Just got back from a few days vacat- ooops I mean business trip in Las Vegas. Such jaunts are the perfect opportunity to sample some new foods while I'm hundreds away from the comfort of my own kitchen. While traipsing through Chinatown to stock up on ingredients, my friend Scott and I discovered a place called Satay Malaysian Grille restaurant...
The drink special was "two for one" mojitos -- not very Malay but I can never say no to cheap drinks, so on with the food...
First we started with the roti canai, which was sinfully buttery, rendered even more decadent by its accompanying coconut curry. DROOL, this was incredible. The bread was flaky and moist at the same time, while the curry was perfectly spicy and complex.
Next came the "Chinese rojak" which was not as impressive. It came with pieces of fried shrimp, which surprised me, and the fruits used were not at all impressive. I think perhaps the chef did not have access to the proper ingredients? I was very surprised to find this more vegetable-oriented than tropical fruit oriented, but as I've never tried rojak I'm no expert.
Our first main dish was char kway teow (Chinese : 炒粿條，炒河粉) with shrimp, which I felt was the highlight of the meal. This dish's taste was deep, mellow, and salty thanks to what tasted like heavy tamarind seasoning. This was my first time eating this dish and loved it; especially surprising considering it was made with egg. I'm not a big fan of eggs but the egg in this dish has the consistency of tofu and was seasoned so deliciously that there was no "eggy" taste or smell. Loved it!
I'm not sure what the Malay name is for this dish but it appeared on the menu as "yam pot" -- essentially it's a basket made from deep fried taro, and the inside is a stir fried seafood medley. This was so delicious and delicately seasoned with just a bit of ginger and soy, I'm guessing. This tasted more Chinese than Malay but it made a great accompaniment to our spicier, heavier dishes.
Burp! The food here was excellent, the drinks were cheap, and the service was excellent. Great ambiance with no crowds. I wasn't impressed with the rojak but everything else was excellent. Very recommended.
Satay Malaysian Grille
3755 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 362-2828
Comments
hey-
i haven't been to vegas in a few years now, but there used to be a great thai grocery store next to the stratosphere...i was usually there during citrus season, so i'd always grab some fresh whole kaffir limes which are hard to come by where i live...also, did you visit the Indian grocery off of sahara?...i think there's a general "asian" grocery store nearby too...near "the apollo"...i used to have my circuit of stops for my last day in vegas! :-)
Posted by: pelicano | February 26, 2007 01:25 PM
Hey Pelicano:
In the last year or so there's arisen a whole new Asian district where all the Asian grocery stores located now -- even a Korean place! So yeah, I did the circuit and it rocked. :-)
Posted by: Evil Jonny | February 26, 2007 06:38 PM
wow! i guess it doesn't suprise me...you have to admit these cuisines are a bit more exciting to the palette than our traditional fare. now there's another reason for me to return to vegas soon!
Posted by: pelicano | February 27, 2007 05:51 PM
Wow! that Char Kway Teow definitely looked authentic. The roti canai is perhaps cooked in too much butter and yes, that yam basket is more chinese than malay but delicious nevertheless
Posted by: Nora | February 28, 2007 02:28 PM
Hi,
:) I am glad that you love Malaysian food!I am a Malaysian who absolutely adores your blog. Also, I must tell you that it is not uncommon to be served with all these mixture of food in a Malaysian restuarant. For example, the roti canai is actually an Indian dish, while the Char Kuey teow, yam pot or more commonly known as te yam basket back in Malaysia are actually Chinese food. You see, in Malaysia, we have three main races, we have the Chinese, Malays and Indians. Thus, the food in Malaysia is often influenced by Chinese, Malay and Indian cuisine. This is why the food that you have eaten is not exactly "Malay" dishes, but more like "Malaysian" dishes I hope I don't confuse you!:)
Posted by: Valerie | March 2, 2007 10:14 PM
Nora: the roti canai was definitely sinfully buttery but I think if I don't eat it every day, it's ok. Dangerously delicious, however. :-)
Valerie: Thanks for the explanation. I can't wait to get over to Malaysia eventually and join my fellow foodies. Seems like for everybody over there food is so important and so diverse (and delicious). Thanks for enjoying my blog! Sorry I haven't posted too much recently, I've been doing a lot of business travel this month. Still not finished!
Posted by: Evil Jonny | March 3, 2007 08:07 AM
if you do ever get to a good authentic malaysian restaurant you should try rojak again... this one didn't sound very right. i have a feeling you'd like a good rojak - sweet/salty/sour rojak sauce and chunks of radish, guava, pineapple (and in some versions, cubes of tofu!) you might even be able to find bottled rojak sauce in some asian groceries
Posted by: ah_gan | March 4, 2007 04:23 AM
Just happen to come across your entry when I was searching for some korean food recipes. I am Malaysian. The "yam pot" above is one of the cuisine of the Chinese community in Malaysia. I'm not sure whether that dish exists in China or not because I don't see it in any Chinese restaurants at all throughout my entire period in the US. I'm guessing it's one of those dishes like the Yee Sang(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yee_Sang), that is Chinese-looking, but only exist among the Malaysian Chinese community (This is good stuff too, and you are only able to purchase it during Chinese New Year). The "yam pot" is one of my favorite dishes too, and it is one of those dishes that is difficult to make. The ones in Malaysia have a thicker layer of circular, fried yam with the rest of the seafood/ chicken, green pepper, onions, mushroom, and cashew at the center.
The dish is called "Bakt Boot" (I think it's the cantonese dialect.) Fresh yam has to be used if not it'll not taste nice at all. The best ones I ever tried are those from my dad's hometown, Muar, Johor (Southern part of West Malaysia). The yam is fresh and nice. They even have a stir-fry tomato cuttle-fish version of it in the center. You can also get otak-otak (I saw that in another one of your entry.) from there. Muar is the place where otak-otak originated from.
Yup, just ask any Malaysians what they miss most about Malaysia? The first answer has to be food. We are proud of our cuisine - a total blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian.
Posted by: Zi | March 8, 2007 11:13 AM
That is a lot of food! I LOVE roti canai and wish there was somewhere here in santa barbara to get it!
Posted by: kusala | March 9, 2007 10:31 AM
The Chinese rojak is not saucy enough. The tofu and the crackers on the top is not there too....
If you ever make a trip to Malaysia, do try both the Chinese rojak and the Indian rojak! Both are different, and both are just heavenly yummy!
Posted by: Zi | March 12, 2007 07:19 AM
Rojak ??? strange looking rojak to this malaysian as well. Normally should be -- Jicama (spelling), cucumber, green mangos (or apple when no green mangoes), frensh pineapples etc.
Posted by: cindy | March 12, 2007 07:15 PM