When I’m in the mood for bold flavours, Malaysian cuisine is
one of my top choices. With Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai and various other
influences, Malaysian food offers dippable curries, rich soups and plenty of
stir-fried options – making choosing what to eat the hardest choice.
Their curries have the optimal spiciness level for my taste
– not tongue numbingly hot, just enough to taste and appreciate the spices. The
chicken roti canai ($7.99) was a
great starter; large cubes of tender chicken and potatoes cooked in the fragrant curry. But, it’s the three pieces of roti canai that make the dish special, their fluffy texture very
different from the relatively flat Jamaican and Indian roti I’ve had in the past. You’ll also find it heavier as the dough
is grilled in oil rather than being baked like its unleavened counterparts.
But, its flaky crevices are such great vessels for soaking up the light curry.
After reading Xiao Eats review, I knew the crispy butter
prawns ($12.99) were a must. A heaping dish of fried bites soon arrived, sure to excite
any Carnival lover’s heart. The shrimp were lightly dusted, deep fried, then
stir fried with a nest of crispy salty bits, which our waitress explained was
fried cream (traditional recipes use an egg mixture). If you’ve ever had pork
floss, the dry brittle texture is similar to this, except lighter in
consistency and flavour.
Despite its name, there really isn’t much of a buttery taste.
In the end, the dish was a decent rendition of fried shrimp but lacked any
spices to make it exciting. While researching more about this relatively new
dish, many call for ample amounts of curry leaves to be mixed into the airy
topping; there were a few at Gourmet Malaysia, just not nearly enough to make
it as fragrant as others describe.
To finish, two noodles completed the meal: one stir-fried
while the other sitting in broth. The Penang
char kwei teow ($7.80) is certainly worth ordering. Thinner flat rice noodles
are stir-fried quickly over very high heat to give it a wonderful wok essence
while retaining its springy texture. Indonesian and Chinese flavours comingle
from the shrimp paste and soy sauce seasonings, with squid, shrimp, bean sprouts and
green onion rounding out the noodles.
The tom yam
seafood noodles in soup ($8.50) provided the spicy kick I was craving that
evening - the hot and sour broth hits you in the back of the throat. Slices of
fish cake, mushroom and smaller shrimp added to the vermicelli makes the bowl a
meal but still relatively light. It was smart of Gourmet Malaysia to use vermicelli
with the dish as its thinner and has a texture that allowed small bits of lemon
grass to stick to it, while dense enough to resist getting too soft.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4466 Sheppard Avenue East
Address: 4466 Sheppard Avenue East
Website: http://www.gourmetmalaysia.ca/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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