I’ve been on a huge Malaysian kick since the Malaysia Kitchen rendang cookoff (and at this writing actually have plans to visit another Malaysian restaurant tonight!). As such, I tapped TC to join me at Taste Good in Elmhurst, which is actually next door to a restaurant I frequent, but had never visited.
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Our first dish was roti canai, of course, though we were surprised when the waitress asked us how many. Since I always order one and it’s enough for everyone to share, we said one, but when it came I think I understood: instead of thin, stretchy pancake that we could pull off and eat as we pleased, this came as one thick pancake that was… different. Neither of us preferred this to the other type, but we ate it… it was only okay. Maybe that’s personal preference or what we’re used to, but when I order roti canai, I definitely expect thin pancakes.
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Next, of course the rendang I’d been seeking. I thought this was good – TC REALLY enjoyed it, while I thought it was simply good. It didn’t hold a candle to what I’d been eating, which might not be fair since those were all made by Top Chef caliber chefs… but it was just okay. Meat was tender, fragrant and flavorful, but not quite what I sought.
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TC also ordered the ‘char kuay teow’ or seafood stir fried noodles, and asked for it to be spicy. It wasn’t very spicy – I was able to eat some without a problem – and while I thought it was sufficiently tasty, TC said it definitely wasn’t the greatest and he’s had better around the corner at Penang. Ah well.
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And the last dish to come out was beef satay… which was again, sufficiently tasty, but not the best satay ever. I’d order it again if I was here, but I don’t know that I’d return here any time soon… no hurry.
Yvo says: While TC really liked the rendang, nothing really stood out. I thought the food was tasty but there was no benefit to going here over going to Penang around the corner (Penang even has a parking lot). I might return to see why everyone raves about this place and order different dishes, but honestly, it was on par with/slightly ‘worse than’ Penang (in quotes because it wasn’t bad, just not quite as good)… which means I’m more likely to return to Penang instead.
hungry says
I’ve only seen roti canai for one and not for sharing. Hmm…
Feisty Foodie says
The appetizer portion is usually more than enough for me to share with other people… but I also usually order a lot of food at Malaysian restaurants.
T.C. says
I believe their roti canai is the malaysian paratha (flat bread) version and not the poofy roti canai you get at Penang or other places. Not bad but nothing amazing.
Nothing too special about their version of char kway teow and not spicy at all. The rendang just ended up being the best dish on the table for me.
Weeks later, I ended up ordering for their Udang Mee for take out and really enjoyed it. Better flavors and red-hued spiciness than the last time I had it at Penang.
Feisty Foodie says
My post on Satay goes up on the 23rd; their udang/har mee is much redder and more interesting than what we had at Penang. Maybe you’d like it there.
T.C. says
Ooh, redder!!
Penang’s version of Udane Mee/ Prawn Mee used to be better and quite spicy. The last time we went, it wasn’t spicy at all and the broth was very orange.
Taste good called it a “har mein” when I was taking out since they speak Cantonese too. Haha.
BigB22 says
I was pretty underwhelmed by the food here, after hearing years of hype. Apparently there was a change in chefs (and management?) a while back and it hasn’t been the same since? I wish I could have tried it prior to that.
When in that neighborhood (often) it is tastier to go to the many Indonesian restaurants like Mie Jakarta (good), Upi Jaya (best), or Java Village (gone downhill unfortunately). I recommend the first two if you haven’t been.
Feisty Foodie says
I did hear a lot of hype, but most people also had one or two dishes to recommend strongly, as opposed to saying everything was delicious. So I’m not entirely sure if I just didn’t order the dishes they are most known for?
Indonesian food is good, but definitely different. I’m still exploring my way through their cuisine!