199 Grand Street
Nyonya is kind of universally liked due to it’s massive Malaysian menu. Trick is to order the right thing – I think Stacy and I fared about 50/50.The shrimp puff proved to be, not surprisingly, too heavy to finish (ground shrimp surrounded by bacon, fried with mayonnaise!) but the roti canai appetizer is a classic and a must with it’s flaky warm crepe and flavorful curry sauce. Stacy’s Wonton Mee soup entree, though, lacked in flavor.
I did better with the Chow Kueh Teow, a rich noodle that, while not nearly as spicy as the little pepper on the menu warned, was a nice, easy to eat dish and a welcome change in flavor to the usual pad thais and lo meins.
The service is pushy to say the least. Within three seconds of sitting down we were asked for our order. Once you do order and get your food, you are promptly forgotten and will have better luck hailing a cab in the rain to Brooklyn than getting water or another Singha. But, it’s the unique flavors, not pampered service one comes for. And the brisk pace does mean you’ll rarely have to wait for a table even on a busy night.
While the environment’s not conducive to lingering, we had lots to catch up on a did so anyways over a yummy but sort of odd looking fried green tea ice cream.
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