Kaya Malay Bistro

[joel]

broadway, between oak and spruce.

Joyce and I tried this place last night after a recommendation from a co-worker. We had the following:

Appetizer Sampler - was not too bad, it included satay, roti, calamari, samosas and a salad.

Sambal Trio - also ok, the menu said it would include prawns/tomatoes, but ours didn't, not sure if that was because we ordered the side size. the eggplant was my favorite of the trio (greenbeans and okra were the others). the side size was probably enough to share for 3-4 ppl as a side.

Singapore Laksa - lots of toppings in this laksa. was a bit disappointed in the soup base though. there wasn't that kick that i was typically used to.

Osat Salmon Fillet - best dish we had there. i've never had salmon in southeast asian cuisine before. the fish was super juicy and those spicy south eastern flavours really stood out. it's presentation was probably the worst of all the dishes we tried, and the portion was not huge.

Pisang Goreng - your typical fried banana w/ ice cream. joyce felt the fried batter on the banana was too thick. also they used a generic vanilla ice cream, it was not creamy at all.

all in all we were certainly glad to try out this place, the salmon dish alone was just something we definitely would come back for. It was both unique and just plain delicious. everything else i would say is fairly decent. though the cuisine is southeastern, joyce and i both felt that catered to a more western palate. most the spices, curries, sauces and flavors seemed to range on the more mild side. the utensils provided were spoons/forks. it's not until i ordered the laksa that they provided any chopsticks.

service was quite prompt and courteous. it wasn't that busy yesterday though so i assume that Tuesday nights are probably one of their slower nights.

prices vary quite a bit. the common malay staple items range around 9-14$ range which is fairly typically, but they had a couple of pricier items (15+) on the menu that included things like lobster, lamb, etc...

i would definitely be interested in going again to try some of their more unique fusion items on their menu.

[nature boy]

man that list of food seems pretty long for just the two of you.
how much did the meal cost after all was said and done?

[joel]

yeah we had leftovers for all the dishes we ordered, except for dessert. we also had a bowl of coconut rice that i didn't mention. total was about 65 before tip.

[nature boy]

$65 doesn't sound too bad considering the amount of food listed.
would you say it's better than that place on rupert? penang or whatever?