Mango shrimp is a specialty at Kuala Lumpur, a Malaysian restaurant on Route 36 in Hazlet..
Malaysian food has always taken a back seat, or back burner, in any discussion of Asian cuisine. Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Philippine -- all can be found easily enough in New Jersey.
Malaysian? Good luck. Malays are a mix of various cultures, which is why you'll find Chinese, Indian and Thai food sprinkled around the menus of the dozen or so Malaysian restaurants in New Jersey. Satay in Hoboken, for example, offers two menus -- one Chinese, one Malaysian, the latter dotted with such dishes as Malaysian pork chops, roti canai or Indian pancakes, Singaporean fried mee hoon or stir-fried rice noodles, curry chicken and pad Thai.
This report matches two Malaysian restaurants -- one in North Jersey (Satay) and one on the way to the Shore (Kuala Lumpur, in Hazlet). Call it a Malaysian Iron Chef showdown. My friend Alison and I, Tiger beer in hand, sampled representative dishes from each and declared a winner. (No fair jumping to the end!)
Satay is the cozier of the two. Kuala Lumpur resembles a mini-banquet hall, with mirrored walls, Naugahyde booths and white ceiling, but points for the Malaysian travel posters on the glass-topped tables.
At Satay, we tried poh-piah (steamed Malaysian spring rolls stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, shredded eggs, jicama, bean sprouts and onion, $5.95 for two) and the seafood tomyum soup (with shrimp, squid, scallops and vegetables, $4.25). The spring rolls are bland and borderline-boring. The soup is better, packing heat and flavor.
At Kuala Lumpur, the beef satay (five sticks, $6.50) is agreeably greasy, accompanied by a first-rate peanut sauce, more subtle than most. The Kuala Lumpur clay pot noodle ($7.95) featured plump scallops and thin, tasty, slurp-worthy noodles.
Give the first round to Kuala Lumpur.
Satay bounced back in the next round -- entrees. The lamb with lemongrass ($13.95), a house special, is enlivened with bell pepper and spicy curry leaves, but the sauce is thick and cloying.
The ayam tropical (boneless white chicken with fresh mango, papaya, onion and red pepper in a light spicy lime sauce, $14.95) is a standout, and easily the best dish sampled at either restaurant.
The chicken with curry sauce at Kuala Lumpur ($9.95) featured an agreeable-enough curry flavor, but the "hot and spicy" warning on the menu proved meaningless. "I'm still waiting for it," Alison said, several bites in.
The jumbo shrimp Malaysian style ($14.95), another alleged spicy item that proved docile, was somewhat redeemed by the ring of nicely cooked broccoli.
Give the main round to Satay.
Dessert? Call it a tossup between Satay's mochi (ice cream wrapped in rice dough, $4.50) and Kuala Lumpur's pineapple spring roll ($3), a fried, custardy delight.
And the winner is ...
"Satay, by a very close margin," Alison said. "Perhaps it was that lovely mountain of mango slivers atop the tropical chicken."
When in doubt, go with the mountain of mango, although the clay pot noodle soup at Kuala Lumpur put me most in mind of KL the city. (Alison and I have each visited Malaysia in recent years).
Satay and Kuala Lumpur offer different dining experiences, but both serve as good introductions to the little-known, overlooked world of Malaysian food.
Malaysian? Good luck. Malays are a mix of various cultures, which is why you'll find Chinese, Indian and Thai food sprinkled around the menus of the dozen or so Malaysian restaurants in New Jersey. Satay in Hoboken, for example, offers two menus -- one Chinese, one Malaysian, the latter dotted with such dishes as Malaysian pork chops, roti canai or Indian pancakes, Singaporean fried mee hoon or stir-fried rice noodles, curry chicken and pad Thai.
This report matches two Malaysian restaurants -- one in North Jersey (Satay) and one on the way to the Shore (Kuala Lumpur, in Hazlet). Call it a Malaysian Iron Chef showdown. My friend Alison and I, Tiger beer in hand, sampled representative dishes from each and declared a winner. (No fair jumping to the end!)
Satay is the cozier of the two. Kuala Lumpur resembles a mini-banquet hall, with mirrored walls, Naugahyde booths and white ceiling, but points for the Malaysian travel posters on the glass-topped tables.
At Satay, we tried poh-piah (steamed Malaysian spring rolls stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, shredded eggs, jicama, bean sprouts and onion, $5.95 for two) and the seafood tomyum soup (with shrimp, squid, scallops and vegetables, $4.25). The spring rolls are bland and borderline-boring. The soup is better, packing heat and flavor.
At Kuala Lumpur, the beef satay (five sticks, $6.50) is agreeably greasy, accompanied by a first-rate peanut sauce, more subtle than most. The Kuala Lumpur clay pot noodle ($7.95) featured plump scallops and thin, tasty, slurp-worthy noodles.
Give the first round to Kuala Lumpur.
Satay bounced back in the next round -- entrees. The lamb with lemongrass ($13.95), a house special, is enlivened with bell pepper and spicy curry leaves, but the sauce is thick and cloying.
The ayam tropical (boneless white chicken with fresh mango, papaya, onion and red pepper in a light spicy lime sauce, $14.95) is a standout, and easily the best dish sampled at either restaurant.
The chicken with curry sauce at Kuala Lumpur ($9.95) featured an agreeable-enough curry flavor, but the "hot and spicy" warning on the menu proved meaningless. "I'm still waiting for it," Alison said, several bites in.
The jumbo shrimp Malaysian style ($14.95), another alleged spicy item that proved docile, was somewhat redeemed by the ring of nicely cooked broccoli.
Give the main round to Satay.
Dessert? Call it a tossup between Satay's mochi (ice cream wrapped in rice dough, $4.50) and Kuala Lumpur's pineapple spring roll ($3), a fried, custardy delight.
And the winner is ...
"Satay, by a very close margin," Alison said. "Perhaps it was that lovely mountain of mango slivers atop the tropical chicken."
When in doubt, go with the mountain of mango, although the clay pot noodle soup at Kuala Lumpur put me most in mind of KL the city. (Alison and I have each visited Malaysia in recent years).
Satay and Kuala Lumpur offer different dining experiences, but both serve as good introductions to the little-known, overlooked world of Malaysian food.
