Why PappaRich is so popular

‘‘I’ve heard really good things about it’’ will be the response of anyone who is yet to sample one of the most notable south-east Asian additions to Wellington’s wonderfully diverse gastronomic landscape.

With patrons already popping by at 11am, the lunchtime rush here is epic every day of the week. The throngs waiting for a table by noon proving that the authentic Malaysian cuisine has made the venue, still in its infancy at only four months old, a winner with Kiwis and ex-pats alike.

An international behemoth with locations across Oceania, shareholder/owner Carol Wong became the first New Zealand franchisee after hearing of the chain’s newly opened Auckland branch. For the former nurse, running an eatery had been ‘‘a dream for a long time’’.

‘‘I’d cook for my friends who’d say I should open a restaurant,’’ Wong says.

She attributes a number of factors to the establishment’s success, with location being a key asset. Being in the bustling business district of Lambton Quay makes it an office-worker magnet, pulling in the local corporate types who then spread the word of the delicious food.

Wong takes pride in the diversity and cumulative talent of her workforce, praising the teh

tarikh, a tea pulled five times to give it a fluffy texture expertly made by an NZ native and a female Filipino chef hand-making a fresh batch of roti. The latter being a boundary-breaking concept as she explains.

‘‘Traditionally, it is only the men in Malaysia who make the bread, but women can make it just as well.’’ Tempting plates of noodles made with Malaysian flair.