At 5.30pm on a Friday afternoon, every table at Normah’s in west London is either occupied or reserved. The Malaysian restaurant has no windows, does not permit alcohol and is in a bright, strip-lit room with basic furniture. Yet the atmosphere is one of reverence: the couples and friends who sit over steaming bowls of laksa and tear at flaky roti have fought for their tables. In the past few years, Normah’s has gone from cult status to viral fame.
As well as becoming a TikTok sensation, Normah’s features on several well-respected lists of the best restaurants in London, including The Standard’s own list of the best Malaysian food-spots in London and those by food magazine Vittles and restaurant guide The Infatuation. On its rudimentary website, below the blurry tagline that reads “every bite touch your soul”, there is a message in red capitals: “FULLY BOOKED JULY AND AUGUST”. This is the Glastonbury of the dining world. Reservations for the month ahead open at 10am on a specific day and are snapped up in minutes; alarms are set, knuckles cracked.
