Tropika, Delicious Malaysian Cuisine (Edmonton 30 in 30)

One of my favourite restaurants growing up was Tropika. Eating mostly Chinese food, I loved that the Malaysian restaurant added in special flavours and methods on top of ingredients I was already familiar with to create new and bold dishes. Thus they always hold a special place in my heart and was a no-brainer when picking which restaurants I wanted to dine at during my time back in Edmonton.

Tropika is part of a chain of two restaurants unique to Edmonton. My location of choice was always the south side one just off of 104th Street by 60th Avenue. I was always impressed by the large spacious dining room with handsome decorations and attentive wait staff.

The brightly coloured menus feature specialties from Malaysia and Thai cuisine. You have the classics like the Tom Yum soups, to the curries, to special fried noodles and stir fries. A thoughtful addition to the menu are combination platters which feature a set combination of three items and rice and allow for diners to try a variety of dishes without over-ordering.

I started off with a Singapore Laksa. The classic, often revered dish from Southeast Asia, laksa is a catch phrase for a number of noodle soups from the region. The traditional namesake here features a curry coconut broth with tender noodles, prawns, fish cakes and fried tofu. This was divine: the heaping bowl of soup had a wonderful nutty, rich and smooth flavour that was interjected by the large succulent prawns and slices of soft fish cake and tofu and all held together by the tender noodles.

Called Sambal Bunchies on the menu, Tropika offers some of the best stir fried green beans in town. The beans are fried with sambal, a chili based sauce with shrimp paste and fish sauce as its marquee ingredients and topped with bits of fresh tomatoes. The overall flavour profile is a nice balance of the crisp beans with the spicy sauce and freshness of the tomatoes.

Wanting to add something extra on my visit I ordered a Rendang Lembu (Beef). Here Tropika takes tender chunks of beef and fries it with a coconut based broth infused with numerous spices. Together it creates a balance of spicy and sweet that coats the large pieces of tender beef. The addition of lemongrass and fresh cilantro do well to cut through the fattiness of the beef.

Needing something to soak up all the deliciousness I ordered a bowl of Hainanese Style Rice. Supposedly this bowl is infused with chicken broth but it was altogether average and lacked any additional flavour.

Tropika was everything that I recalled growing up as a child. Featuring Malaysian and Thai cuisine using authentic ingredients and cooking styles, it is a tour de force for the Malaysian food scene in Edmonton. While I have noticed prices consistently creeping upwards, Tropika still delivers solid delicious food and should be an easy recommendation for anyone looking for Southeast cuisine in Edmonton.