1, OVERVIEW:
NYONAY is a Malaysian restaurant, specializing exotic spicy dishes. It is one of the most popular restaurant (with massive yelp reviews) in the Chinatown in Manhattan New York. 4.5 star.
At the entrance, your dining experience starts by their commercial PR activities. A wall-full of variety of awards and recognition of this establishment by the restaurant community are proudly displayed. Also, you see the notification of "CASH ONLY" posted at the first door AND the second door, even before you see a waitstaff to be seated here. (And the tray of the payment bill also had the "CASH ONLY". See my attached photo below.)
The each dining table in the front area of the restaurant is really tiny and I was NOT impressed at all. Nevertheless, their menu is made of a very well-designed, large, clean, and laminated full color images of foods & beverages with names & short descriptions & prices. This beautifully created menu is a real perfectionist's work of art. My expectations for the dishes became very high at this point.
2. FOODS:
NYONYA is famous for their highly specialized variety of Asian dishes with spicy and hot spices/herbs/curry powders. (I love Japanese style rich and deep curry rice and cook & eat it regularly at home BUT I do not like Indian style sharp spicy curry rice. So, I was thrilled with teh high expectations of tasting dishes here at NYONYA today. 2018.0517.) It is a very good idea to research the yelp reviews before visiting the target restaurant AND actually asking the wait staff what are the most popular dishes there. I chose the following very popular dishes dishes here.
HOMEMADE ROTI CANAI (INDIAN PANCAKE): This is a very popular "appetizer" here. At any Indian restaurants, you enjoy the naan bread (it is like a small pizzza without any toppings) by adding those spicy semi-liquid spicy curry foods, commonly. At NYONYA, a paper-thin crispy exotic-looking naan bread instead. The cup on the side is full of sharp spicy curry dipping sauce (with a very tenderly cooked potato and pork with bone). $3.95 +TT.
(NOTE: Personally, I think the dipping sauce is way too spicy for the "appetizer". How could you taste the less spicy Prawn Mee after this? It was an exotic work of art. BUT I wish I had two dipping sauces - the original and milder, Mr. Chef there.)
PRAWN MEE (spicy): This is one of the most popular (main) dishes at NYONNYA, according to the waiter. (see my attached photos below.) It is a slightly stinky fermented-flavored curry-flavored bowl of egg noodle soup dish. It contains the sliced pork (NOT good. I prefer the richly juicy and full-flavored Chinese Char Siu or the sliced Chinese BBQ pork any day), 4 prawns (good), water spinach (tiny portion), tiny bits of bean sprouts (where?), dried onion (where?), stinky fermented Indian/Malaysian style sharp mildly hot curry spice broth. $8.75+TT.
(NOTE: It was nicely done. Nevertheless, I personally prefer the Tonkotsu Ramen at AJISEN RAMEN in Chinatown here, which executed much better as an Asian dish.)
The curry-flavored Indian-inspired Asian fusion dishes are gaining popularity in recent years here in New York City. There are also number of Indian restaurants, that serve AYCE Indian lunch buffet in Manhattan now (and I expect their numbers will increase with the current dining trend of the dishes with less meat for healthy diet in Manhattan with very unique life style unlike that of Brooklyn).
3. INTERIOR:
NYONYA is NOT a giant restaurant BUT they have three distinctively different dining rooms with completely different walls. (see my attached photos.) They also have several big fish tanks with live fish and lobsters in the back on the way to the bathroom. They have 3 average clean bathrooms (nothing fancy like lovely bathroom at the Lan Ting Hot Pot). One is for males, another one is for females, and the last one is for the both.
4. SERVICE: WARNING:
The wait staffs services were good: they answered my questions nicely, and responded politely except two rude ones here. The 15% tip was already added to the bilk, so, be aware. The waitress also did NOT give me the receipt until I request for her. The change was one penny missing, too but I just ignored. Be aware of the sloppy cashier, and count your cash change.
I recommend you NYONYA if you have NOT dine at any Malaysian restaurants or curry-flavored dishes for your culinary adventures yet. The price for the each dishes are reasonable and compatible to those at any surrounding Chinese restaurants and Italian restaurants in the "Little Italy" here.
Dr. Takeshi Yamada and Seara (Coney Island sea rabbit)
photos posted below: 2018.0517 (Thu). arrived 12:30PM. light rain. Seats were 55% full. read more