A warm welcome, good value Malaysian food and a royal endorsement awaits you at Jom Makan.

The Venue
Jom Makan – Malay for let’s eat - is a restaurant with royal connections. In the back room of this regal building, off Trafalgar Square, is a huge photograph of the King and Queen of Malaysia, who have apparently given the restaurant their seal of approval to promote their nation’s culture in London. The Deputy Prime Minister even dropped into the launch party. Can you imagine John Prescott going thousands of miles to eat? Actually, let’s not go there.

Situated on Pall Mall East, Jom Makan has a very impressive building as its home. Cut down from Trafalgar Square onto the little connecting road of Pall Mall East and you are confronted with a row of grand buildings that look like they could be a smaller relative or supporting office of the neighbouring National Art Gallery. Jom Makan is on your right hand side before it turns into Pall Mall, proper.

Inside, the restaurant has really tall ceilings, plenty of room and original period cornicing. The tables and chairs are pretty basic but functional and there are large, red halo-shaped light shades to add some colour. Apart from these, the space is fairly bare but ultimately it would be a travesty to clutter what is a naturally beautiful building.

The Atmosphere
You are guaranteed a convivial welcome at Jom Makan: the staff are very friendly. Other diners include couples and larger and louder groups of friends. Overall, though, the atmosphere is fairly quiet because it’s not as busy as you might expect.

The bright in house lights mean it’s all very well illuminated; there’s no chance of getting lost in the dark or bumping into walls here.

The Food
Being one of only a handful of Malaysian restaurants in London, Jom Makan serves up rice, noodle and home cooked Malay dishes. All of the meat used is Halal. The chicken satay can be eaten as a starter for £4 or a main dish for £7.60. It comes with chopped cucumber on the side. The coated chicken is fiery without being oppressive and the beautifully rich peanut flavour of the satay dip is a lovely accompaniment to the chicken and the cucumber. The Udang Goreng Tepung (deep fried prawns in batter - £4.50) is less impressive. The batter is very oily and a bit too saturated in fat.

The mains range from £6.50 to about £8.80. Surprisingly the cheapest dish on the menu is actually the star of the show. The Roti Canai (£6.50) is a small bowl of wonderfully fragrant lamb curry served up with two chapati-style flat breads. The lamb’s subtle spice and reassuring heat make for a dish that’s not a million miles away from Caribbean curry goat dishes. The Rendang Daging (braised beef) is a very dry dish that doesn’t have any juice from the coconut milk it’s braised in. It has a more powerful kick than the lamb curry and is served with coconut rice. Overall, the meat is tasty and tender but a little too dry. Other mains take in broths and noodle soups with a limited amount of vegetarian dishes comprising of fish based dishes like the salmon fillet cooked in spicy coconut sauce with okra and tomato (£8.50) or the tiger prawns in mild curry sauce with asparagus and onion (£8.80).

Extras of steamed rice and roti flat bread are both £2 and for heatophiles the Sambal Belacan (spicy chilli and prawn paste - £3) is a little piece of fire in a condensed form. Beware.

There are only 3 desserts, Pandam Cream Caramel (pretty self-explanatory), Kuihl Ketayap (pancake roll with grated coconut) and Sago Gula Melaka (Tapioca pearls topped with palm sugar and coconut cream). Priced at just £2.85 they’re a snip and the cream caramel is a cracking version of the popular classic.

The Drink
Two types of lager, Tiger and Anchor, are on offer in bottles for £3.20 a pop. A small wine list comprises of four reds, four whites, two roses and two sparkling (Prosecco or Perrier champers). Out of the reds, the Libertad Merlot is a fine new world wine. Its deep, rich flavour shows its class and there’s plenty of fruit bursting through to back up its credentials. It’s a good choice with the red meats on the menu and will set you back £16.95 a bottle. A wide variety of juices are available at £2.80 and Teh Tarik, a Malay sweet tea, is just one of the hot drinks on the menu that costs £2.60.

The Last Word
With franchise plans already in place, don’t be surprised to see Jom Makans springing up across London in the future. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.

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