Malaysian mecca in Elmhurst, Queens
sambal stingray, kari laksa and a roti canai that dreams are made of
Have you ever had Malaysian food? I have to assume most people’s answer to this question is “no” because if you HAD tried Malaysian food (“you” meaning YOU but also “you” meaning the wider American population) it would be a heck of a lot more popular. As of last month, Malaysian food has entered my “Top 5 Favorite Cuisines” rankings, potentially ousting Indian food which is kind of unfair because Malaysian food has a lot of Indian influences but listen, if I’m forced to pick just 5 favorite cuisines there has to be some amount of working the system. Also no one is forcing me to pick favorites, I just like torturing myself.
A few weeks ago I planned a little food crawl through Elmhurst, Queens (if you’re new to me as a human you should know that planning/going on food crawls is literally *my thing*). Usually when I go to Elmhurst I’m there for Thai food because it’s one of the few places in NYC where I can get Thai food spicy enough to make my nose run - living in Thai Town, LA spoiled me. On this particular trip I decided to venture further down in Southeast Asia to Malaysia and Indonesia. I tried some Indonesian food by way of Warung Selasa, a Tuesday-only Indonesian pop-up operating out of the Indo-Java grocery store. From there my trusty crew of companions/de facto competitive eaters ventured to an unassuming but highly-rated place called “Taste Good.”
Taste Good blew my mind in every single way and I will be back as often as humanly possible to try the literal hundred+ menu items. Full breakdown of the goods below, and if you’d like some audiovisual stimulation to really set the scene, check out my video about the experience.
Roti canai
An example of Indian influence in Malaysia, this unassuming $3 starter was hands down the single best bite of the meal - so much so that we actually ordered another one AFTER our feast because we can’t be tamed. Buttery, flaky, warm layers of dough dipped into creamy chicken curry will never be a bad idea.
Singaporean kari laksa
These coconut curry noodles are uber famous and HEAVY on the shrimpy vibes which we love. The noodles themselves were thick, round and chewy and somehow never lost their texture.
Sizzling belacan stingray
Am I the only person on earth who didn’t realize stingray and skate are related? I’ve had skate wing before and was perplexed by the similarities until did a lil google search and figured out that they’re essentially the same animal but stingrays have stingers while skate do not. The dish arrives at the table literally sizzling on a castiron plate (we love the drama). The stingray itself was mild and a touch sweet with the texture of crab but the real flavor came in with the Belacan sauce - had to look this up but apparently it’s made with shrimp paste AND dried shrimp and the umami factor was insane. Again, shrimp vibes on fleek. (Does anyone say “on fleek” anymore? I certainly don’t but it kind of just came out as I was typing and I decided to honor that inclination.)
Penang curry:
This peanut-y curry is named for the island/province of Penang on the Northwestern coast of Malaysia. It was decadent and creamy and maybe just a little *too* star anise-y for me (anything remotely in the black licorice world is a Fedner family no-no). The beef was also pretty chewy so I ended up just dipping the roti into the sauce - highly recommend. My hot tip/general takeaway is to just order a bunch of roti and dip them into everything around: the curry, the laksa, etc. The roti are* (is?)* the main character.
*Is “roti” both singular and plural? I can’t decide
*Okay I googled it and it sounds like “roti” can be both singular and plural but the word “rotis” also exists so basically we’re back where we started. I’m gonna go with “roti” as both singular and plural and if anyone feels strongly for or against that choice you can let me know
Jumbo butter prawns:
There is no such thing as too much shrimp!! This was the mildest dish we ordered - less salty and less intense than the others and honestly, the contrast was appreciated. The shrimp were juicy, sweet, buttery and not overly oily. They’re topped with this thin, crispy layer of egg “floss” which does textural wonders but doesn’t taste like much. I’m gonna try the sambal shrimp next time.
📍Taste Good Malaysia: 8218 45th Ave, Queens, NY 11373