Chilli Padi

Always excited about a new Asian restaurant in town, especially something as unique as Malaysian food! This small, casual, cash-​only restaurant is hiding on a side street and a bit tricky to find, but I’m very glad we did! They were busy on a Sunday lunchtime, and we were the only non-​Asian people dining, the universal «always a good sign» that white people observe when they go out for «ethnic» food, I know, but I can’t help but interpret it as such!
After we ordered, the server asked if we’d been in before, and we said no. He then suggested I change my noodle soup order to a different one, one that was more traditionally Malaysian. He said many of the other Chinese restaurants around do a soup like their House Special Soup Noodles (though they do it the best, he said!), but pointed me at the Penang Prawn Soup Noodles and Vermicelli. My partner ordered the Tom Yum Soup Vermicelli, but with Udon noodles instead. We started with Salt and Chili Calimari, which were far better than any version we’ve had at a similar restaurant. The batter wasn’t thick and heavy, but light and crispy. And the squid was sprinkled liberally with some kind of insanely delicious spicy crispy condiment goodness. We tried to get as much of it as possible on every bite. This makes a great appetizer for 2 (3 squid each?) and it’s more creative and enticing than your usual fried squid.
Our noodle soups were next. My partner’s came first, and it was gorgeous. Big coconut and lemongrass flavor, and it was spicy. Filled with a variety of seafood, it was a big bowl of enticing and aromatic goodness. The udon noodles were the perfect consistency for slurping. My bowl was next, and we both agreed the flavor of the broth wasn’t as good — fishier, in a way. Maybe too much shrimp paste? It grew on me though, and after just a few bites, all I got was a homey, comforting flavor — admittedly a strong one, but I really enjoyed it. If you’re sensitive to a fish taste though, I’d steer clear. The dish had two kinds of noodles, skinny vermicelli and a slightly thicker variety — I think next time I’d skip the vermicelli as I don’t like the consistency as much, but they were abundant and well cooked. Fish was also very well cooked and given in a generous portion. The soup had lots of other nice things in it like a hard boiled egg and various greens. Gives Wagamamas a run for their money! If you get a soup with prawns, they’ll come with the head-​on, so it can be a bit messy (mine basically exploded all over me when I tried to take off the head, gaaaaaah), and I know some people really hate head-​on prawns, but they tasted great and it isn’t that much work to strip them bare!
I think the prices are more than fair — £9 or so for a big bowl of soup noodles that you’ll never finish. They have lots of other noodle and rice dishes, stir-​fries and whatnot, and the servers are more than happy to steer you towards the authentic Malaysian choices. The aromas and the flavors are restorative, and I will definitely be coming back here on another hungover Sunday for a bowl of Tom Yom Soup noodles!