Popular King St Wharf restaurant to move to former Rosetta site
Popular King St Wharf restaurant, The Malaya, will close in late March after 60-plus years of service.
However, Sydneysiders won’t have to wait too long before tucking into a laksa, with the restaurant to relocate to Grosvenor Place at 225 George Street, near Circular Quay, in April.
The Malaya’s new home is the former site of Rosetta restaurant.
“It’s definitely less busy [at King Street Wharf]. Often we’re busy [in the restaurant], but I’ll go for a walk and it’s quiet in the streets,” The Malaya’s third-generation operator Duan Wong told Good Food.
Despite the 2021 closure of Rosetta at Grosvenor Place, Wong is optimistic about The Malaya's upcoming launch at the same location. He points out that when Rosetta opened in 2017, the area was still undergoing significant construction, including light rail work and the development of Sydney Place.
These projects are now complete, and Wong believes the timing is ideal, saying many of The Malaya's long-standing customers work in the vicinity.
After 60 years in business, the Wong family understands their clientele. Duan's sister, Isabella, who manages the restaurant's front-of-house operations, told Good Food, “Many of our oldest customers started coming in as students in the ’70s and now work in the city, coming in for work but also bringing their families.”
“We have two gentlemen who have been friends since school, and they have a catch-up lunch on their favourite table almost every Tuesday, sometimes even wearing old Malaya merch from past celebrations,” she said.
“Many of our oldest customers have now retired or moved out of Sydney, but still always make a point of coming to see us every time they’re in town, sometimes taking 10 or more takeaway curries home with them to put in the freezer.”
The Malaya restaurant was founded by Duan and Isabella's grandfather, Wong Tai See. Its final service at King Street Wharf will be on Saturday, March 29.
Jonathan Jackson, 17th February 2025
