Pulau Pinang — Restaurant in New York

This is one of my favorite spits in the hinterlands of Chinatown. I come back here for the absolutely killer Roti Canai (seriously, EVERY table orders this) and the bang-for-your-buck $7.95 Nasi Lemak. For under $10 you get a giant plate of some of the most flavorful coconut rice I have ever tasted, a hardboiled egg, little spicy crunchy anchovies, a heaping portion of curry chicken, cool refreshing cucumbers and some veggies marinated with screw pine leaves-- hella authentic. For the more daring of the bunch, try the Durian Shake. it smells like feet and tastes like heaven. Though I suppose for some people, smelling feet is heaven enough. Bring them to Penang as your pre-Foot Worship dinner? Who knows. Other favorites include their hot pots, ANY of their tasty noodle dishes and for a special treat, get the crabs in hot sauce.

it would be a total mistake to leave without partaking of the ABC. This is a super crazy desert featuring shaved ice topped with sweet rose syrup and filled with goodies like coconut jelly, red bean, sugar pellets and corn. Yes. Corn in a desert. Fabulous.

They have a pretty good beer and wine selection as well. A great, affordable spot to chow down on some Malaysian specialties. As a testament to how much I adore Penang, my family told me they would take me to any restaurant in Boston in 2005 when I graduated college. I chose Penang. And in 2012 it's still going...

Wide range of dishes from Malaysian, Thai and Taiwanese cuisine.

The authenticity varies with each dish and many have weak spice levels.

Baby oyster omelette 9/10 The sauce is excellent, the value is high compared to other places, and it still has crispiness. I'm not a fan of the oyster itself but oyster lovers will like it.

Lou Rou Fan 8/10 This version is very close to real Taiwanese style. The pork is juicy and soft from slow cooking. The pickled veggie mix is the right amount for this dish. It could probably use a little more gravy and flavor in the stew.

Basil Noodle 8/10 Good value because you get both chicken and shrimp and it's packed with veggies. Everything has flavor like black pepper with some hints of lime.

Minced Pork w. String Beans over rice 8/10 The meat has good flavor but a lot of salt. It works when you combine it with the beans and rice to balance out the flavors.

Malaysian Crispy Guru Over Rice 6/10 Weak sweet and sour sauce. No flavor on the meat but the veggies are good.

Roti canai 7/10 It's an ok amount for the price. It's a quick small dish. The curry flavor is weak though. It's low in spices. You get a good sized roti though.

Pulut hitam 7/10 Full container of beans, kinda like a pudding. It has a hint of sweetness and natural bean flavor. It's probably healthier that way instead of making it like the...

I rate mine as Average because it's a typical Malaysian dish (one of my favorites), albeit a good one, if you're not Malaysian then this place would probably be a wow factor (5 stars perhaps?).

I ordered the CANTONESE CHOW (HOR) FUN, which tests the cook's stir frying skills, as well as his skills in making the thick sauce. It was very tasty, although not the best I've had.

When I came in and tried to make short conversation (with the owner? balding man with a ponytail and moustache), I had a very rude reply. I'm therefore wondering how Malaysian are they since Malaysians are typically friendly. More than anything, the place seemed very Sino-centric.

I haven't tried their "Mamak" (a unique Malaysian culture comprising Indian Muslims) foods which are the murtabak and the rotis.

Neither have I tried their Nasi Lemak and Rendang, which are signature Malaysian dishes, if not our national dish.

I also ordered one of my favorite Malaysian drinks, carrot juice with milk. Although sometimes it's typical to get a wet, old overly used tea filter taste (imagine an old wet kitchen cloth smell), mine was uncharacteristically strong. I'm not sure if there's a hygiene issue, or it was because of the carrots themselves.

I'm sorry for those who had stomach upsets, Malaysians typically have...