Junda Khoo’s cooking is almost musical. That’s partly because Malaysian cuisine harmoniously balances the trinity of sweet-salty-sour, but also because the chef creates space to play.

Khoo attributes his love of food to his grandma, and while the Strathfield and Haymarket outposts of Ho Jiak pay tribute to that Nyonya foundation, Town Hall extends on the traditional.

Spoon-tender beef rendang fills a roti-topped pot pie, comforting bowls of nasi goreng are embellished with hand-picked crab and calamansi, and punchy coconut laksa is the generous dipping sauce for prawn and chicken dumplings. That holy flavour trinity, though, is best exemplified by the asam barramundi topped with fragrant ginger flower, lemongrass and tamarind curry. Hunks of tomatoes and okra dot the aromatic sauce.

Finish by cracking into the bruleed shells of green pandan custard, and Khoo’s opus comes to a satisfying close.

Good to know: Look out for Khoo’s next opening at the new Sydney fish market.

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