Di restoran itu, ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad.

They are two different uses of di:

• di restoran itu: here di is a preposition meaning in / at. It is written separately from the noun.
• dihidang: here di- is a prefix that marks the passive voice. It is written attached to the verb.

So:

• di restoran = at the restaurant
• dihidang = is served

This spelling difference is very important in Malay:

• di + place → separate
• di- + verb → attached

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that / the one mentioned) usually come after the noun.

So:

• restoran itu = that restaurant
• ikan itu = that fish
• salad itu = that salad

This is different from English, where that comes before the noun.

In many contexts, itu can also make the noun sound more definite, a bit like the in English, depending on context.

Ikan bakar is a very common Malay phrase meaning grilled fish.

• ikan = fish
• bakar = to grill / roast / burn

In this phrase, bakar functions like a describing word after the noun, so the pattern is:

• noun + describing element

This is common in Malay. English often puts the modifier first, but Malay often puts it after:

• ikan bakar = grilled fish
• ayam goreng = fried chicken
• nasi goreng = fried rice

So yes, it is a normal, natural phrase.

Because the sentence is using the passive voice.

• dihidang = is served
• menghidang usually means to serve in an active sense

The sentence focuses on the food, not on who serves it:

• Di restoran itu, ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad. = At that restaurant, grilled fish is served with rice and salad.

If you used an active sentence, you would normally need a subject such as the restaurant, the waiter, or they:

• Restoran itu menghidang ikan bakar dengan nasi dan salad. = That restaurant serves grilled fish with rice and salad.

Both are possible, but the passive is very natural when the food or item being served is the main focus.

They are related, but not always identical in feel.

• dihidang = served
• dihidangkan = served, often with a slightly fuller or more formal sense

In many contexts, both can work:

• Ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad.
• Ikan bakar dihidangkan dengan nasi dan salad.

The version with -kan is often more common in careful or formal standard Malay when talking about serving something. The shorter dihidang may sound a bit more concise or stylistically lighter.

For a learner, it is useful to recognize both.

Malay does not use articles like English a, an, and the.

So Malay often leaves nouns without an article:

• ikan bakar = grilled fish / the grilled fish / a grilled fish
• nasi = rice
• salad = salad

The exact meaning depends on context.

Malay can show definiteness in other ways, for example with:

• itu = that / the one mentioned
• context
• word order
• classifier phrases in some situations

So in this sentence, you do not need any article before ikan bakar.

Here dengan means with:

• dihidang dengan nasi dan salad = served with rice and salad

But dengan can have several related meanings depending on context, such as:

• with
• using
• together with
• sometimes by means of

Examples:

• Dia makan dengan sudu. = He eats with a spoon.
• Dia datang dengan kawannya. = He came with his friend.

In your sentence, it shows what accompanies the fish.

Yes, it could come later. Malay is quite flexible with word order, especially for time and place phrases.

The sentence starts with Di restoran itu to set the scene first:

• Di restoran itu, ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad. = At that restaurant, grilled fish is served with rice and salad.

You could also say:

• Ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad di restoran itu.

Both are grammatical. Putting Di restoran itu first gives it a slight topic-setting emphasis, similar to English At that restaurant, ...

The comma helps show that this fronted phrase is an introductory location phrase.

By itself, ikan can be singular or plural. Malay nouns usually do not change form for plural the way English nouns do.

So ikan can mean:

• fish
• fishes
• the fish
• some fish

In this sentence, ikan bakar is most naturally understood as a dish: grilled fish.

If Malay really needs to make plurality very clear, it can use:

• context
• numbers
• reduplication

For example:

• ikan-ikan = fishes / various fish

But in normal sentences, context usually tells you enough.

Yes, salad is used in Malay as a borrowed word, and it is very easy for English speakers to recognize.

Malay includes many loanwords from other languages, including English, Arabic, Sanskrit, Portuguese, Dutch, and others. In everyday modern Malay, borrowed words are very common, especially for food, technology, and international items.

So in this sentence:

• salad = salad

This makes the sentence partly easier for an English-speaking learner.

A common active version would be:

• Restoran itu menghidangkan ikan bakar dengan nasi dan salad.

This means:

• That restaurant serves grilled fish with rice and salad.

Compare the two:

• Di restoran itu, ikan bakar dihidang dengan nasi dan salad.
  • passive
  • focus on the dish
• Restoran itu menghidangkan ikan bakar dengan nasi dan salad.
  • active
  • focus on the restaurant as the one serving it

Both are useful to learn, because Malay uses both active and passive structures quite naturally.