Ho Jiak

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Ho Jiak is a hole-in-the-wall Malaysian eatery situated inside Strathfield Plaza - not the most delightful of ambience, in fact the place is extremely cramped and uncomfortable. What tempted me to travel all the way to Strathfield, you may ask? MILO LAKSA.

Curry Milo

On the menu, this item is listed as 'Curry Milo'. It is essentially a laksa with a generous sprinkling of milo powder on top. This sounds like it could either be genius, like salted caramel, or an absolute disaster. It was with great trepidation that I tasted this dish, but I was pleasantly surprised. When mixed in with the soup, you can't really taste any weird sweetness. instead, the soup turns a brown shade, and the flavour becomes a bit deeper and more complex than a normal laksa. The sweetness is only very, very mild, and neither malty nor chocolaty. The laksa does come with a generous amount of prawns and fried bean curd which are great at soaking up all the delicious soupiness. 

Hainan Chicken
The Hainan Chicken is my third choice - my second choice, apart from Curry Milo, is their Bah Kuh Teh, a traditional bone broth with complex flavours and alleged health benefits. The Hainan chicken at Ho Jiak is alright - it's neither disappointing nor amazing; the glazed soy sauce (not pictured - you collect them at a self-serve counter and the idea is you mix them in with the rice) has a strong bitterness whereas normally, it should be sweet.

Score: 3/5
The Curry Milo is pretty good, but was it worth a special trip? Debatable.
Price: at around $15 per dish, Ho Jiak squarely falls within the cheap-eats category.
Address: 33/11 The Boulevard, Strathfield 
Website: hojiak.com.au

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