Bowled over

Back in pre-quake days, the Samurai Bowl in the bustling heart of Christchurch (New Zealand) was, in my humble opinion, home to the best Japanese curry outside Nippon. Alas, the tectonic gods put pay to the ‘Bowl’, but I still have fond memories of the signatory curry with its steamy rice, tender beef and lingering aftertaste.

Since then I have searched for a worthy successor and perhaps, now, I have found it at Malaman, a fresh new establishment on humble Street 19. Or not so humble!

Street 19 is presently enjoying a renaissance of sorts with several good value and exciting eateries popping up along its frontage, with Malaman simply the latest in a mounting list of gastronomic options.

Situated at #128A, the restaurant is devoted to those two staples of Japanese ‘Meiji fast food’: my beloved curry and gyudon (‘beef bowl’). Add to this miso soup, dim sum and BBQ pork buns, and visions of Tokyo’s famed low-cost dining district, the Golden Gai, come to mind.

But first, a little Japanese curry 101: For those familiar with South Asian curries, the Japanese version is a milder, sweeter affair (mild being the optimal word). The British brought curry, along with cricket, to Japan during the ‘period of opening’, the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912), and while the curries stuck the cricket did not (the Japanese opted for baseball instead). Also, over this time, the beef bowl, with its shredded meat atop a bed of rice, evolved as another popular staple.

‘So, what’s the secret to a good Japanese curry?’ I ask Yusuke, Malaman’s owner. “It is quality beef and the right rice. I get my beef from America, the rice from Vietnam. The rice must be short-grained and sticky. This gives the texture you need to complement the curry.”

‘So, why the restaurant?’ is the obvious next question. “I was inspired by my mother’s cooking. In Japan, curry and beef bowls are regarded as fast food; they are cheap, but well prepared. I saw an opportunity in Phnom Penh for this food. Good quality, cheap price: that is what I want to achieve.”

With a meal for two – a beef and curry bowl ($3.50 each), chicken nuggets ($2.50) and drinks (draught Angkor $1) – leaving us both satisfied, Yusuke is on the way to achieving his goals.

Quibbles? It would have been great to have a Sapporo or Asahi to have washed the curry down, although Yusuke promises some good sake in the near future. There will also be some worthy additions to the presently simple menu, including two of my favourites – okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza) and karaage (‘fried chicken’).

Finally, I ask a question that had been bugging me: ‘What’s with the name?’ “Actually, malaman is a Filipino word; it means: ‘I know it’. I have many friends in the Philippines, so I wanted to use this word.”
Overall, Malaman’s gets a big tick and I think you, too, will be bowled over by its fare. In fact, I know it!

Malaman, #128A Street 19; 078 646524.