Malaysian Restaurant in Montreal?

[Eleniel]

Since moving to Montreal 3 yrs ago from Malaysia. I have yet to hear or know about any Malaysian restaurants in Montreal. I read that Nantha Kumar opened up a new place but then the post was in 2007. And his food/menu look confused with too much Thai and Indian, it hardly qualifies as Malaysian.

Anyone knows if there are any Malaysian good eats in Montreal? I don't want to travel 6 hrs to get to a Malaysian restaurant in Toronto. Will someone PLEASE open an authentic Malaysian restaurant in Montreal. It's about time Montrealers taste food like Char Kuey Teow, Penang Prawn Mee, Curry Mee, Assam Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai, Fish Head Curry, Mamak Mee Goreng and Nyonya treasures like Perut Ikan, Joo Hoo Char, Kapitan Chicken Curry, Inche Cabin Chicken, Fish Maw Soup, the different Kerabu salads and I could go on and on and on.

I'll even pitch in the kitchen if need be, dammit.

- A very deprived Malaysian foodie.

[PogoPoutine]

If you would settle for a two-hour drive, I enjoyed Chahaya Malaysia in Ottawa http://www.chow.com/places/37228 when I used to live near its old location, and it still seems to have good reviews.

[bomobob]

YES!!! I entirely forgot.

I've eaten at this place a couple of times, and while it's a bit out of central Ottawa, the food is fantastic. And much closer than Toronto's Mata-Hari.

[keelo]

Malaysia Boleh! There is nothing in Montreal that is anything similar to anything you'll find in Malaysia. Indigenous Malay or even Chinese-Malaysian, I have to wait every other year when I travel to KL to enjoy all my favorites!

[bomobob]

I agree. It's one of the world's great cuisines, and it's sadly absent in Montreal. Nothing even comes close. Nonya...maybe a little, but I'm not a big fan. Homemade is the only way to go. Singapour tries to lean that way a bit, but in the end it's much more Chinese than anything really Malay.

[hungryann]

Wow, a blast from the past. I had forgooten about Singapour. I actually thought it had closed down ages ago; but, yes, it is more chinese.

[wapiti]

Cash & Cari sometimes offers a Malaysian dish or two, but I'd call first to check. Sadly, the Mee Goreng wasn't happening upon last visit in March.
68, ave. Duluth E., 514 284-4696.

[celfie]

I saw a malaysian restaurant in st henri the other day on my way to home depot. I wasnt driving or paying attention, but rest assured, it is there

[westaust]

saw it as well the other day, on st-antoine between rose de lima and home depot, but sorry don't recall the name or the exact location

[SnackHappy]

It's not Malaysian, it's Cantonese and it's not that good. The sign says Malaysian and Szechuan, but that must be leftover from some former owners, because the place is just standard Montreal Cantonese.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/538298

[phoitack]

I am a Malaysian who just arrived in Montreal two weeks ago and I am looking for a Malaysian restaurant. Could not find any until Google led me to this chat site. THanks for the Nonya reference. I'll try it out sometime. BTW, is there a Malaysian Association in Montreal? I am a McGil Post-Doc. Sent an email to the Malaysian Singaporean Student Association here but the email bounced! Let me know if anyone here knows.

Cheers,

C

[moh]

Well, there is Nonya:

http://www.nonya.ca/

They are officially an Indonesian restaurant, but they have a few of the dishes you are interested in, as you can see from their website. I have not yet been, but some friends went recently and really enjoyed it.

Your other option: Cookbook of the Month on the Home Cooking is Cradle of Flavour: Home cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Start making it on your own and join in. I've seen a lot of the ingredients in various Montreal stores, and will be searching out a few soon.

[Eleniel]

I do make my own Malaysian favorites but sadly, they are not dishes I would make often because they can be tedious in its preparation. It is true that I can get most ingredients in Montreal but there was a shortage of Belachan the past year. I remedied that by buying a few blocks when I was back visiting in Msia.

I have not tried Nonya yet, I have been meaning to. I am sure they have some offerings that will cure some of my Malaysian cravings since Indonesia and Malaysia uses pretty much the same spices in their cooking. Have you been to Nonya?

[Plateaumaman]

Nonya is a good Indonesian restaurant so you'll find some of your favourite dishes there. It's not cheap though and I am still driven to make my own roti canai at home. I've found the best variety of Malaysian restaurants not to be in Toronto at all but a 6.5-7 hour drive away in New York City. There are a lot of wonderful places there. There just isn't a big enough Malaysian community here to start a restaurant, I guess. I know sometimes Indonesian students will offer cooking services/traiteur - perhaps some Malaysian students do the same? And there is no harm in going to Cash 'n' Curry on Duluth and speaking to Nantha .. his food is Malaysian, might as well try it.

[Eleniel]

I tried making my own roti canai once. While it looks pretty authentic when I took a picture of it but it wasn't fluffy. I can't do the whole "canai" action that makes roti canai crispy and fluffy. It tastes okay but the bread was heavy, at least 5 times heavier than it should be ...sigh! But I haven't given up yet. :)

I'll definitely try Nonya and check out Nantha soon. I need to get a fix!

[Plateaumaman]

Don't forget to try some of the tom yum soups in Vietnamese or Thai places. Lots of galangal and lemon grass in those to soothe the soul. And you can ask for added coconut milk, makes it more laksa-esque. You can also buy the paste for home cooking .. it's pretty addictive.

[hungryann]

I don't think there is a big enough Malay community to support it but personally I am all for it. I crave Char Kway Teow and Laksa since my 2007 trip there. It was a foodie's paradise!

[hungryann]

Sorry, I thought it could be used as an adjective, similar to "the Malay language".

[sockhead]

I'd love to know too! My dad is Malaysian-Chinese, and I visited family in KL last year. Food was great!

[Eleniel]

I know, Malaysia is a treasure trove of good food! :)

[kpzoo]

I agree. Had incredible Malaysian food last year at Banana Leaf in Vancouver and have been craving their caramelized black cod ever since. So you're not alone!

[Eleniel]

I am sure it tastes great, what spices were used in it? Is Banana Leaf a Malaysian restaurant with an Indian influence? My favorite Indian food when I go back to Malaysia is eating curried rice on a banana leaf with an assortment of sides....deep fried spiced fish..Mmmm...

[kpzoo]

Hiya, I don't know the cuisine well enough to know whether there was any Indian influence, but you can see the whole menu here: http://bananaleaf-vancouver.com/
The black cod dish is described as: "Alaskan black cod steak topped with "Malaysian black sweet sauce" (Kicap Manis) with caramelized ginger, garlic & shallot, enriched by Chinese wine." It was so good we went back and had it twice!

I didn't have enough patience to wait for the Nonya Flash (sigh) site to load so I don't know if it has anything remotely similar on the menu.

[Eleniel]

Oh my...why oh why can't a place like that exist in Montreal. I was almost in tears when I see the word "Gulai".

Definite a must try if I visit Vancouver!

[Andria]

Ooooh... Banana Leaf! I love that place! Their Black Peppercorn Garlic Sauce Crab is incredibly tasty. I visit every time I go to Vancouver.