in curry laksa is made with coconut milk
infused with herbs and spices such as
coriander, lemon grass and chili. Asam
laksa, on the other hand, has pungent
hot and sour notes from its fish-based broth.
Our appetizer arrives quickly,
like a reward for decoding the
gigantic menu. Roti canai, a
sinewy white flatbread flecked
with brown, is one of the most
popular appetizers in Malay
restaurants. Served with a small
bowl of gravy, it invites the diner
to break o; a small part and dip into
the bowl.
The vegetarian curry laksa soup
comes with two or three times the FDA-recommended daily serving of vegetables. Bean sprouts. Carrots. Cauliflower.
Tomatoes. Tofu. Flat white noodles. And
that really is a whole okra floating in the
thick curry broth.
My companion, a regular at Malaysia
Kopitiam, has ordered her favorite: mee
Siam. This noodle dish arrives with an
innocuous veil of fresh lettuce shreds on
top, but appearances are deceiving. Here
is a dish that lives up to the menu’s cautionary asterisk indicating spicy. Beneath
These “new”
cuisines, which are
actually old cuisines
with hundreds of
years of tradition
behind them, are
redefining what
we think of as
Asian food.
the lettuce, long, thin rice noodles wrap
around shrimp and vegetables, all stir-fried together into that perfect combination of wok-charred sizzling deliciousness.
In fact, mee Siam is brought to the table
in a hot wok; a cushion of aluminum foil
protects the table.
The atmosphere at Malaysia Kopi-
tiam is very matter-of-fact. Situated in
a basement on M Street, the restaurant
feels dark and a tad gloomy, even on
a bright day. Perhaps this is why it is
more popular for takeout than for eat-
ing in. On the flip side, you will never
have to wait long for a table, and that
is a good thing, because I intend to
work my way through the menu,
visit after visit. 1827 M St. N. W.,
Washington, D.C.; 202-833-6232;
malaysiakopitiam.com
A Cuisine Grows in Brooklyn
Remember how Ali Baba had to say
“Open, Sesame!” to open the cave of
wonders? Well, Sim-Sim (Arabic for
“sesame”) Cafe in Brooklyn is a cave of
wonders in its own way. One of the few
Azerbaijani restaurants in New York
City, the cafe brings the earthy, rich
cuisine of this Caucasian country to the
rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn neighbor-
hood of Kensington. Olive oil flows
through the dishes at Sim-Sim, and the
waitress will advise you to get the bread.
And you should, because the bread—
round, sesame-flecked and fresh—will
make up for a lot of the bad or just not-
very-good bread you have eaten in your
life. Plus, you need something to soak
up the oil.
