Ria Malay Kitchen, Leederville – The wine list that shocked me..

Disclosure: I was gifted a $100 credit at Ria Malay Kitchen

Recently I was invited to dine at Ria Malay Kitchen in Leedervile. It’s a hop, skip and a jump from the Leederville train station which is absolutely perfect, as I would highly suggest taking public transport there so you can really get stuck into the wine, beer and cocktail menus.
Having lived in Asia for a year and loving Asian cuisine it’s very typical to find wine lists at Asian restaurants very slim or even non-existent as it’s just so much easier to have a beer or cocktail with the food. Because of all the diverse flavours and spices, matching wine to Asian food can be very tricky and it scares a lot of people off.

Funnily enough it was the wine list at Ria that captured my attention, I was shocked! The decent 3-page wine list included a mix of bubbles and still white, red and rose. Each wine had been specifically chosen to match the Malaysian cuisine, I was intrigued!!

The decor..

Ria is a large venue with inside and outside seating, perfect for an intimate lunch or it would make a great spot for a large gathering for a birthday dinner or something of the like. The decor is stunning, very modern, chic Asian with fabulous full wall artworks and lanterns.

The service..

As it was grand final day when we went (being Kiwis we took full advantage of the day to go out somewhere with no tellys) it was relatively quiet which means we were one of the few dining for lunch that day. From the moment we walked in we were warmly welcomed and throughout the meal we were neither neglected nor overly interrupted. We never had an empty water or wine glass and plated were cleared quickly.

Our waitress also suggested great dishes and wines to try which made the decision-making process so much easier.

The food…

The menu had a lovely range of small bites, to main meals and of course something sweet. I so badly wanted to dive into the dessert platter, but by the time we had got through the entrees and mains we were both way to stuffed!

It was also great to see there was a decent range of gluten-free and dairy-free options on the menu.

This is what we went for in the end:

• Caramelised pork belly with chilli and herbs for $21 (absolutely divine, I could have easily had this to myself!)
• Young soy bean pods tossed in Malay spices for $7
• Red baked fish fillet on a banana leaf with a ginger and lime leaf spiced fresh tomato sauce for $25
• Mee Goreng stir fried egg noodle with beef for $16.90

The wine..

As mentioned above, I loved the wine list. I great range of wine styles to choose from with local and international tipples available. Most wines are available by the glass which start at $8.50. Some wines are available only by the bottle, a great excuse to take the train and not drive!!
So what did I drink on my visit? I had a glass of the Plan B OD Riesling for $9.50 which in my opinion was an amazing match to the cuisine, absolutely breathtaking, check out my tasting note here. I followed this up with a glass of Toomfoolery Tally Ho Sauvignon Blanc from the Adelaide Hills for $11 which was so good, I got so swept up with the drinking and eating that I didn’t even write a tasting note!! Looks like I’ll have to go back for another glass!

All up it was a lovely first visit to Ria. I can’t wait to go back to try out more of the wine list and also give the cocktail menu and beers a run for their money too!

For more information on Ria Malay Kitchen, check out their website or connect with them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram today.