Island Malaysian Cuisine
Curry Puffs – Potato, Chicken, Onions
Roti Canal – Crispy Indian Style Pancake with Curry Chicken Dipping Sauce
Chicken with Preserved Egg Porridge
Ginger Scallion Duck Noodle
Pisang Pancake – Sliced Bananas and Coconut Spread
Chef’s Special Coconut Pudding
Located in a large plaza at 5115 Spring Mountain Road it would be deceitful to suggest this diner had even heard of Island Malaysian Cuisine before exiting another meal just one hour prior, but occasionally deferring to the interests of others it was at the top of a concrete staircase just past eight o’clock that the surprisingly popular restaurant was approached.
On further research apparently the most well-regarded place in town promoting an “authentic” Malaysian menu it is to two distinct signs but only viable door that patrons are greeted and with warm welcome inside by a duo of hostesses it was to a four-top at the front of the restaurant our duo was led, the menu of more than one hundred items perused in English alongside one featuring pictures as a few tables of CES conventioneers and locals sat dispersed about the large room.
Decorated in a mix of ethnic items and NFL banners, a TV and Pool Table close to restrooms in back, it was after careful deliberation that a four-part order was crafted, the kitchen expedient with golden pockets of curried chicken arriving a few moments later, though the spice profile was mild while starch overwhelmed protein.
Moving onward to better things, a crisp fold of roti served alongside a small bowl of vibrant red sauce and bone-in chicken, it was next in a comically large $6.50 bowl of boiled rice soup that appetites were entrusted, the texture more heterogeneous than typically associated with congee even before the addition of sliced century egg and chicken, a follow-up of fragrant noodles mostly pleasant despite being liberally oiled and tossed with duck that was almost 50% bone.
A pleasant space to sit and talk, the service timely and noise level not-too-loud, the menu’s back features a fair number of sweets and although options trend a bit more pricey than other Chinatown spots the portions are quite generous, a “Banana Pancake” textured not unlike the roti more than enough to share with nothing more than caramelized natural flavors used to sweeten it while the “Chef’s Special” offers several scoops of panna cotta textured coconut milk that reminisces the flavor of chilled Tapioca Pudding.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Just under $30 each after tax and tip for a meal not-inappropriately large for two – even after substantial eating elsewhere – it would be difficult to call Island Malaysian Cuisine a bargain considering the ingredient quality and uneven execution, but all-in-all a pleasant enough place with a really good staff it may warrant a return visit at a later date in order to sample more things.
RECOMMENDED: Chicken with Preserved Egg Porridge, Roti Canal, Coconut Pudding.
AVOID: Bone-In Duck, Curry Puffs (or at least more than one.)
TIP: The online menu is merely a small part of that offered in-house.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.islandmalaysian.com/
