Since autumn 2019, the marble-topped tables at Neukölln’s YaMe NumNums have been home to more than just their Australasian-style brunches. Now Ma-Makan (a play on the Malay word for “eat”) is running the kitchen Thursday–Saturday, serving up homemade hawker-style Malaysian and Singaporean dishes. From savory chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes topped with salty preserved radish – a dish found nowhere else in Berlin) to slurp-able bowls of fragrant nyonya laksa soup with all the fixings, Ma-Makan quietly boasts one of the most exciting menus in the city. Since 2017, Kaylin Eu has been sharing foods from her childhood alongside new favorites. Our first taste was her nasi lemak at a pop-up in 2018, and ever since we’ve been yearning for more. Now, with a long-term space and a distinctive rotating menu, our wishes have been granted. As Berlin’s gloomy gray months settle in and wear us down, we know where we’ll be seeking refuge: in aromatic bowls of spiced coconut broth. (Text: Devan Grimsrud / Photos: Savannah van der Niet)
Ma-Makan at YaMe NumNums, Flughafenstr.46, 12053 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Thu–Sat 18h30–22h
@mamakanberlin
