Honestly everything was delicious! Ordered a good amount of food for a group of 5 and got: - Curry Laksa (With yellow noodle and chicken. Broth was super flavorful) - Salted Egg Shrimp (shrimps were HUGE and crispy) - Ikan Bakar (Whole flounder thats fried and crispy/nicely seasoned) - Salted Egg Fried Chicken Wings (same seasoning as the shrimp and tender/crispy) - Roti with curry sauces - Malaysia Style Sizzling Tofu (this was really yummy and flavorful as well) - Salt Pepper Spare Ribs (not too salty and tender) - Water spinach - Singapore Chilli Crab (tasted like the taiwanese egg and tomato dish sauce. Crab was pretty meaty) Staff were attentive and nice. Parking - within the plaza as denny's Restroom - kinda clean read more

See all

This place was a bit tucked away, next to the Dun Huang plaza. Plenty of parking. We came here for dinner and it didn't disappoint. Plenty of tables with a homey vibe. We were seated right away. Their menu was pretty extensive with plenty of options to choose from. We ordered some of their Malaysian specialties to share as a group: - Hainanese chicken - Roti canai - Water spinach with sambal sauce - Mee goreng - Beef rendang - Beef satay Everything we tried was delish. My favorite was the beef rendang. Beef was very tender and packed with flavors. Hainanese chicken was also cooked to perfection. We wanted to see the difference between their mee goreng versus the instant noodle. It was more like a stir fried noodle. This was plenty of food to share among 4 people. We didn't have to wait too long for the food to come out. Service was friendly. This was a good spot to grab a family-style meal. read more

See all

I wanted to try another spot for Hainanese chicken with my girlfriend and found this place. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday afternoon. The staff looked bored just waiting around. We shared a roti with beef rendang and the Hainanese chicken. The sauce that came with the beef was delightful and reminded me of Vietnamese style curry. Roti was nice and crispy and great for dipping into that sauce. The chicken was the main course and was good but not extraordinary. The texture was very much like an average chicken anywhere. The appeal of this kind of chicken for me is usually the tenderness with a slight bite to it. The flavors went well with the traditional ginger oil and hot sauce paired with it. The portion looked big at first, but there were a lot of bones taking up space. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. read more

See all

Awesome food!! Must visit if you like Malaysian and Singaporean food. Service was great. We ordered roti canai , pineapple fried rice, chicken, curry, laksa, Ikan bakar ( fried flounder) . Everything was excellent and delicious. The chicken, curry laksa could have done with a little less oil to maintain the original coconut curry flavor but everything else was just perfect. Not spicy but flavorful. Ambience is what you would expect of restaurant in a strip mall. We enjoyed the food and we will be back again to try other dishes on the menu! read more

See all

The restaurant is in the building next to Denny's and can be easily ignored since it isn't in the main Chinatown plaza. Sambal chef needs more recognition for delicious authentic Malaysian food. Ordered their house fried rice, salted yolk fried chicken, salted yolk calamari and beef rendang. I didn't get the chance to take any photos of the other dishes since I was hungry. read more

Sambal Chef - B1. Beef Rendang - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of my good friend's invited me to their birthday dinner at Sambal Chef in bellaire! They are a Malaysian restaurant that used to be located in pearland before moving to the Chinatown area. It's nice that their location is not in the main area because parking was so easy. We started off with the chicken and beef satay. I really liked the chicken skewer but the beef one was not as tender and juicy. The roti canai was flaky and I really enjoyed the darker red curry sauce. Idk what the yellow sauce was but the flavor was very light on that one. Garlic water spinach was a necessity to get my daily fiber in. I thought the sizzling tofu was just ok but it prob would've been better if the sauce wasn't on the side. The chili crab was sweet and spicy, and also messy and saucy. I'd say it's pretty good but I'm not sure if it's worth the value. They used to have a bogo deal for it back then. I recommend adding the sauce to the rice for a little kick and flavor. The char koay teow was solid but I really liked how pandan leaf have you done sambal sauce, it really is a game changer read more

See all

Best Malaysian food in town!! Prices are reasonable and much cheaper than phat eatery! Highly recommend the roti canai and chili prawns! Can't go wrong with any of their stir fried noodle dishes! Great service and plenty of parking! read more

See all

Roti is delicious - slightly crispy on the outside. Soft inside. Beef rendang served with the roti was meh - ok flavor, but overcooked meat. Hainan chicken also was so so. Decent portion of meat and veggies, but lacking in flavor. Stir fried vegetables are good - tender. read more

Sambal Chef - A3. Roti Canai with Beef Rendang (2 Pieces) - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Char Koay Toew had stir fried medium-cut silken rice noodles. There's green onions, egg, shrimp, and calamari. It had a hint of vinegar. Vegetables and Egg Tofu (big deep-fried yellow tofu and thick stalk pea bean leaves) are covered in egg drop soup like gravy and tasted mild. Since the bean leaves were of the more mature versions, the stalks were pretty tough. The Salted Egg Fried Chicken Wings (8pc) entree has chunky pieces of thinly battered fried wings covered in a hot, thin, and wet salted egg sauce. It tastes savory but not too salty, which is typical of salted egg sauces. A small bowl of rice was offered, though I was able to request a small box of rice for the leftovers. read more

There was a dark layer on the soft shell crab that gave it a unpleasant taste as if the crab had previously been frozen. I mention it to the server and he only gave me 2 dollars off. A joke. read more

Sambal Chef - Soft shell crab with a not so fresh unpleasant taste - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

A good place to eat when I don't feel like making a drive out to Phat Eatery (prices definitely cheaper with great portion sizes). The restaurant is not that big inside but it's not small. We also came in large party and on a Friday night and there was no wait so take that for what it is. Ordered Hainan chicken, roti, beef rendang, a noodle dish, amongst others. I would literally come back just for the roti canal, it is so good. The meat for the beef rendang was pretty tender but I think the flavor is better at Phat Eatery. Overall, good service and a good place to get Malaysian food. Will come back to try more things! read more

See all

Came for lunch in the middle of the week. Lunch menu special: Order three dishes, receive the fourth free! It also came with complimentary seaweed soup. We two ordered four dishes to use the special offer: Char Koay Teow, Hainanese Chicken, Black Pepper Fish Filet, Curry Chicken Laksa. I made the mistake of saying we didn't like it too spicy. I think they toned it down too much. Still, we'll be back to try other dishes! read more

See all

My group ordered the Hainanese Chicken, Snow Pea Leaf, Salted Egg Golden Calamari, Salted Egg Fried Chicken, Malaysia Style Sizzling Tofu, Char Koay Teow, Hokkien Mee, and Seafood Noodles. The menu prices range from $5.95-$27.95. We did have a Malaysian born friend in the group who has dined here before so he knew what to get and got a couple things that he hasn't tried on his last visit. The workers were very kind and were speaking Cantonese which I loved (Malaysia is a melting pot so you don't know who you're gonna get). Standout dishes were the calamari (crunchy and addicting, could've ate half the dish myself), snow pea leaves (cooked perfectly with no fuss), and Hainanese chicken (presented beautifully and was fragrant). I wouldn't get any of the noodles next time (too saucy/salty). Can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Came in on a Thursday for lunch so the place was empty. We ordered a few dishes - the Roti with curry chicken was the best although a tad salty. Most of the dishes reminded me of Chinese take out although everything was beautifully presented. The noodles were actually plain and forgettable. Nothing was bad, service was prompt but considering everything else available in Chinatown, I can't see myself visiting again. read more

See all

Plenty of parking space as well as seating inside. The menu has a variety of options so coming in a group to share is probably the way to go! Came on a Friday during lent so we were limited to non-meat options but have heard great things about their chicken wings My friends and I ordered: - Roti canai (2 pieced for $5.95): fluffy flatbread served with curry sauce. The flatbread was buttery and flaky and delicious, feel like you can't go wrong with it anywhere you order it. - Salted egg golden calamari ($20.95): lightly battered and deep fried calamari sauteed in egg yolk. I thought that this had a nice flavor that wasn't overwhelming - which salted egg can get. The calamari was cut into smaller pieces and fried so while it made it easy to eat, I think I personally would have enjoyed this bigger. Supposedly the salted egg chicken wings are great so will have to try that next time I visit. - Curry seafood pot ($23.95): jumbo prawn, crab meat, scallops, and veggie cooked with Malaysian spices in curry. This reminded me a bit of a filipino dish called Sinigang, which is a sour tamarind soup. While this wasn't sour, it had a lot of seafood and veggies which was nice. I sort of forgot the flavor, maybe it was a bit underwhelming compared to the other dishes we got - Malaysia sizzling tofu ($15.95): house made tofu with choice of chopped shrimp and shitake served on sizzling hot plate. I love this dish at Banana Leaf and was expecting something similar and was a bit disappointed. Would have loved more sauce because I do think it's a big highlight of the dish. While this was still good, I think it's better at another place. - Char Koay Teow ($13.95): flat noodle stir fried with light and dark soy sauce, sambal, seafood and vegetables Overall, I think the salted egg dishes are worth trying. Everyone was ordering the chili crab, so will have to get that another time! read more

See all

We had really enjoyed the food here at Sambal and ambiance. This place was my staple for Malaysian food in Houston. A couple months ago we came and I had a really bad case of food poisoning all with stomach pain and diarrhea. Have found other Malaysian restaurants instead. read more

Having a limited knowledge of Malaysian food, we came here to try some things with friends. The service was good and the people were very friendly. We tried the chicken laksa, a sardine soup, Malaysian fruit appetizer, and roti. The roti was really nice and flakey. The curry that it comes with is thin but good. The sardine soup was super interesting. At first it tasted too vegetal but then it was super intriguing and super fresh tasting. It was actually super good and I'd get it again. The chicken laksa was fine. A bit heavy after having the other soup. The fruit dish was complex. Sour, sweet, salty. Not my cup of tea but other people seem to like it. It was a lot of fruit with pieces of tofu. The sauce was a bit too fishy for my taste but if you like fish sauce or shrimp paste, this may be up your alley. We also got an eggplant dish and egg tofu and both those dishes were super solid. All in all, I'd definitely want to try other things here. read more

See all

Came with some friends to try this new place out! We started with the roti canai. The roti was hot, flaky, and buttery. It came with two sauces, a curry sauce and a mung bean like sauce. I preferred the curry sauce more, but I did think it was a bit thin in texture. I prefer my curry sauce to be a little thicker. We also got the crispy pork belly which came with a sweet chili sauce. The pork belly wasn't super super crispy, but was yummy nonetheless and actually went really well with the curry sauce that came with the roti. For entrees we got the Malaysia Style sizzling tofu and the flat noodle with beef. I love when tofu comes out on a sizzling platter and I love when they use soft/silken tofu blocks. The gravy paired really well with the tofu which was still crispy despite being doused in sauce. Underneath the bed of tofu was some egg and that was absolutely delicious with the sauce and tofu. The flat noodle was standard, and had a good wok-seared flavor to it. The restaurant is pretty large and there is a lot of seating. Service is also super attentive. They did forget one of the items we ordered but worked quickly to make sure that was rectified. read more

See all

When we went on a Wednesday night, the place was empty. We were provided water when seated but our server did not explain anything in the menu or what the best dishes would be to order. Also, the floor of the restaurant is "sticky" so that felt like an ick. We ordered the roti canai with beef rendeng curry and it was okay. The bread was of course good, but the curry needed stronger flavour. The beef felt overcooked to acheive the tenderness but left it dry in my opinion. The garlic fried Hainan chicken was bland and dry, and was our least favourite. Usually don't see Hainan chicken fried so we wanted to try that. The salted egg fried chicken was good and would have been better if they seasoned the inside of the chicken wings. The texture was great though. Lastly, the chilli shrimp was overcooked, and the oil tasted old - something from a fast food place. Overall it was disappointing. read more

See all

Tucked in a little corner off the beltway, Sambal chef is delicious and is on par with many of the other restaurants in Chinatown. We don't get many Malaysian cuisine in Houston, but it has familiar taste that resembles like home. My favorite is the Malaysian style sizzling tofu! read more

It was pricy but good. Chilli crab sauce was so delicious, sweet, slightly spicy(but not really since I'm a spice mania) and garlicky. It was so good that I searched internet for recipe to copy. Service is great, they are friendly and will answer your questions and offer recommendations. read more

Sambal Chef - Chili Crab - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is one of Houston's hidden gems in my opinion. The food is so flavorful, cheap, the portions are generous, and the service is incredible what more could you ask for? My first time here was a few months ago when they first opened, and despite being fairly new in a competitive part of Chinatown, the food was phenomenal and definitely on par, if not better, than other restaurants in the area. I went last Friday for lunch and was shocked to see that they were not busier considering how good the food is. We got the Roti Canai with chicken curry, the Malaysia style sizzling tofu, the Singapore noodle, and the Malaysia dry wonton noodle to share. The Roti canai with chicken curry is a must have when I come here. The roti always comes out piping hot and buttery and the curry is so delicious that I always drink the left overs because it is too good to waste. (9/10) The Malaysia style sizzling tofu was fried but still soft on the inside and covered in a delicious savory gravy-like sauce. The shrimp and shitake mushrooms really completed the dish. Very glad I got to try it. (8.5/10) The Singapore noodle was sweet and savory with a great kick. They were very generous with the amount of meat the included in this dish. Overall a solid stir fry noodle. (8/10) The Malaysia dry wonton noodle was my personal favorite. The egg noodles were in a bed of savory/ sweet sauce that paired perfectly with the bbq pork. The wonton soup was a bit bland but the wontons were delicious. Would definitely get again! (9/10) Other honorable mentions are the char koay kak, the salted egg golden calamari, and the beef satay which I had the first time I came. The dishes here have never disappointed me and the people that run this place are so sweet and attentive. The parking is a bit limited because a good portion of the parking lot is taken up by the Denny's next door, but that won't stop me from coming back. Highly recommend if you are looking for a Malaysian spot! read more

See all

A friend invited us to try this place, came in party of 5. I had zero expectations walking in and was pleasantly surprised with the ambiance, greeting, food, and service. Everything was 5 out of 5! Here's what what we had at this Malaysian eatery: * Chicken Satay - 4 big skewers per order. Bigger than I've seen anywhere else (see photo). * Crispy Pork Belly - I've never seen it served this way, deeply fried and battered, then thinly sliced. It didn't look great but was tender and flavorful! * Kam Heong Clams (give this a 4) - Clams stir-fried w/ Chef's special spicy lemongrass sauce. The clams did not taste fresh. Some stuck to the shell and were harder to pry off but tasty. * Hainanese Chicken - this was good and tastes as expected, no complaints. * Salt and Pepper Spare Ribs - these are bigger ribs, not small like many Asian restaurants. * Singapore Crab - market priced, $56/one Dungeness crab at the time we visited on 9/22/24. This was my favorite dish. It was fresh, saucy, full of flavor, and we licked our fingers clean! Try the sauce with your rice, yum! Food was reasonably priced. Service was great, very attentive! Bathrooms were clean. I love the cute paintings at the front entrance and the hallway (photos posted). I can't wait to come back to try the many other items in the menu. read more

Sambal Chef - Entrance painting - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

See all

Came by for a late lunch and so glad I did. It was empty so service was quick and my food was ready in under 10 minutes. Everything was clean and tidy and staff was very nice and attentive. I ordered the beef rendang to start. It came with some delicious roti. It was a solid starter. I could go for a bit more spice however it was very well balanced. For my main course I had the chili shrimp. They were huge. I had plenty leftover. The batter on the shrimp did soften from the sauce. It still was fantastic. I highly suggest coming as a group and dining family style so you can really try the menu. Most definitely will be back! read more

Everything I had was amazing. The Salted Egg Golden Calamari was a perfect texture and so yummy. The mee siam had a great flavor and was such a good portion! The Chinese broccoli was alright but it was nice and refreshing to have bites of between everything else. THE BEST was the chicken satay. The crispy texture of the chicken and incredible flavor mixed with the sauce was 100/10. I could come back and just order that. They had fast service and were very friendly. The bathrooms were very clean with funny posters. And there was tons of parking. read more

See all

I really wanted to enjoy this experience but sadly I was left disappointed. May have just been a fluke of an evening. I am aware new restaurants have kinks but oof--- we came in early Sunday dinner (5pm~) and after deciding what to order, were told they were out of these items: crab....the sambal sauce(???)...tofu...lobster....snow pea leaves....chicken curry laksa... This was rather disappointing as these are their top dishes, and especially considering they've grown a lot of hype via social media. the restaurant has even been making more FB deals because of this aforementioned social media hype. I.e bogo crab, bogo$10 lobster My brother loves Malaysian food so we actually decided to dine here for his birthday dinner. We ended up ordered some other things that weren't necessarily our first choice and they weren't anything to write home about honestly. It makes me wonder if I'll be back ever, I'm hopeful but not sure. The service IMO was lacking as well. It's one thing to be out of food, but maybe like, idk offer some of your recommendations...? read more

See all

Heard a new Malaysian restaurant opened up in Bellaire. I'm partial to Malaysian restaurants as I lived in KL for 6 months before and enjoyed the food there. This is located beside the Chevron gas statio on Bellaire and Sam Houston. We arrived around 7 after a day of shopping. Their restaurant was full and we were added to the waitlist. After 20 minutes, we were shown to our table. The restaurant is nicely decorated with murals on the walls. They also have a full bar at the back of the room. We went straight for the main entrees and order Hainese crispy garlic chicken, kangkong (water spinach) with belachan sauce, Kam Heong clams and salted egg shrimps. It was a mistake going straight for the entrees as it took at least 30 minutes before we got our first dish. Found out later that the kitchen was understaffed. Wish they told us and we would have order some appetizers to tide as over. The first dish to arrive was the Hainese crispy garlic chicken. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Garlic and the soy and chili sauce complemented the chicken very well. Next was the kangkong belachan. It was saucy the way we like to. Next were the Kam Heong clams. Clams were fresh and the spicy lemongrass sauce was amazing! We finished the sauce down to the last spoonful. Definitely a must try! Saw the salted egg shrimps were popular and thought to try it. We got 10 pieces of good size shrimp. It came out crispy and the salted egg was delicious. Overall, this is probably the best Malaysian meal I've tried so far. Except for the service, don't have any complaints. They have o lot been open 2 months so will give them the benefit of the doubt. Heard the chili crab is popular but they use stone crab (instead of Dungeness crab) so less meat. Will give it a try one of these days. Definitely worth a try if you like Malaysian food or just want to try something new. read more

See all

I've been meaning to try Sambal Chef ever since they had the original Pearland location. Sadly, I never got the chance to try it, but I am so glad I was able to try this new location! This spot is right in a plaza of Chinatown, so there is ample parking. I tried the Chilli Crab, Beef Rendang, and Wat Tan Hor. It was my first time trying this crab dish, and I can see why it is a Malaysian specialty. The crab meat is so sweet and it pairs perfectly with the heat from the sauce. The beef was so tender and juicy. The noodles were perfectly cooked with the most delicious egg gravy. Every dish was a master piece. Overall, I had a great time at Sambal Chef. This is one of the best Malaysian spots in Houston. Definitely check this place out! read more

See all

Love this place ... They great slow cook soups very nutritionist I love the most . And dishes very nice and tasty. read more

The girlfriend saw this on her Instagram so we decided to check it out. It's in a newly developed plaza right off of the beltway feeder road. Plenty of parking, though there's messaging that says it's 1 hour parking (which is ridiculous, hopefully they never enforce it). We got seated quickly. Decent number of seats inside. The restroom is nice, very spacious and modern. It look a little while to order because it didn't seem like we had a designated waiter. We ordered roti and kaya toast. The roti was nice and piping hot, and soaked up the curry. The curry was a little watery. The kaya toast was good and flavorful, I just wished it came warmer. I ordered the chicken curry laksa, which was decently sized. The broth was tasty but fairly oily. I think it's the same 'curry' that was used for the roti canai, as a result it was a more watery curry laksa, not my favorite. Chicken tasted slightly undercooked and didn't quite have the flavor of the curry, as if it was just dropped in a separately-made curry. My gf got the shrimp flat noodles, she said it was so-so. She originally wanted the Malaysian style sizzling tofu but they told us like 10-15 minutes later that they were out, I feel that could've been communicated earlier... Prices are fair, and service is okay, outside of the wait to order and the out of stock tofu read more

See all

Great lunch menu!! Can't beat $8.95. Great portions and flavors. Amazing ribs. Came here twice and will be coming back. read more

See all

Yummy food. Recommend the soft shell crab with chili sauce. It tasted amazing. Curry chicken was super tender with mild flavor which is a good balance to the crab. read more

Sambal Chef - C3. Curry Chicken Soft shell crab with chili sauce Snow pea leaf with garlic sauce - Malaysian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Located at the back of Dun Huang Plaza (away from the crowds), Sambal Chef is a good addition to the many restaurants in Chinatown. It stands out from other Chinese restaurants because they have Singapore Chili crab on their menu, which is one of the most popular dishes in Singapore! I was quickly seated, and the staff were friendly with all smiles. Unfortunately for this trip, I did not try it. Instead, I had the beef and chicken satay, which had a sauce that was tasteless and oily. The seasoning on the beef satay was good but not on the chicken satay. The Hainanese crispy garlic chicken was good. It was served with a bowl of chicken rice, which had a tad too much ginger taste, no chicken taste, and not fragrant. The char koay teow was my favorite dish. It had good flavor. I liked the addition of sambal in the noodles. It lifted the dish up from one flat taste. The Malaysian style sizzling tofu gravy could use more flavor, as it was bland. The tofu was cooked well though, but there could be more egg on the bottom of the sizzling plate. All the portions were kinda big. I would go back to try other dishes, for sure. The restaurant has ample seating. There is a big parking lot in front of the restaurant. There is parking garage near the restaurant too. read more

See all

We were offered great recommendations. Every dish we ordered was exceptional. We may have come on an off day since it was pouring, but there were plenty of seatings. Great find with authentic Malaysian food! read more

See all

I've never had Malaysian food so I was thoroughly impressed. You definitely don't need to be familiar with the cuisine to really enjoy the flavorful dishes that were being cooked up fresh and delicious by this restaurant. The staff were friendly and quick at the service. The food came out hot and ready to go, and they are helpful as we were packing up our leftovers as we ordered enough for our entire family of seven even though there was two of us. The parking lot was ample however I could see it getting busy during different times of the day as there is multiple restaurants in this building complex m. Clean restaurant and welcoming atmosphere. Would highly recommend if you like Asian flavors, especially Thai Vietnamese and Chinese as it had a very similar profile. We'll definitely be returning! read more

See all

It's been a while since I had Malaysian food, and I tried it at Sambal Chef. I ordered Roti Canai, Sizzling Tofu (soft, fragrant, and very rich), Sambal Stir-Fried Water Spinach (very addictive, a must-try), Singapore-Style Chili Crab, and Nyoya Fried Chicken Wings. Definitely worth a visit if you love bold Malaysian flavors. read more

See all

Drove straight from the house in San Antonio (with a minor stop at Praesk's, avoid Buc-ee's madness) to try some Malayasian flavor. Which sadly our "city" lacks, various foods of the world, Houston is a food heaven. We had a mix of various dishes to sample but the gem was curry laksa . I even got served extra broth to take home which I devoured the next day. The service was fantastic, they were very proud about their food in the clean resturant. I will have to make another trip just to sample more plates. Highly recommend to check out this place and enjoy Malayasian mouthwatering fate. read more

Had an unfortunate experience when we came on a Sunday a few months ago. Service was extremely poor because they would run out of items but tell us 20 mins after the fact. So the whole dinner took an extremely long time from start to end because they came up to tell us 3 different occasions that they ran out of the dish we wanted. Towards the end we wanted to just leave but was checking on our last dish. Pretty sure they didn't even start on the dish when we wanted to cancel but they told us it was coming right up so we had to wait even longer. Service was extremely unorganized and frustrating. read more

So good. Very attentive waiters, even on a Saturday evening. Food was so good. Huge portions. We should have shared but we wanted to try a noodle and rice dish. Clean restaurants, no complaints there. Overall, a good experience. I'll go back. read more

See all

I had been trying new dishes that I ate growing up in Malaysia and so far it had surprisingly awesome. Even in kuala Lumpur it is not easy to find a genuine good har mee(prawn noodles) place and this place met the standard. The only Malaysian restaurant i would go for some hometown taste in Houston. read more

See all