MalayaLane might not mean a whole lot to you just yet, but if you’ve spent time wandering Adelaide’s markets or food festivals over the past year, chances are you’ve eaten their food.
Formerly trading as Smatra Curry House, the family-run affair has quietly built a loyal following for its Malaysian-Indian cooking, particularly its banana leaf feasts, flaky roti and richly spiced curries. Now, that same food is getting a permanent home, with MalayaLane opening its first restaurant in Edinburgh in Adelaide’s north.
Run by husband-and-wife team Geetha and Nithyaraj, MalayaLane is shaped by generations of Malaysian cooking. Both come from families deeply connected to food – Nithyaraj’s family still operates a restaurant in Malaysia, while Geetha grew up surrounded by home kitchens and curry houses, learning recipes that now form the backbone of MalayaLane’s menu.
At the centre of the menu is banana leaf rice, a traditional Malaysian-Indian way of eating that remains surprisingly rare in Adelaide.
“We tried with the banana leaf rice first,” says co-owner Geetha, who runs MalayaLane with her husband Nithyaraj. “We get very good response, and we also asked customers, ‘before this did you try banana leaf anywhere?’ Customers say ‘no, you are the first Malaysian Indian who brought the banana leaf rice.’”
And there’s a reason the dish has become almost ritualistic across South Asia. As the name suggests, it’s an assortment of fragrant curries and chutneys that sit side by side, on a bed of basmati rice, on a banana leaf.
“It’s a combination of mixed curries like sambar, vegetable curry and fish curry,” Geetha explains. “You got two types of curry, three types of vegetables, papadum, pickles and rasam, which is like a mouth washing soup, like a palate cleanser.”
MalayaLane plans to offer multiple twelve banana leaf variations alongside fan favourites regulars will recognise from the festival circuit. Flaky roti, dosa, sambal-driven chicken and mutton dishes, and crispy fried snacks inspired by Malaysian street food.
“Everything is inspiration from Malaysia,” Geetha says. “Like most popular KL restaurants, they get this kind of variety of foods.”
Breakfast will also play a role, with Malaysian morning staples on offer. “We have a special variety of morning breakfast like roti canai and Malaysian polo buns,” she says.
Drinks follow the same cultural cues, non-alc and all designed to cool and balance, with India’s Bru Coffee at the centre of it all. Dessert is none other than sweet ponggal, a traditional sweet dish made with rice, moong dal, ghee, nuts and raisins.
The restaurant will be fully halal-friendly, following Malaysian cultural practices.
“We are following the culture as well, so we don’t serve any beef and we don’t mix any alcohol in the food,” she says.
MalayaLane will open in a newly developed centre in Edinburgh, joining a swathe of exciting new eateries, but filling a noticeable gap in Adelaide’s north for Malaysian-Indian cuisine. Opening is expected late February or March.
“Exactly going to be one year, we are opening a restaurant,” Geetha says. “We are now counting down the days to opening our first outlet and can’t wait to welcome you.”
MalayaLane
When: Slated for late Feb/early March
Where: T05 Edinburgh Central 1–5 Sturton Road, Edinburgh SA 5111
For more info, click here.
