Okra Restaurant

The service is very, very, very slow. After 1.5 hours only the entrees were served. The table next to us who came after we arrived were served their mains first. They also seemed to concentrate on their takeaway business first. I note a couple regular customers that came after our mains were served had their dishes prepared very quickly. The food was salty and the eye fillet was over cooked. The prices of the dishes were not inexpensive so had higher expectations of the food. I am surprised at the number of positive reviews for this establishment. I hardly very write a negative review but it was difficult to be positive about our experience at Okra.

Over the years I've been here with different friends half a dozen times. The food and service have been consistently good so I'm really glad to see it survived the Covid lockdowns of 2020. We arrived before opening time but the lady let us in to have a seat and gave us the menu anyway. My friends wanted Gado Gado with roti instead of rice. Roti costs more which is fine, but this could have been handled a little more gracefully instead of making a big fuss out of it. We also wanted a stir fried dish of okra which is on the dinner menu and they happily accommodated. I was craving for Laksa and my dish was filled to the brim with seafood. Full-bodied flavours, comforting and familiar, this hearty dish never fails to satisfy. My friends enjoyed their Gado Gado, which were enhanced by the Okra with Balachan. The male owner is forever chirpy and sociable with the customers, making the experience enjoyable. With a pleasant ambience, this place is good for a casual meal and revisiting the hawker dishes Malaysia is famous for.

I was there on 27/05/2022. OMG it was the worst experienced in my life. I never gave any negative feedback to any restaurant before. But it was worst. we ordered chicken curry, goat curry and calamari something. goat curry was tasteless dry and i think it was cooked couple of days before, chicken also same. calamari was OK. never go again there. waste of money and time.

Unfortunately upon inspecting the menu prior to making a reservation, I had high expectations which were most definitely not met. I agree with the other reviews on this page. Our waiter was not attentive and made a simple mistake on our order which is no biggie. My mother found a hair in her snapper ($50) which is not normally an issue but for $50 I want quality. I brought the hair politely to the waiter’s attention and advised that I will not be paying for this dish. Another staff member came with a huge smile and began to yell saying they’ll call the police and we can sue the restaurant but we have to pay for everything tonight. I hope no-one has this unfortunate experience here again but the other poor reviews make me doubtful this won’t be repeated. The food tasted nice that we ordered and they should receive some credit for this. Thank you for the hairy meals :)

Good Malaysian restaurant. Been visiting this place for several years. The Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang is very good, the gravy is rich, beef is tender and portion size is very big. Also of note is the sambal which is very spicy but you have to ask for it separately. The Roti Canai with Beef Rendang is also a favourite lunch repast. We also had the Char Kuay Teow which is very good and has lots of ingredients but this is closer to the Cantonese style version.

Okra is an institution in Camberwell. This Malaysian Restaurant is trendy, upmarket and authentic. The Sunday hawker lunch is exceptional. It is real soul food. Stand out dishes are the Poh Pia, Yee Tow Mai Fun (fish head noodles) and Yong Tau Fu Laksa. But you can’t go wrong with any of the dishes. Decor is modern, service is efficient and staff are always friendly.