My Spring Break Food Escapade

While many spring-breakers were involved with copious amounts of alcohol and debauchery, I decided to treat myself to a 9-day getaway to the Bay Area of San Francisco. Being the second most diverse city in the United States, I knew Frisco's food scene would be unmistakably remarkable. I was as spoiled for choice when it came to the array of cuisines that San Francisco had to offer.

Upon arrival, my Indonesian friend Yanto, who I was visiting, brought me to an authentic Indonesian restaurant named Jayakarta, located in downtown Berkeley. It's namesake was probably inspired by the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The restaurant had a humble yet welcoming setting. Malaysian food has no doubt borrowed many of its flavors from the Javanese cuisine in Indonesia, so I felt very comfortable when it came to ordering the food that I wanted. The menu was even written in Indonesian, which is for the most part similar to the Malay language (the language I speak). We ended up ordering Nasi Bungkus and Nasi Padang.

Nasi Bungkus (Nah-See Boong-Koos)
Hot white rice served with various spicy entrees wrapped with banana leaf. 

Nasi Padang (Nah-See Pah-Dung)
Beef rendang, chicken petai curry and fresh cabbage shreds served with hot white rice and a side of fried anchovies and peanuts.

Day 3 was spent in the heart of downtown San Francisco where we decided to lunch at a Singaporean restaurant located inside the Westfield San Francisco Shopping Center. Straits Singaporean Restaurant and Lounge had a much classier dining ambiance with food catered to the sophisticated yet adventurous taste buds. Singapore used to be part of Malaysia until its separation in 1965, so the food Singaporeans enjoy eating, for the most part, originally came from Malaysia. The food we ordered included:-

Roti Canai (Row-Tee Chan-Nahye)
A type of crispy Indian-influenced flat-bread served with a side of chicken curry to be dipped with.

Char Kway Teow (Char-Kooway-Tee-Ow)
The best stir fried flat rice noodles with shrimp and bean sprouts is usually prepared in hawker food stalls and very popular among Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians.

Beef Rendang (Beef Ruhn-Dung)
This originally Indonesian dish is very popular in the South east Asian region came in first place in CNN's 'World's Most Delicious Food' in 2011. Definitely one of my top favorites!

Chicken Curry
This humble dish can be found on the tables of many households in South East Asia, albeit versions of it vary according to region and household.

The dining ambiance at the Straits Singaporean Restaurant & Lounge

Fast forward to the day when I was making my way back to colder temperatures, we decided on a whim to stop at Malaysian restaurant in Arlington Heights in Illinois called Penang (Named after the Penang Island located in western coast of Northern Malaysia). Finally an authentic MALAYSIAN RESTAURANT, I was beyond ecstatic. Perusing the restaurant menu made my mouth water and made my heart melt. The owner of the restaurant, a sweet middle-aged Malaysian lady from Penang who has lived in the United States for 35 years, came over to take our order and this was what we had.

Malaysian Chicken Satay (Malaysian Chicken Suh-Taye)
An authentic Malaysian dishe that has won our very own Malaysian Airlines many awards for their in-flight catering service. They're marinated chicken skewers served with spicy peanut sauce. Perfect appetizer to start your meal with!

Beef Rendang
I couldn't leave this restaurant without having this favorite of mine!

Malaysian BBQ Steak
This one was new to me as I have not tried it myself. Thinly sliced steak meat marinated in a soy sauce concoction and roasted to an aromatic delight

How could I leave the restaurant before having a little dessert because there's always room for dessert!

Pulut Hitam (Pooh-Lowt Hee-Thum)
This dessert,served hot, is made from boiled black glutinous rice and with coconut milk added to it.

Ais Kacang (Ice Kah-Chahng)
Our very own Malaysian snow cone with a twist. It is shaved ice served in a bowl dripped with a mixture of rose and palm sugar syrup then topped with kidney beans coconut milk and worm-like jelly made from rice flour and green coloring.

Even the menu had me taking pictures of it.

Penang is pretty popular among the suburbians in the area as the setting is perfect for families to enjoy authentic Malaysian food.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, so does spring break. I had to leave the amazing weather and the smorgasbord of food delights with a heavy heart. Until next time!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and my hashtag #thatmalaysianboy for my updates on everything about Malaysian food.

-That Malaysian Boy-