Jom Makan

Unalike Chinese and Thai, Malaysian food in London is a bit hit-and-miss and Jom Makan, whilst a great idea, teeters on the edge of ‘Miss’. The starters are ok, they are varied and tasty enough, but in my opinion a good Malaysian restaurant should be able to produce an excellent beef rendang and this is where I was left utterly disappointed. The beef was stringy and very dry (even more dry than a rendang should be) and any ounce of sauce was watery and unpleasant.

I also find it annoying that every dish needs to be garnished with cucumbers or cherry tomatoes, which aren't quite right as a garnish at the best of times. The head Chef, bizarrely, was Austrian/German when we visited… Something I found to be quite bizarre as most of the best Asian/Oriental restaurants in town, have Chefs that come from a similar background of that of the restaurant itself. Service, whilst polite, is a tad erratic with staff looking a bit confused and lingering in corners.

I wouldn't feel the need to come here again and so the hunt for truly great Malaysian food in London continues!

Fab. I love Malaysian food, and this was just what I was longing for. Fast but very tasty food. I let the waitress know that I was pushed for time, and my order came through really quickly and without compromise on the taste. Thank you Jom Makan.

This is for the Westfield branch! Two of us stopped by after shopping needing some good food and a nice experience. We both ordered different noodle dishes that looked nearly exactly the same served on cheap looking plates with no hint of flair whatsoever! We had some starters that were deep fried, the samosas looked freezer burnt on the edges, the noodle dishes were dry, dull and too spicy (probably to try and add interest), the chicken in my noodle dish was weird and unrecognisable! On the plus side the tap water and service were ok! What a waste of money!!!

I ate at the Westfield branch of Jom Makan. This is one of the worst Malaysian restaurants I have eaten in. I should know what Malaysian food tastes like as I am Malaysian. If Jom Makan were in Malaysia, the restaurant would be closed in a day as no Malaysian would eat the travesty that is being passed off as Malaysian cuisine.

If Square Meal had a rating that said, TRULY AWFUL, I would tick that box.

I'm going to cut them a bit of slack here, apparently management has just changed. Because of that they don't have a liquor licence yet, so you can't have a drink with your meal – they quite happily told us we could bring our own, but didn't know where the closest place to buy anything from was (and neither did we). They are also obviously going to change the menu, as a few dishes had been crossed out, which were of course, the one's we really wanted. Overall the food is ok, nothing to write home about but it is pretty good value for money.

There’s no shortage of Asian restaurants in London but there aren’t many which have a good selection of Malaysian dishes. This is where Jom Makan fits in; a mid priced chain which offers a great introduction to Malaysian food.

Although the reviews do vary, we weren’t disappointed by our visit last week and the meal was definitely above average. With a Taste London card (50% off food), the bill came to a little over £10 a head. The decor is modern and spacious and the restaurant was refreshingly quiet (a noticeable lack of background music) with friendly and attentive service. Unlike some of the other mid priced “fast food” chains, we didn’t feel at all rushed.

We enjoyed everything we ate but there were hits and misses. For example, the chicken satay came with a lovely dipping sauce, but the meat was a little chewy. Particularly outstanding was the Nasi Goreng with beef and crispy fried anchovies and although we enjoyed the chargrilled beef ‘mingdan’, it could have been hotter upon arrival.

There’s definitely room for improvement at Jom Makan but I would be tempted to return soon, even if just to try some of the other dishes on the menu.

I read about Jom Makan a few weeks back in The London Paper & having walked past it every day on my way to work i was suprised i had never noticed it before. Located slap bang on Trafalgar Square it couldnt be more central, perhaps the building is a little off putting, a grand edwardian building could be a little intimidating to some but the restaurant is light & bright & the staff are very friendly & helpful in explaining the dishes. A very plesant meal that was above all fantastic value for money. We ordered spiced potato cakes (moist & packed full of punch) & garlic chilli squid (lightly cooked so it wasnt to chewy) as side dishes & i had nasi lemak – a mix of beef curry, egg, rice, peanuts, spicy prawns – may sound like a strange mixture but apparently is a signature dish of malaysia & a great combination of firey chilli & rich coconut. The wife played it safe with avegetarian Nasi Goreng – a rice dish with butternut squash, spring onions – she had a smile on her face. In fact we both left with a smile on our faces & we will definitely be back soon.

If you want real Malaysian food don't go here. It's just another westernised asian restaurant with little flavour or spice.

An upmarket fast food restaurant that serves purely tasty Malaysian dishes. For a quick out of office lunch try the tasty Mee Goreng. Wine is reasonable too, their house wine available by the glass is more than palatable and goes well with the dishes. Good value and worth a try.

A fantastic restaurant just off trafalgar square. Very clean and pleasant dining room, tasty fresh food of good quality and excellent value for money. We had the £12 set lunch menu with a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts, all well presented. The tapioca in coconut milk and palm sugar was unusual and delicious. Service was efficient and friendly without being over-bearing. I would certainly recommend this place.

Stumbled across Jom Makan this weekend taking my grandchildren to Trafalgar Square. We had a delightful lunch. The Mee Kari was the perfect antidote to the cold weather outside – a delicious curried soup packed with tofu and vegetables. Obviously trying to tempt in customers in this terrible economic crisis, they had a great special offer on, where i got a free glass of house wine and the childen ate completely for free.

A very useful bolthole in Trafalgar Square: a large, elegant room, not at all crowded on a Wednesday evening, with straightforward Malaysian dishes. Our marinaded beef curry and large soup were both good. About the same price and quality as Wagamama, but much more pleasant surroundings. £20-25 for two, with beer and a main course.