Sanur

11/10/08

Ex-"Malaysia Indonesia Restaurant" at this location

by gastronomicon at Citysearch

This place used to be known as "Malaysia indonesia Restaurant" before changing their name to "Sanur" for whatever unknown reason. The menu remains unchanged, though. One thing that distinguishes this restaurant from similar Malaysian restaurants in the New York area is their dishes such as Lontong, Soto Ayam and Mee Siam (Malaysian/Indonesian style, which is fried, unlike the Singapore style with a sauce although the taste is eerily the same so the same spices must be used--they do this one dish better than any of their competitors--no other competitor has Lontong or Soto Ayam at all). This is also the only restaurant that I know of in Manhattan that I've seen offer "kuehs" or Malay/Peranakan cakes, particularly Ang Koo Kueh and the multicolored Kueh Lapis. Sometimes, they also offer complimentary Agar-agar desserts which is a treat when they have it.The old standbys like Penang Char Kway Teow, Seafood Hor Fun and Satay are quite decent although I've had better elsewhere. For lunch, they also offer a cafeteria-style point-at-what-you-want dishes over rice option on their ground floor outlet at the same location (which also sells various confections in the window) and it is quite delectable despite its simplicity. Its location is truly out-of-the-way in the basement of 18 Doyers Street but the food is outstanding. I've eaten here for the better part of two decades and have yet to be disappointed.

• Pros: Variety of good Malay and Indonesian dishes; extremely inexpensive;
• Cons: A tad on the grimy side