continued "...and one piece of potato..yes, thats right." I didnt make a scene but I should have. Unbelivably mean. Image attached: I havent touched it. Three decent rotis though and it was absolutely delicious. SAD.

David Marland

I have been visiting makan@alice's for approximately 1 year. I love their food. I either get the radish or seafood laksa. Its reasonablie priced, with a good quiet atmosphere during the week for lunch. Night times and weekends tend to get really hairy, If I go at those times I usually get take out. Ive become that much of a regular that I get asked by one staff member if I would like my can of coke, every time I arrive. Awesome food, good service, family business atmosphere. Kids love it too from what I've observed.

TheLaksaBlog

Laksa has improved a lot since last time!. Tried the chicken laksa again (been a few months) and today it was really impressive. Big strides forwards from last time, which was good, but not as good as some of the other dishes. Today, it was a bunch spicier, tastier, had both noodles and not to mention perfectly cooked chicken (doesn't happen often in a laksa). I also like that they are generous with the tofu! Full review coming out soon.

Miche

Brilliant and worth the train trip!

Veemo

A hidden gem tucked away in thornleigh. Super busy on the weekends and sometimes for lunch too but serves great authentic malaysian food. Love the roti canai and the laksa is pretty good too but the desserts are my favourite. I can definitely justify spending the money for real Malaysian food here.

Cam

Had roti chanai, hianese chicken and lots of others. The randang Had a real depth of flavor. Gets busy so book. Would go again.

Geoff

Food is slightly above average but extremely pricey! Portion is very small, hardly enough to fill your tummy! As business gets better, they reduce the portion and hike up their prices! A double whammy on their customers! Not eating there ever again!

Oscar Scoffer

Enjoyed a busy Sunday lunch. This place is popular - with good reason. Great Malaysian flavours prepared with skill. Will be back.

Review Alice's Makan - Sydney