This M’sian Street Food Brand Began As A Personal Craving, and Now It’s Winning Awards In The UK

Let’s be real, while it’s always exciting to travel to other countries and experience different cultures and cuisines, there’s always that one moment when you start craving something closer to home. Sure, there are places overseas that serve Malaysian food, but the flavours can be hit or miss.

One street food brand has made it its mission to bring authentic Malaysian flavours to the UK. From being dubbed a “Nottingham secret”, the brand has since made a name for itself after bagging second place at a prestigious British street food awards.

It all began with a personal craving

For Kent Hau, the brand Syiok-Lah was born out of his own personal craving for Malaysian food during the COVID-19 period in 2021. As the world paused and many restaurants were forced to close, Kent realised just how much he missed the flavours he had grown up with.

These feelings eventually inspired him to start cooking on his own and sharing those flavours with people in the UK.

Now, you may think the origin story of how this brand began sounds pretty straightforward, but the truth is, it was anything but.

Image Credit: Syiok-Lah

Before starting the brand, Kent worked as a project manager in CGI for architecture and interior design for more than a decade. He also had no professional culinary experience. According to him, everything he knew about cooking came from learning at home with his mother, alongside many hours of research, experimentation and tasting.

“I spent countless hours testing recipes—adjusting ingredients, trying different techniques, and tasting again and again until I was happy with the result. It was a lot of trial and error, but that process helped me find flavours that truly represent Malaysian cooking.”

Authentic food to represent Malaysia

Although Malaysia is blessed with many scrumptious dishes, the choice was never clearer for Kent when it came to deciding what would represent Syiok-Lah, the OG nasi lemak.

Aside from being Malaysia’s national dish, nasi lemak means more to Kent than just being iconic. It was what he grew up eating and was the very first dish he started selling during lockdown.

“Nasi lemak is a dish I can eat anytime, breakfast, lunch or dinner. In Malaysia, it’s often a breakfast staple, but honestly, it works at any time of the day. For me, it’s the ultimate comfort food, and it will always be my favourite dish."

“Additionally, it was always something I wanted to introduce to the local community here in the UK. It’s such a well-known dish in Malaysia, so it felt natural for it to become the heart of Syiok-Lah’s menu,” he shared.

Image Credit: Syiok-Lah

Beyond Nasi Lemak, another standout dish at Syiok-Lah is their Beef Rendang. Kent credits fresh ingredients, consistency and patience as the secrets behind its popularity.

“Dishes like rendang can’t be rushed. The flavours need time to develop properly, and the balance of spices has to be just right. We focus on maintaining consistency so customers know exactly what to expect each time they visit us,” he said.

Syiok-Lah prides itself on keeping its food as authentic as possible, allowing people to truly experience the real taste of Malaysian cooking. The only adjustment they occasionally make is slightly reducing the heat level of their sambal, as Malaysian spice levels can be quite intense for some customers.

“Their reactions are often very interesting. Some customers already know the dishes because they’ve travelled to Malaysia before, so they get really excited when they see our stall. Others are trying things like sambal or anchovies for the first time. Sometimes the spice surprises them, but many end up loving the flavours."

“As a Malaysian cooking Malaysian food, I feel a responsibility to represent it properly. I know how these dishes should taste, and I want people here to experience the real flavours of Malaysia. Sharing our cuisine with a new audience is something I’m very proud of,” Kent said.

The 2023 British Street Food Awards

A defining moment for Syiok-Lah came when they earned second place at one of the toughest street food competitions in the world, the British Street Food Awards.

After five regional heats, 16 finalists from across the UK competed in the finals, with each required to present two dishes to the judges. Syiok-Lah served up a storm, narrowly missing out on the championship title to Fife-based Choola, which showcases flavours from the streets of Nepal.

Image Credit: Syiok-Lah

For Kent and the small team behind Syiok-Lah, it was a truly special moment to see Malaysian food recognised on such a prestigious stage.

The award also boosted Syiok-Lah’s profile, with more people becoming interested in the brand. On top of that, it opened doors to more opportunities to trade at larger events and festivals.

“In many ways, it became a turning point for Syiok-Lah. It also gave me more confidence that what we’re doing is resonating with people,” Kent said.

The ups and downs

Like many journeys, Syiok-Lah has seen its fair share of highs and challenges over the years.

According to Kent, one of the biggest early challenges was getting into events. As Syiok-Lah does not have a permanent space, festivals and markets are the main ways the brand reaches new audiences.

Image Credit: Syiok-Lah

He shared, “You often have to send out many applications to festivals and markets you want to trade at, and there’s never a guarantee you’ll be accepted. Sometimes you face multiple rejections before finally securing a spot. Persistence is key, you just have to keep trying.”

That said, Kent says he has never regretted choosing the street food path. Seeing customers who have supported Syiok-Lah since the early days continue to return to their stall makes it all worthwhile.

Image Credit: Syiok-Lah

As for what the future holds, Kent shared that it has always been his dream to open a Malaysian restaurant of his own.

“Hopefully, one day in the near future, we’ll be able to bring Syiok-Lah into a permanent space.”

To follow Syiok-Lah's journey check out their Instagram and TikTok.

Featured Image Credit: Syiok-Lah