M’sian couple in Adelaide find F&B success with MalayaLane

In 2022, Malaysian-born couple Geetha Ganesan and Nithyaraj Subramaniam relocated to Adelaide, Australia. Both previously worked in the food and beverage industry, with Geetha having a banking background in Malaysia and Nithyaraj having prior F&B experience. Motivated by the desire to share Malaysia's diverse culinary landscape, they established MalayaLane, which became Adelaide's first Malaysian-Indian cuisine restaurant.

The name "MalayaLane" was adopted after they expanded from their initial Smatra Curry House, a takeout business. Operating from a commercial kitchen, Smatra Curry House began as a takeaway venture, later evolving into pop-up stalls and food carnivals. The couple's journey included serving iconic Malaysian dishes such as Ramly burgers, nasi vanggey, and Roti John.

MalayaLane officially opened on April 11, 2023, with a significant turnout of around 170 customers, including a notable visitor, Jing Lee, a Malaysian-born member of the South Australian Parliament. The restaurant's weekday lunch menu features popular items like pandan nasi lemak with fried chicken, mee goreng, and laksa. On weekends, the menu expands to include banana leaf rice, served with an assortment of 13 accompaniments.

MalayaLane's success has led the couple to plan for future expansion with two more branches planned.