Why Is Mamak So Much Like Hawkers?

Mamak is a terrific new place to eat Asian street food. It's a handsome spot with an expansive menu of small dishes meant to share, from pad Thai to coconut shrimp. Yet I'm stumped. The menu--not just the offerings, but also the execution--is nearly a duplicate of the one at Hawkers, a nearby establishment. Why is Mamak so much like Hawkers?

I like having a choice, don't get me wrong. Hawkers is a family favorite. Its spiffy if budget dining room is often so packed that we have to wait for a table--and we're willing to, which we won't do elsewhere.

I sure would like to know the back story, though. While the Mamak bill of fare offers far more than Hawkers does, much of the line-up is a carbon copy. Take the roti canai, flaky bread with a curry dipping sauce. We order it every visit and always want more. Not only does Mamak's look just like Hawkers' version, it tastes the same too.

The beef skewers, pictured above, are a bit different: They're more caramelized at Mamak, which I prefer, but don't come with a spicy peanuty sauce, which I miss. The barbecued roast pork is pretty spectacular, with its sweet outer area and tender insides. The hoisin dipping sauce is a plus.

The sesame noodles were a little pasty at Mamak. Still, I'm glad the cold, kid-friendly item is on the menu. Until a couple of years ago, we could barely find this dish in Orlando.

I don't recall seeing wontons in hot sauce on Hawkers' menu. These peanuty, spicy dumplings are a treat. Maybe Hawkers should do the carbon-copy thing itself.

French fries with five-spice powder? Both restaurants. Coconut shrimp? Both. Lettuce wraps, chicken tacos, stir-fried string beans ... I could go on. In fact, both restaurants use Facebook pages as their websites, which usually only smaller spots do.

I'm  happy to have a second Asian street food restaurant in Orlando's Mills 50 district, and I'm glad the food is promising. If you know who owns this grand space, and why it's so doggone similar to Hawkers, please let me know. Otherwise I'll do a feature for a print magazine at some point and do intense digging myself.

Eat enthusiastically,

Rona

www.ronarecommends.com

A New Seasonal Menu at Paris Bistro

With its girly upholstered banquettes and intimate setting, Winter Park's Paris Bistro is a surprising, almost sensual, retreat tucked away from the busy shopping district. Now the restaurant has revamped its menu, keeping the classics, slashing off several entrees, and adding at least half a dozen autumn items. Welcome to thew new seasonal menu at Paris Bistro.

During a visit last night with friends, I was torn between ordering the rack of lamb with brandy and porcini-mushroom sauce, salmon en croute with spinach in a pastry shell, or chicken with lemon-caper sauce. As it turns out, all three were added the week before just for fall. I opted for a fourth choice, a parmesan-crusted chicken breast with Dijon mustard cream sauce, which you see pictured. (That's my friend's, actually. I started wolfing mine down before I remembered to snap a photo.)

This is good food--simple and straightforward, for sure, with fork-tender chicken, a gentle crust, and a velvety, flavorful sauce. I was invited to add on two sides. The "creamy au gratin potatoes" are what I call calorie-worthy. They were just absolutely scrumptious--tender and creamy and cheesy. I had sauteed spinach with mine. The greens were fresh but a tad too salty. It seems from the picture that my friend opted for sauteed green beans.

Owner Tatiana Cerruto tells me that yet more menu items are available until the weather turns yet chillier: scallops in a white wine and roasted garlic sauce, bouillabaisse, and a Grand Marnier souffle among them.

I suggest you copy my dinner group and begin your dinner with a glass of Kir Royale, which is a flute full of champagne and Cassis. It was just sweet enough and vibrantly bubbly.

Eat enthusiastically,

Rona

www.ronarecommends.com