Downtown Toronto : NO Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian as at 2010

[wokster]

This is appalling .. i am so shocked : I went to the address where I thought there would be the ONE Malaysian restaurant for downtown Toronto : but NO it was not there : so I just googled and there are NO MALAYSIAN< SINGAPOREAN or INDONESIAN restaurants in the DOWNTOWN CORE of TORONTO

this is really disappointing and shocking... errrkh!

I'm really craving a good Laksa, Malaysian Hokkien Mee and Chappati with Rendang or Chicken Curry Nasi Lemak.

this is so appalling : there must be many South East Asian students at UofT and yet no places to eat!? this is like Australian in the 1960s when there was no Malaysian food and now in Australia every suburb is within easy access to Sth East Asian food and the cities of Melb and Sydney are abundant with great food options.

o m g!

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South East Cafe
97 Seaway Rd, Sarnia, ON N7T8E6, CA

[Skwerly]

Apparently a new eatery opened up not too long ago that's more Indonesian-centric.
It's called D'Rollz and though it's in Toronto, it's at Dufferin and Steeles. They look to run it in a fast-food type way where you place the order at the counter, pick up and grab a seat.

I got the chance to eat there and it's good comfort food for me (my parents are Indonesian). The d'crisp (lumpia goreng) was hot and fresh and the "crepe type" (lumpia basah) was also freshly made. Ha, makes my mouth water just thinking about them!

The menu is a generally safe one so one can't expect anything "too exotic" at least just yet I hope. I assume it's to not scare off potential customers. (They also offer basics like chicken wings and sweet potato fries.)

I was able to chat with the owners (who are also from Indonesia) a bit and told me they get quite a few Indonesian students trekking up there from downtown for their food.

I plan to totally support this place and hope it grows and doesn't disappear like the other Indonesian restos! I just have to figure out how to get out there more often!
http://www.drollz.com/

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D'Rollz
1881 Steeles Ave W #1b, Toronto, ON M3H 5Y4, CA

[sumashi]

Thanks for the heads-up Skwerly. I'd be interested in tasting their soto ayam, one of my favs! The lumpia goreng looks pretty good. I hope they decide to add more Indonesian dishes besides just those two. Btw, is it $2.50 for one lumpia?

[Skwerly]

Wow. I fail at responding. (I think my notification of this thread got eaten).
Sadly, The place has shut down. :(

[sumashi]

lol, that's ok. I never actually had a chance to try D'rollz before they closed though.

I was speaking w a friend recently who had gone to Gourmet Malaysia. He said the wife of the couple that runs it is Indonesian so that may be a potential place to look for Indonesian food.

[helenhelen]

are there any spots (anywhere in toronto - will drive for food! :)) with vegetarian options? i am dying for a vegetarian laksa, for example...

[Herb]

Jean's used to do a few Malay dishes. You might ask them.

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Jean's Vegetarian Kitchen
1262 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J1M6, CA

[Teep]

There is (was?) a small place that says they serve authentic Sing/Malay fast food (noodles and rice), on Huron just north of Dundas, in the complex where Mother's Dumplings used to be. It's on my "to try" list but just never had the chance.

[helenhelen]

what's it called? i will have to go by there for lunch tomorrow!

[Herb]

It's called Satay something. Upstairs and one door south of the old Mother's. Looks like a late night karaoke bar.

[jingloh]

Wokster, you have to go up north in Markham for good Malaysian food.

You can try Restauran Malaysia, Coconut Island, or the food court in First Markham place (curry laksa is their best dish).

There seems to be an obsession with Thai/Viet food downtown with no hint of Malaysian restuarants. It's a little dissapointing, but I'm sure one will come sooner or later to challenge the norm.

[Herb]

There were three or four Indonesian restaurants in Toronto 20 to 30 years ago. I guess TO prefers Thai and Vietnamese.

[foodyDudey]

I used to enjoy Malaysian and Indonesian food in Toronto years ago but none of those are still around.

I found these places, does anyone have anything to report on them?

Gourmet Garden Malaysian and Singaporean Cuisine : http://www.ggmsc.com/

Restoran Malaysia (Richmond Hill) http://www.restoranmalaysia.com/

Matahari Grill: (near UofT) http://www.mataharigrill.com/home.asp

And here is an older thread : http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/420296

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Gourmet Garden Restaurant
4465 Sheppard Ave E, Toronto, ON M1S, CA

[ctl98]

Matahari Grill is nice. But can get crowded during lunch on weekdays. It gets decent reviews here and I've been there 4-5 times and have never had a bad meal.

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Matahari
39 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1, CA

[vorpal]

Matahari Grill is nothing short of amazing, and possibly my favourite restaurant in Toronto. I've sung its praises many times over here. You must absolutely try their char kway teow, they chicken curry, and thier beef rendang. Exquisite!

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Matahari
39 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1, CA

[eateateater]

Restoran Malaysia food is tasting (compared to some years ago) less like Malaysian and more like Chinese food with a Malaysian twist. Sorry.

[jingloh]

I wasn't very impressed the last time I went to Matahari grill. It wasn't truly authentic, but if that's not what you're after, it's still a great restaurant. the char kway teow was good as well as the curry chicken and beef rendang.

I still prefer those dishes at Restauran Malaysia.

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Matahari
39 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1, CA

[garfield]

I believe you are discounting Malaysian dishes in restaurants that are primarily Thai like this one?
http://www.thaispringroll.ca/menu/ind...