RestaurantsLondonHaringeyN7

Harden's says

New from Sambal Shiok's owner Mandy Yin (and handily just next door), doing for rice what she's already done for laksa. Rice dishes with flavours from Malaysian, Chinese and Indian dishes are available to takeaway.

survey result

Summary

£47
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Fantastic laksa – available in vegetarian versions” – is a crowd-pleaser at Mandy Lim’s hawker-style Malaysian spot on the Holloway Road. Her authentic version is in the ‘campur’ style found in Malacca – combining Kuala Lumpur’s curry laksa with Penang’s fiery assam. If you don’t like noodles, rice bowls are also on offer.

Summary

£45
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“The food is simply wonderful, from fiery laksas to cool and piquant gado-gado” at this “buzzy, crowded, hawker-style stall” on the Holloway Road, presided over by Kuala Lumpur-born Mandy Lin and her team. “One of London’s increasing number of properly good Malaysian restaurants.”

Summary

£41
    £
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Spiced, zingy laksa to die for!” – Kuala Lumpur-born Mandy Lin’s “bustling” Malaysian street food bar on Holloway Road bar provides “an object lesson in how to keep people happy by doing one thing and doing it well”. “Authentic, delicious laksa arrives with different levels of spiciness”, hitting the spot “when you need a laksa fix”. Sambal to Go has replaced the short-lived Nasi Economy Rice next door, leaving the main restaurant focused on a slightly less high-turnover eating experience, with greater ‘table time’ and more extensive menus, including rice bowls and noodle salads.

Summary

£38
    £
3
Good
3
Good
1
Poor
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Fantastic new arrival in N7” – Mandy Yin’s “always crowded, really buzzy” laksa bar (her progression from street-food markets) has ridden a wave of good reviews; fans say, “if you like laksa, chilli and spice, you won’t find anywhere better for this type of money”. That’s the majority view anyway, although there is a minority who feel “it’s not worth the time queueing”, citing “hype” and clumsy cooking (“either they changed chef, or they’re too busy”). There’s also some disagreement over the booking slots policy: supporters say “the 90 minute time allocated for the meal is plenty because the service is so fast”, but others feel “very rushed given the fixed arrival and departure points”.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Sambal Shiok?

171 Holloway Road, London, N7 8LX

Restaurant details

Yes
No dress code
20

Sambal Shiok Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Sambal Shiok Restaurant in N7, London by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Sambal Shiok restaurant.
Neil H
Small simple Malaysian restaurant serving t...
Reviewed 8 months, 7 days ago

"Small simple Malaysian restaurant serving tasty food and good service "

Report this comment
Have you eaten at Sambal Shiok?
Post your own review of Sambal Shiok and contribute to our annual restaurant review guide.
Post your own review

Prices

Starter Main Pudding
£4.00 £18.80 £7.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £25.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Service 12.50%
171 Holloway Road, London, N7 8LX
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
Tuesday5 pm‑9 pm
Wednesday5 pm‑9 pm
Thursday5 pm‑9 pm
Friday12 pm‑9:30 pm
Saturday12 pm‑9:30 pm
Sunday12 pm‑9 pm

Best Malaysian restaurants nearby

Roti King
Malaysian restaurant in Euston
£15
    £
5
Exceptional
2
Average
2
Average
Laksamania
Malaysian restaurant in Westminster
£49
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
Rasa Sayang
Malaysian restaurant in London
£51
   ££
4
Very Good
3
Good
2
Average

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

Gem
Turkish restaurant in Islington
£48
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
Santa Maria
Pizza restaurant in Islington
£47
   ££
4
Very Good
2
Average
3
Good
The Tamil Prince
Pan-Asian restaurant in Islington
£48
   ££
4
Very Good
3
Good
3
Good