Restoran Wau Penyu

Solaris Dutamas, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. There is a Malay restaurant serving east coast Malay cusine here with the name Restoran Wau Penyu. Wau (Malay kites) comes from Kelantan, Penyu (Turtle) come from Trengganu.

If you are not familiar with Kuala Lumpur, it is not easy for you to find the place. Sri Hartamas and its nearby Mont Kiara are prime residential area with lots of new shopping malls. If you have difficulty, look out for the new National Palace on top of a hill. When you are near the National Palace, you can call the restaurant and they are very friendly and helpful in telling you the way to get to their place.

The restaurant is spacious and decorated like a Malay kampong household. There are lots of decorative items with wau and penyu motif.

There is one section of the restaurant with lots of keris (Malay daggers) hanging on the wall.

The menu of the restaurant looks like an old newspaper with a photo showing some Malay aristocrats entertaining their European guests.

Nasi dagang is a Malaysian and Southern Thai dish popular in the states on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Terengganu and Kelantan and Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in Southern Thailand. The dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi Dagang literally means "Trading Rice"

Nasi kerabu is another dish popular in the east coast states of Trengganu and kelantan. It is a rice dish that is originally bluish in colour and eaten with dried fish, fried chicken, fish crackers (keropok) and other condiments. The blue colour of the rice come from a kind of blue flower called bunga telang that is also used also in the Nyonya kuih like blue glutinous rice with kaya.

This dish is called Laksam. Laksam is a unique dish found in northen states of Kelantan, Trengganu and Kedah. A delightful yet simple dish, laksam is prepared using both wheat and rice flours. The gravy is made from fish meat which is boiled, pureed, and later mixed with coconut milk.

Laksam looks, feels and tastes like Chee Cheong Fun. Only that it is in a thick cylindrical shape. It is so tender that it melts in your mouth. If you have not eaten Laksam before, I would recommend Restoran Wau Penyu. The laksam here alone is worth the trip.

Ribena with Laichi. Surprisingly, the two matches quite well.

For dessrt, I ordered Sago pudding with gula melaka. Not bad at all.

The food was tasty and I was satisfied.