Southeast Asian cuisines you may have missed

[Fat Guy]

The recent topic on Kampuchea Noodle Bar and the opening (either impending or recent -- I have to check again) of Cambodian Cuisine (formerly the city's only Cambodian restaurant, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn) got me thinking about Southeast Asian restaurants in New York City that fall outside the Thai-Vietnamese core that really defines how New Yorkers view Southeast Asian cuisine.

I thought we might get together a list (with comments) of the rest.

[Gastro888]

There's a good number of Malaysian restuarants in the area in Manhattan & Queens. Penang can be found all over the city and each outlet in the chain varies in terms of decor, service, food and sometimes quality. Personally, I like the Penang in Elmhurst, Queens because it's the only one of that has mee remus (sp?) - a really tasty seafood egg noodle dish that has this thick seafood-sweet potato-chile gravy and is served with a prawn cracker. You squirt some lime juice on top and you get this happy, messy, tasty bit of carb heaven. Granted, it's not the same as the hawker stalls in Penang but it's as close as I'll get without having to fly.

I have a hard time finding the kuehs that are so popular in Malaysian cuisine. Sanyur in Chinatown (Manhattan) carries some but they're very limited. I would think given the demographics here, it would be easier to find.

[Nathan]

I ate at a Sri Lankan restaurant in Flushing a while back with EatMyWords.

One thing I'm craving that we seem to lack is a Laotian restaurant (the closest thing is apparently Zabb).

[Eatmywords]

I ate at a Sri Lankan restaurant in Flushing a while back with EatMyWords.

One thing I'm craving that we seem to lack is a Laotian restaurant (the closest thing is apparently Zabb).

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You said the same in the offal thread, it's Indonesian not Sri Lankan. -Minangasli. Not really worth the trek unless you want to try the brains which were ok, a bit bland.

The only Sri Lanken I know is Sigiri in the EV. If you like spicy (hot) it's worth a try. Kind of a cross btwn Indian, Malay and Spanish. I can't remember what we had.

[Gastro888]

I thought Zaab was Issan? Do they have Laotian food as well? That would be interesting to try. Go Zaab and then have UFC for dessert.

[Nathan]

Zabb is Issan...but Issan food is relatively close to Laotian. indeed, most people in Issan are Lao.

[H. du Bois]

I haven't eaten Issan food, but I wouldn't presume that they're the same. Lao food tastes quite different from Thai, even though they're geographically quite close. And many Lao people have told me that their food differs from Hmong food, even though the Hmong live in Laos.

[Nathan]

I didn't say they were the same.

I know for a fact that they are somewhat similar though.

cheez. Issan is the Thai province bordering Laos, it used to be part of Laos and many/most residents of Issan are ethnic Lao (Hmong is a different thing altogether) therefore, Issan cooking is the closest thing we have to Laotian in NY.

[H. du Bois]

If only we had real Lao food here. I keep dropping hints to some people I know, but they think that opening a restaurant in NYC would be a completely insane thing to do. And they're right!

[Gastro888]

It would be nice to find authentic Laotian cuisine. What *is* Laotian cuisine?

I have heard that Issan food is much spicier than other regions - that it's the "soul food" of Thai cuisine.

It would be great is somehow we could have hawker stands in the city ala SE Asia. Imagine on Sundays when the Greenmarket isn't open...

[naes]

There's a good number of Malaysian restuarants in the area in Manhattan & Queens.

My wife and I had a wonderful Malaysian meal at Upi Jaya. We spent 6 months traveling through southeast Asia last year and I can say that Upi Jaya had very authentic food (and friendly service too).

[Pan]

[...]Personally, I like the Penang in Elmhurst, Queens because it's the only one of that has mee remus (sp?)[...]

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That would be mee rebus. Mee=noodle(s); rebus=boil(ed).

I haven't been to Upi Jaya, but I understand that it serves Padang cuisine. Padang is the biggest city in the Minangkabau province of Sumatra. While the Minangkabau are a Malay people, it cannot be said that food made by Sumatran Minangkabau is Malaysian (Sumatra being part of Indonesia).

There's a Burmese Cafe in Jackson Heights that's been getting a lot of play on Chowhound (look at the more recent results).

If we're considering Sri Lanka part of Southeast rather than South Asia, I was quite unimpressed with my one and only visit to Sigiri. I had a fish dish with overly old-tasting fish, and it was too salty, to boot.

[H. du Bois]

It would be nice to find authentic Laotian cuisine.  What *is* Laotian cuisine?

Here's a link to an old thread in which differences between Thai and Lao cuisine are discussed.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...aded&show=&st=&