iMasticate

Photography: Little Miss Contrary

It was another sticky hot summer night that reminded me of Malaysia. It took a little convincing to persuade everyone to squish into Tak Chee House in Northbridge for some spicy, oily dinner. But we had no regrets - the meal lived up to the standards we expected from our many lunchtime visits!

The banquet for seven people

We each ordered a drink to quench our thirst and cool off before debating about which dishes to order. My favourite pick is the Ice Lemon Tea, served chilled and with just the right amount of sugar. Prod the lemons and give it a stir, otherwise it’ll taste weird (that’s what she said?).

Life-saving Ice Lemon Tea ($3.50)

One friend ordered an Ice Grass Jelly drink that she enjoyed. Personally, I’m not a fan because the jelly looks like ink and tastes about as good as grass does.

Ice Grass Jelly ($3.50)

The curry chicken was pretty standard, nothing amazing, but it was a generous serving of meat. Order an extra roti with the curry so that you can mop up all the sauce.

Roti Canai with Curry Chicken ($9.50) and extra roti ($3)

We order sambal kangkong at every chance we get. Tak Chee’s dish was decent, but could use more heat and perhaps salted fish. Penang Char Kuey Teow at Tak Chee is a popular and well-known favourite. No complaints: the noodles were tender, plenty of seafood pieces, and not too oily.

Penang Char Kuey Teow ($10) (foreground); Sambal Kang Kong ($15) (background)

I love slender satay sticks, smoky and charred, swimming in a rich peanut sauce. It’s difficult to find authentic satay in Perth and Tak Chee’s are somewhat ‘hit and miss’. The sauce is yummy, but too sweet for my liking. While the meat is fragrant and juicy, I’m put off by the chunkiness. Probably the biggest disappointment is the absence of rice cakes and red onions.

Satay chicken sticks (4 for $8)

Watch out for the serving size of the ice kachang!! It’s good value-for-money and should be shared between two. Dig to the bottom for plenty of grass jelly, sweet corn and red beans.

Ice Kachang ($5)

It’s easy to walk right past Tak Chee without noticing its small and unassuming shop front. Yet, in typ