NYONYA

He says:
On our latest jaunt to New York City, Uptown Girl and I had the pleasure of dining at Nyonya, which is arguably the best Malaysian restaurant in Manhattan and inarguably one of the best cheap eats you’ll ever find. Named after the famous Malay brides renowned for their beauty and cooking skills, Nyonya is a secret gem of a restaurant that most locals – including my parents – picked up on long ago. While their Brooklyn location is equally busy, the Grand Street restaurant is perpetually packed with old Chinatown shopkeepers, Asian teens with gelled hair, and food adventurers clutching their Zagat guides. Even though the scene on a Saturday night borders on mayhem, our party was seated within ten minutes, and five minutes later the first of our appetizers rolled out.

Roti Canai is a super-thin paratha served with a curry chicken dipping sauce. It’s a marvelous combination. The curry’s intense blend of turmeric and masala is balanced with a touch of coconut, and trying to wipe every last drop from the bowl with the paratha is half the fun!

Another of my favorites is Chow Kueh Teow, a noodle dish reminiscent of Pad Thai. But chili paste gives these rice noodles some needed heat, and the ensuing mix of stir-fried shrimp, chives, squid, fried egg, and soy sauce come together with a complexity that I’ve rarely seen in plain old Pad Thai.

She says:
After the Chow Kueh Teow, my favorite dish is the Satay Chicken. The skewers of dark marinated meat achieve that subtle balance of inner juiciness and outer firmness that only comes from the grill. The satay has a slight coconut flavor – possibly from the marinade – and is served with a delicious peanut sauce.

We also ordered the tofu version of this dish, but the tofu, which came in huge airy pieces, was bland in comparison.

We also had the deep fried tilapia in Belachan sauce. The fish, which came out whole (head included) was quite good… tender and fresh tasting. The sauce, on the other hand, was what I would call an acquired taste. It was pungently fishy and salty, and while Downtown Boy and I squeamishly scraped the sauce off the fish, Downtown Boy’s dad couldn’t get enough, slathering extra sauce on his rice. Downtown Boy managed to redeem his manliness, though, by eating the brains out of the fish’s head. For the nutrients, of course.

He says:
We finished our meal with cendol (aka ABC), a dessert of red beans, green rice noodles, and coconut milk covered with shaved ice and brown syrup made of palm sugar. It’s a cool and refreshing dessert, and you shouldn’t leave Nyonya without trying it.

We say:
Most every dish at Nyonya is excellent, and the majority of what we ordered cost less than $7. Ridiculously good food at cheap prices – no wonder this place is always crowded!




Nyonya
194 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013
http://www.penangusa.com/location_nyonya_main.html