Nyonya Coming

This is the real deal! Delicious and affordable laksa. They have all the right spices! Be sure to get the lemongrass juice.

A very cute tiny (170 sq. ft) storefront that manages to make use of all of the available space. I had beef rendang and curry chicken takeaway last week which were both solid choices for lunch, but had the chance to come in for a laksa lunch today and have a chat with the owner who is in fact from Penang and worked for a hotel there. I told him that I worked in F&B in New York… and he was quite happy to find out that I had some knowledge of Malay food (Asam laksa vs. curry laksa). He served me a curry laksa with squid that was quite decent although it could have had a slight bit more curry flavouring… The beef rendang was spot on and delicious! Albeit a tight dining area, I prefer to eat in and do hope that in time (he mentioned) he can find a bigger space for a suitable rent.

Malaysian curries done at its most authentic. A friend of mine took me here just the other day, «Yea, let’s go to a Malaysian place. It’s cheap.» He knows me too well. I was expecting an actual restaurant with seats, waiters — you know, the usual restaurant stuff. It wasn’t to be. We arrived at the 50 square foot «restaurant» with only the chef, Derek, working there. Derek is one of those guys that can smile under a rain cloud, beaming from ear to ear, and one of the most friendly people you’ll ever meet. His wife helps him as well, he told us, but was out running an errand.
We ordered our curries and sat on the only table there was, the total coming to $ 115 and I ordered the most expensive dish at $ 48! Meanwhile Derek was telling us in his thick Malaysian accent that he’d only opened the shop for two and a half months and he grew all his own herbs. Impressive, I liked his style. It took about ten minutes for the food and lemongrass juice to arrive. I ordered a pineapple and prawn curry while my friend ordered a chicken rengdang. The dish was full of flavor, absolutely delicious, not too spicy, my only critique would be the portions were a little bit on the small side but knowing Derek you could of probably asked for a little bit more and he’d nod, happy to help. The prawns were succulent with the pineapple pieces adding the perfect touch. I don’t recall ever drinking lemongrass juice and so I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste.
The experience was filled with a certain type of charm that I couldn’t find in a big restaurant. With Derek it felt more like a social visit than an outing, one that I thoroughly enjoyed and will certainly repeat when next I’m in the area.