Mamalee! Hainanese Chicken Deliciousness

I've heard a lot about Cafe D'lite, but never actually made the trek to their location in Kits. One day this past summer, I decided to change that and went over there for a late lunch, after they rebranded as Mamalee. 

There are a few staples that are "must-eats" in a malaysian restaurant, namely, Roti Canai and Hainanese Chicken Rice. My favourite to date in Vancouver has been Banana Leaf with Kaya coming in at a close second. Let's see if this blows those out of the water.
This is their Roti Canai with a bit of mild Curry dipping sauce. The roti was really good, with lots of thin layers that just begs to be shredded apart. They are a bit oily, but then again, it's not something you eat every day, so just enjoy it for what it is and work out extra hard the next day. 

The layers are really impressive and it's clear to see that the dough had been folded numerous times before being placed on the griddle. The outer edges has a nicely browned crust, but the inside was soft, chewy and had a great mouth feel. But is it better than this (Scroll down)? You decide!  
And this is the crowning glory of this restaurant, the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice. Now I know this dish isn't really visually appealing, since the chicken looks like it's just been boiled or blanched. The whiteness of the skin also freaks some people out. But trust me, it's worth a try. The chicken skin is easily removable if it really makes you squeamish. The chicken isn't exactly hot, but not cold either, more of a room temperature. 

The light sprinkling of soy is tasty, but what really makes the dish are the sauces on the side. The Chili Sauce is a bit spicy but has a sweetness to it too. The Green Onion and Ginger Sauce is my favourite and I could easily eat a bowl of rice with just this sauce alone. The rice is cooked in the broth that the chicken was slow-cooked in, and is very fragrant. I thought the presentation was cute too. 
We wanted one more item and couldn't decide between a Laksa or a rice noodle roll dish called Choo Cheung Fun. In the end, the latter won us over, simply because we knew we'd have to pack leftovers home and laska would be too messy. 

We were pleasantly delighted by this dish, the noodle rolls were very fresh, and steamed just enough to be warm throughout, but not at all mushy. I could actually unroll these very easily. The abundance of fish balls and fish tofu was a delight too...and made the dish much heartier than we anticipated. Clearly a win! 

Take note:

• Closed on Sundays
• Extra charge for extra sauce
• Lots of takeout action, call ahead if you don't want to wait.