Rasa Sayang

Rating:

Rasa Sayang in Golden Valley isn't the first Malaysian restaurant in the Twin Cities, but it's the first in the western suburbs and the first to offer an all-Malaysian menu.

The former Chan's restaurant is still owned by Ying Chee Chan, who decided that the area had too many Chinese restaurants and might be ready for something more unusual.

Actually, "all-Malaysian" might be a bit misleading, since Malaysian cuisine is a rich blend of culinary influences. A quick scan of the menu offers a taste of this diversity: The roti canai flatbread appetizer ($3.50), served with a rich curry gravy, is Indian in origin; the seafood tom yam soup ($3.95/$8.95) is Thai, and the nasi goreng, fried rice with chicken, shrimp and mango ($9.95), is one of Indonesia's most famous dishes.

The Hainan chicken with rice ($6.95) and Hokkien char mee (fried noodles with assorted meats and vegetables, $8.95) both are sold on the streets of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur by hawkers from those two Chinese provinces.

Many Malaysian dishes are spicy, but nothing I encountered on my recent visits to Rasa Sayang was overpowering. In fact, some dishes were quite mild. The satay -- six skewers of broiled beef or chicken ($6.95) -- is probably familiar to fans of Thai cuisine, but Rasa Sayang's peanut dipping sauce is darker and more intense in flavor.

Read Full Review »