Layang Layang:- Malaysian Connection!

Bay area is a great place for all things food :) Its home to various Cuisines and i have been adventurous enough to try, Malaysian, Mediterranean, Thai, Authentic Chinese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Peruvian, Mexican, Italian, to name a few:) & have loved almost all of them...The operative word being "Almost", I have never been a big fan of Malaysian cuisine, ..Believe you me, for many nights, i have spent many many hours in the restroom throwing up!!!! So, you can imagine how terrified i would be to try this new place that came highly recommended by a fellow food and food channel lover. Of course, i could have simply avoided it but he is such a great food critic that i was instantly curious! :)

If u have read my previous post, you would know i always check a new food joint's web page...for reviews and what the place has to offer and any nearby clinics... in this case if get "Malay nauseous" :)!!
Malaysian Cuisine, blends food from Native Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Portugese influences."Layang Layang"s (pronounced "LIEong LIEong") menu looked rather impressive. On it, I saw a few "Usual Suspects" and some very new items which were unheard of:). A bit pricey, it all gave me an idea of a very upscale restaurant.

I am a true believer that "Good company, even in a bad place makes everything look so much better"...so i called and made dinner arrangements with my best buddy Madhu (of course, a fellow foodie:))...It was set to be on Friday (June 6th )....This place does not take reservations for dinner and was known for its long wait time, from what i have heard..So, we went at around 7:30 pm (which was actually a little early for us:)....To my shock, the venue was nothing like what i had expected....Its a small Beige building, but was already crowded which basically reflects the quality of food they served! All in all, it could seat a maximum of 50 people comfortably and had a few tables outside as well. The ambiance was very festive and warm..

The whole place was cramped yet very cozy. We gave our names and stood waiting for 20 minutes or so....but made the most of it by ogling at what was being served to the guests and what looks good etc! By the time the Maitre de had our table ready, we knew what we wanted and wanted it fast....

The first thing that caught Madhu's attention was the Tender coconut juice....It was brought to us in a coconut case with a cute little pink umbrella. It was called "Air Kelapa Segar:- Fresh young coconut". Madhu was as happy as a kid in a candy store:) I took some pics w/ my phone but could not upload them due to various reasons, technical! :(....I settled for a Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. We were on to the Appetizers...From a list of 13 items, we ordered 2 Roti Canais (A thin Indian style pancake with curried dipping sauce, see image) This was a house favorite....It reminded me of parata kurma only lighter! We also ordered "Chicken Satay":- 5 marinated Chicken grilled on stick, served with homemade peanut sauce. I shed all my inhibitions and dove into the two amazing Starters....They were delicious and i was feeling just fine...

Moving to the main course, Madhu navigated my attention to the Seafood section...There were 23 seafood items listed on the menu; Each claiming to be more flavorful n inviting than the other. After thoughtful considerations, we settled for "Ikan Sambal":- Deep fried Salmon with bell peppers in a bed of Nyonya (Tomato n Dry fish based) sauce, served in a Banana leaf basket. We were waiting to try the "Sizzling Chicken" and ordered that, which came on a hot plate with rich dense brown sauce, and bell peppers for the color factor:)! Yummmmmm....

The Third item was "Mee Goreng":- Indian style stir fried yellow noodle in special mild sauce with shrimp, tomato, bean sprouts, egg, and Chinese cabbage (See Image). This was to die for.....

Almost done with the main course and i was feeling fine....Of course, it would be crazy, crime even, to walk out with out trying their dessert menu which was as different as their Appetizer and Main course menu....Everything looked sooo delicious....I had heard that the house specialty was "Ice Kacang": A bowl of shaved ice, topped with strawberry, cherry flavorings, caramel, red bean and whipped cream. 3 people can easily share this Malaysian version of "Gola"!!
We wanted to try something different, seeing as how there were way more options than just shaved ice.....So, we ordered "Fried Banana with ice cream", yes! nothing fancy but guess what?? The ice cream sat on a bed of strawberry preserve.....Oh, that was something!!! What intrigued me was " Kaya (Coconut jam) Pancake"..I summoned for one (forget the calories!!!!)...And i was not disappointed, at all!!!! Its again, the Malaysian version of "Puran poli" only made entirely with coconut,,,,We asked for the pancake to be topped with ice cream:) :)...Yeah, we are that crazy about sweets:)!!! The hot sweet rich Pancake with the cool French vanilla Ice cream was the perfect ending to a great dinner...

Done with dessert and i was still feeling fine!!! I had just finished my first safe Malaysian meal, without running to the nearest restroom or clinic!! yeah, i am surprised at this point. We settled the tab and promised to add this place to our list of favorites....

It is safe to say that i am now a fan of Malaysian cuisine, as well....but it would have to take some big miracle to have me try another Malaysian restaurant...For now, i am sticking to "Layang Layang".....Cheers! :)