Malaysian or Singapore Food in Houston?

[AussieGirl]

Hey Chowhounders
Any recommendations on great authentic Malaysian or Singaporean food.

[brucesw]

There have been several over the years but it seems to be a cuisine that doesn't do well here for some reason. I've been to a couple that are no longer open; of the ones now open I've only been to one, Banana Leaf, on Bellaire just inside the Beltway in Chinatown. They have been so successful they have opened a second location right across the street (the original location is rather small). Everything I've had has been good although I liked one of the closed places better. They have an irritating habit, however, of trying to steer you toward the safe dishes on the menu if you're anglo, so if you're an adventurous eater like me, you may be disappointed. I will have to say that I have played along with their ruses and never been disappointed with what they've steered me to but since I realized I was being condescended to and even lied to (they'll flat tell you a dish is not available), I've never been back.

Straits, on the Beltway at I-10, is Asian Fusion with some Malaysian; it's actually part of a chain.

Rich Asian Cuisine in Katy is run by a lady who used to run a place called Cafe Singapore on the western edge of Chinatown that was supposed to be very good but I never got to it. She closed that one down and a few months later opened this new one which serves dishes from several cuisines of the region.

One other that I've heard about but not been to is Hong Kong Dim Sum, also in Chinatown, which I understand serves Malaysian and Chinese.

There are a couple others in the pipeline, one perhaps opening as early as next month.

[Jaymes]

Rich Asian Cuisine in Katy is very good. I've been several times and not been disappointed yet. The owner is from Singapore, and travels back there once a year to see her daughter and buy stuff for the restaurant.

[brucesw]

Just saw this on Yelp this morning. This is the one I had heard about that was due to open in August. Same center as the original Banana Leaf so there are three Malaysian restos now within a block of each other. I though this was going to be a little Mom and Pop hole-in-the-wall place that is so typical of Houston but looks kinda fancy.

I'm going to get over here sometime soon.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamak-malaysi...

[AussieGirl]

Thank you! I've been to Straits but in other cities and it caters more to Anglos and has fab cocktails. But I'm interested in the food.

I'll try the suggestions on this list.

Thank you!