Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Malaysia Grill- An Upper West Side Haven



My first week in New York, I found a Malaysian restaurant tucked away on 104th Street and took a mental note of it in the hopes that I would return to eat there. Nearly four months later, I returned to the Malaysia Grill and sat down to an authentic meal.

After traveling in Southeast Asia two summers ago, I fell in love with Malaysian food. It incorporates spices and ingredients from Thai, Chinese, and Indian cooking. As a lifelong curry, peanut, and coconut lover, I find Malaysian food to truly be an intersection of food-gasmic flavors.

We ordered Roti Canai for an appetizer which has a naan-like bread which you top with a rich chicken curry. Mee Goreng is the Malaysian version of Pad thai, however has more of a curry infused flavor than the traditional Thai dish which has a strong sweet peanuty taste. Instead of traditional white rice found in most Asian cuisines, Malaysian rice has a subtle coconut flavor which is complemented very nicely by their rich stews and curries. My favorite dish was the Beef Rendang (pictured above), a coconut curry based dish that has paste of onions, chili, and lemongrass. This dish is also served with chicken.

Mee Goreng

Roti Canai

Aside from the wonderful array of flavors and the food coma I entered promply after finishing dinner, this meal was extremely reasonable! As an underpaid and overworked New Yorker, I am always looking for a good deal and this exceeded any of my expectations.

1 comment:

  1. That place looks awesome!! I want to try the Roti Canai!

    ReplyDelete