Restaurant 54, Clerkenwell, London

The best kept secret in London? Not any more, now I know I’ve said this more than once but I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!

I also jumped on the three courses for 21 bananas including a complimentary glass of champers, available from a popular culinary booking service I won’t dare to mention! Situated just by Turnmills, I’ve not had too many eating experience this side of Clerkenwell Road but boy, wasn’t I in for a gastronomic feast! I wasn’t feeling especially well when I arrived actually, so no quicker than a gagging reflex did the attentive staff place a bowl of munchable prawn crackers upon my table for me to devour. Within two minutes. What a pig, oink!

Nonetheless, as soon as my blood pressure was where it should be, it was time to plough into the menu which highlighted a fascinating historical alliance between Malaysia and Britain, hence the double sided menu of both British treats and Malaysian delicacies. I was unsure at first, but then I decided that “hey “let’s mix it up” so opted for the watercress soup, followed by the beef rendang and chocolate fondant for dessert (allow 20 minutes for perfection).

Now I’m not one to overuse hyperbole but oh my lord, this was literally the best soup in the world ever, ever. Amen. Who gets excited about watercress? Not me, it’s just that weird looking perennial plant you buy in your salad from Sainsbury’s. But what I got in my mouth at that very moment was the epitome of creamy, succulent, moist vegetable offset by what I thought was a mozzarella ball riding in the bowl. No, no. It was a poached egg, what a dreamy combination! My reaction to this can be seen in the You Tube clip.

Possibly the best 21 quid I have ever spent, loved every mouthful.

Great maylasian food - took up the £19.50 3 course and champagne deal which was good value - not sure about the british side menu, dont think its a good idea as they should focus on the malaysian side. Service informal and friendly. Internal decor …very xmas’y!

54 offers a varied menu containing both traditional Malaysian and British dishes. The British and Malaysian food side by side seems to work quite well. Nice clean looking decor, with friendly attentive staff. Will definately go back

When I visited this place I was completely confused about what it was supposed to be. A Scandinavian waitress served me, and the English bartender didn’t really make me think that this place was very serious about serving Malaysian food as everything seemed to point to on the menu.

I think there were a few teething problems with the current set of staff given that it took almost two full hours of service for a table of eight when we arrived for a “quick lunch”.

I ordered their beef rendang dish, one of their specials of the day and I’m really glad that I did since it seemed to be cooked perfectly. The meat fell off the bone easily and was absolutely delicious with the sauce covering it.

The signature dish, lamb shank rendang, is absolutely incredible and I defy anyone to finish it without passing out. The house wine was lovely and the roti to start was pleasant, although the sides you get with it are a little dodgy.

The restaurant is expensive, but the food is of a high quality. The waitress we had could not have been friendlier or more helpful. And although there is only one toilet upstairs (we never ventured downstairs), it’s a really nice toilet which is the sign of a quality place!

Went to this restaurant with a special offer of 50% off the food and was impressed. It’s a new place, nicely decorated although a bit cramped as the tables are all very close together as they are clearly trying to get as many people in as possible! It was busy, and the service was a bit slow, but we weren’t in a hurry. They serve asian and british food, although it’s not fusion. We all started with the roti with 3 chutneys which was not wonderful. Prawn crackers were good and seafoody. I had pork belly - a delightful square of thick, crunchy, salty pig skin and fat atop a deep square of juicy pork, simply presented on top of mash and curly kale. Yum! The signature lamb dish was also good, with a big portion of tasty, succulent meat. The malaysian prawn curry was tasty with giant prawns and apparently the pineapple and aubergine curry was also good. Chocolate fondant was a let down, but the sticky toffee pudding with caramel ice cream was very good. Decent wine list with a good number of wines on offer under £15. Overall a great meal in a good atmosphere, but I think that the price with 50% was about right, and wouldn’t pay full whack for what we had.