Ammolite Cafe in Portsmouth

Best thing was the edamame peas , pork was microwaved and tasted disgusting and just the whole thing was a rip off and I’m fuming, not only do I have a hungry girlfriend but my own pot of food is so poor the tub is only 1cm full HUGE mistake feel like I’ve been robbed.

I ordered a kung po chicken and requested it not to be too spicy and the waiter said that’s fine and we placed the order. Afterwards, the food arrived with the waiter banging it on our table. Ignoring that, I took a first bite in the chicken and wow it was way too spicy. I complained to the staff and the manager came out and we got shouted at, telling us the sauce is premade. I am not very happy about this service and did not enjoy the rest of our time there.

This is essentially a student cafe, quality and pricing aligns with that. You pay 3-4 pounds less compared to a more upmarket restaurant. Food is decent, service is very much geared towards Asian side so that may explain the reviews saying service was bad, I’m not sure how many of the servers speak English confidently.

If the food was fantastic, which it was far from, it still wouldn’t be worth the appalling service. There are so many better places to eat.

We stumbled upon this place by accident, and because we were hungry decided to go in. Having lived in South East Asia, we are often disappointed by the SE Asian food ....not this time. I had the Kari Laksa, and my wife had Mee Goreng. My Laksa was as good as anything I had eaten in Singapore when we lived there. My wife said her meal was good also. I have already decided what I will eat next time we go on a future visit to Portsmouth. It's not the fanciest of places, but I have no problem with that at all, as long as the food is good.

Went to ammolite for a late lunch and ordered a rice dish and laksa with a spring roll side. Everything came within an appropriate time and the food were in good quality. Bill was around under £25 and it was worth it. Would recommend to meet with friends or family and have lunch here.

This is the second time to come here. first time is ok. Ordered fresh homemade noodles soup and crispy pork. Noodles was stodgy and unpleasant to eat. Cut the noodle still undercook. Showed it to the person who cooked it.. told me that was normal. Worst noodles i have ever tried. Crispy pork was really hard. But they said that was normal. We tried to eat it but left most of it. Did touch the fresh noodles. Food have No freshness, no quality and no standard. maybe just ordered the wrong food but i will not be returning

Amazing food, fresh and authentic. Great value, friendly staff will definitely go again. Would recommend to anyone travelling to Portsmouth

We did so enjoy coming here. Four of us ate, four of us were delighted. A Malaysian restaurant.. Something a bit different... The satay skewers are the best I've ever had. The noodle soup (hot n spicy) was also outstanding. Usually I'm the first to finish. Their portions are generous. I think I had a litre of soup. I finished last.. But I savoured every drop. THANK YOU. Do try some of the speciality drinks and tea. We loved them. A really, incredible eating experience. Look on the wall at their cakes too. Somewhere different... It's nice here. Service was prompt & friendly. I'm going again. Highly recommended

visited this place when on the first day it opened and was not let down. food was authentic and atmosphere of the shop is nice. over the year the place is gaining popularity with students and locals alike but have gone over towards a fusion cuisine. Overall great place to eat and hangout with friends and family. Would definitely recommend this place

Having come home from a 6 week trip abroad in South East Asia, I decided to visit a Malaysian diner at home just to see how things compared. Initially wanting the Nasi Lemak (affectionately called "fat rice" in Malay) where the traditional version was served with ayam goreng (fried chicken) and sambal hot sauce, I was told that this was not included. I decided to go for noodles with broth instead, but the first time around it was spilled. I decide to give them a break since mistakes do happen, and the second time around I was served my food. The broth was bland and the noodles weren't excellent, but what really bothered me was the finding of a piece of plastic having ended up in the bowl. It appeared to be from some sort of food packaging, and when I raised it as an issue the manager exclaimed that it was "not the case" because they "don't use plastics". I was offered a 50 pence discount for the inconvenience. The food was 2 stars, but the service was lackluster at best (0 stars). Not particularly authentic, average value for money, pretty mediocre service. Would not recommend.

A taste of Malaysia in Pompey,good food, relaxed environment and reasonable prices. I shall definitely return.

A lovely little cafe, tucked round the side streets of Portsmouth town centre. Awesome menu, great selection of Malay dishes & drinks, deserts. Friendly & welcoming atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit.

We had seen the amazing looking display of cakes and decided to go and check it out, didn't have any in the display on arrival so that was disappointing - food was nice though :)

This cafe is so good, food was great. It was so relax. The staff are friendly too. The setting of this restaurant also very unique. It is a great place to hang around with friends.

I ordered the Nasi Lemak and the Tom Yam noodles. Washed down with a Tea Terak.

I like the cat designs that are Chinese design in this restaurant and the place for drinks or noodle lunches.

A cafe where the food is excellent and staff friendly. Highly recommended place for Malaysian dishes.

I went there with my husband for lunch. Curry Laksa, Nasi lemak and dim dums are tasty! Def will come back for a second visit with my parents soon. The cafe lady is very friendly! ♡♡♡

We have been to Ammolite Cafe several times and always enjoyed it. If you want good genuine Asian cooking, this is the place to go....My favourite is the laksa (both assam and curry), but we were never disappointed. Have also ordered pandan cakes a couple of times for birthdays, they are very light and a good alternative to the heavy sugar icing cakes....the cafe is a bit hidden behind Commercial road, but it's definitely worth to look for it...

Me and my girlfriend ordered a curry laksa and a hokkien mee and they were both really tasty. The ingredients were fresh and it tasted just like the food we ate on our Malaysian trip a few years back :)

An excellent place to dine in especially for hi-tea. Sadly they close at 5pm and how i wish they do till late night along with delivery services, that would sum it up to excellent perfect. Anyhow, it is still the best cafe in Commercial Road. Love their Macha Green Tea Latte, Roti Canai, Ice kacang which served with generous portion and other stuff too. All I'm saying is, worth every penny.

Best Malaysian style cuisine in Portsmouth , I always go there to get my weekly fix . Lovely friendly staff and the food is made super fresh everyday !

It was always a challenge to find a decent eatery in that area despite there are a shopping centre and plenty of shops around. I must say that I really enjoy their Curry Laksa, and perhaps the chef should consider adding more flavours to their Tom Yum.

We were recommended this place by a friend of ours that has recently moved to the UK from Indonesia. This place is off the beaten track, surrounded by KFC, McDonalds and Subway and we have lived in Portsmouth for a long time and never knew this place existed. We had the Tom Yum and Curry Laska, dumplings to start and chicken skewers which were mouth watering! Absolutely sensational Malaysian food; I just wish I had found this place sooner! We will be back....!!

A small and informal Malaysian cafe serving a small range of meals and cakes. The decor cheap and cheerful and cosy. The menu seems to be all noodles but on the walls a few other meals are offered. The service was very good, the lady there very smiley and chatty.My dim sum was three beautiful prawn and chive dumplings. They were very nicely presented, perfect delicate texture and tasted lovely. I could have had a full plate of them!My main was the Hokkian Mee (prawn soup noodles). This was less to my personal taste. The soup tasted of nothing but a lot of red chilli. Some Asian cafes nearby indicate on the menu if a dish is hot and spicy but this one did not so next time I visit I will have to remember to ask before ordering as it's not my thing. There were only two king prawns which were in their shells and since I am inexperienced at shelling prawns I gave up and left them. Apart from that there was just half an egg and some noodles left to eat. The lady serving obviously figured the problem with the chilli and offered me some delicious mango lassi to soothe my tongue!I wanted to try a cake but this was 16:00-17:00 on a Sunday so unfortunately there were none available. I want to try the place again soon to get a better idea of their range and will be tucking right into one when I do.

Generous portions of rice or noodles, but stingy with ingredients. Drinks are quite pricey (and not as if they are of high quality) and I was equally surprised at the high priced cakes on display. Service is excellent though, there is a lovely girl who takes the orders, and serves you the food. Environment is pleasant, and I like that it is clean and doesnt smell. Hopefuly the owners will be more generous with ingredients in the food such as veg and more meat, and lower the price of their drinks and cakes.

Went earlier, had good food at prices I found pretty reasonable. Generous portion sizes and quick service. I was with a Malaysian friend who enjoyed his food as well. I'll definitely return at some point.

I absolutely love the cakes! Unlike the solid, sugary cakes in most places in the UK, the cakes are very well made. They also make cakes for events or birthdays upon request. I highly recommend them because they are just perfectly soft and light which are normally how they are sold in Asia. It brings me back home especially with all those Malaysian delights.

I am a Malaysian myself and I can say that Ammolite serves really authentic malaysian food. Although I am not too fond of some of the dishes (due to personal preferences) but I personally would recommend the penang asam laksa and curry chicken rice! It is to die for! The laksa soup is thick enough and tastes really good! Even the curry chicken is sinfully delicious! I could just feed on the coconut rice (comes with the curry chicken) alone because it is so fragrant! These are the two MAIN dishes that everyone should try if you enjoy laksa and curry! Oh, I have to mention that these dishes are cooked the malaysian style so the curry might taste different to thai, indian or japanese (for example).

I have grabbed cakes several times from here and they taste just like what I had in China. Decided to sit in today and have lunch. £6 for chicken curry and rice, very tasty. May not be what everyone wants as the chicken was 2 thighs, but for those that know bones is where the flavour is.Lovely curry, plenty of flavour and not overly hot.Definitely a place to try.

Been here for lunch with friends and was excited to see some familiar Malaysian local food. Been a while since I had authentic Malaysian food so this was the best by far in UK. Will be back to try the other dishes but I'm sure they won't disappoint. I will need to leave some space for desserts though and would love to try the tiramisu cakes. Interior is clean and well looked after which shows they have good standards. Looking forward to my next visit.

Ammolite Cafe serves a small menu of Penang Malaysian street food - the items are listed on a chalk board behind the counter. When we went, there were five main dishes on offer:- Nasi lemak (coconut rice)- Chicken curry- Assam laksa (fish based soup noodles)- Curry laksa (curry based soup noodles)- Hokkian mee (prawn noodles)We both went for the Assam laksa. In my humble opinion and my memory of trying this dish once during a visit to Malaysia a few years back, this version was pretty authentic and took me back to my visit. The fish broth tasted almost meaty and was tangy, sour, spicy and thick (much thicker in consistency than the broth in curry laksa). The dish was served with mint leaves and a generous dollop of dark prawn paste. I thought the dish tasted great but it may be an acquired taste - if you do not like strong and bold flavours, then this will not be for you. Ammolite Cafe also serves tea and coffee and a selection of East Asian desserts such as cendal and ice kacang. On our visit, the counter choices included pandan roll (similar to a Swiss roll) and green tea and red bean chiffon cake. We took some pandan chiffon cake to take away - the cake was soft and as light as a feather. They do a celebration cake making service - the photos of the cakes are very impressive. Amongst the the East Asian inspired cakes in the counter was a rather delicious looking tiramisu cake - I assume this is to display the kitchen's many talents! :-)The cafe is small with a few tables and it feels like a pop up shop - it's best suited to an informal, quick bite to eat or tea / coffee. If you are a fan of Malaysian street food and / or cakes, then it's well worth a visit. I will definitely be back!

Great choice of cakes , lots that can be ordered in advance for special occassions or treats. Basic seating arrangements and cafe decor but friendly service.