New Malaysia
“We had to order the Roti Canai ($2.95), the bread was tender and flaky and the curry was flavorful.”
“The squid curry noodle soup (with broad noodle) is spicy, rich with coconut and delightful with succulent squids cut in spirals.”
“It's close to the Manhattan Bridge, and then you make a funny turn into a dark Chinatown alley.”
New Malaysia
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came in for a quick lunch, tried the curry chicken with rice, malaysian pancake, i have to say the servings have progressively become smaller and prices have gone up. Overall a quick experience and if you spend more than $30 u have no problems using ur credit card. What i dont like is that the location has limited seating, sometimes there is a 15 minute wait for a table.
This place is located in a strange little alleyway but the inside is very nice and the staff was quick and courteous. I got a seafood casserole which wasn't really spicy and didn't have much seafood in it but it was good. My brother got the fried seafood mix which was very good it was crunchy and the portions were generous. My sister got the pad Thai but she couldn't eat it because she's allergic to squid. I wish the menu was more descriptive about what was in it or describe the taste other than putting a spicy symbol or not. Overall the food was okay, nothing to come running back for though.
The Story: Decided to grab dinner in China Town before heading to see the Rockefeller Tree… It was between this place and NY Noodle Town.
Food: We ordered Roti, Fish Balls, Hainanese Chicken, Seafood Curry Rice Noodle soup and Fish with garlic sauce.
Roti – I had better. It was okay – I felt that $5 for such a small piece is a bit of a rip off.
Fish Balls – They were averaged. My boyfriend loves fish balls and its amazing dipped in the Roti's curry sauce.
Hainanese Chicken – I was not impressed. I had better =( Sad because thats one of my favorite dishes.
Seafood Curry Rice Noodle Soup – Wonderful flavors. I should of stick with the egg noodle instead of rice noodle.
Fish with Garlic Sauce – very tender and juicy. Sauce is a bit on the salty side.
Price: Between two people and what we ordered…we spend $65 with tip included.
Decor: Simple layout and theres a lower floor with more tables.
Service: I was surprised our waitress' english was so good. Then I realized there's a lot more American clients.
Parking & Finding the Place: On Bowery – its in a tunnel.
Additional Thoughts: Most likely will go again but I'll prob hit up some Fujianese Places and leave Malaysia food to Flushing.
Decided to try a new place for dinner and stumbled upon this place. The only Malaysian place I've had is Nyonya and Penang. This place can't compare to those two. Ordered the hainese chicken, Choy, chicken rice , this sweet spicy mango squid/shrimp and roti kani.
Hainese chicken- there was very little meat and a lot of bones. There wasn't much to eat.
Choy- The vegetables were pretty fresh and crisp. Would get again
Mango squid/shrimp – the first bite I took it tastes like dish soap and smelt like it too. The waitress said it was because we weren't used to the taste but all I tasted was soap…. Sent it back and they took the dish off our check
Chicken rice- was a bit overlooked and mushy
Roti kani- the bread was super thick and the coconut in the sauce was very strong
Overall, expensive Malaysian food that was not great. Will not be coming back since the better option (Nyonya) isn't that far away.
New Malaysia was a pleasant surprise, and I feel this speaks of many restaurants hidden in the streets of Chinatown. And New Malaysia is certainly hidden, tucked deep within a hidden passageway of other inconspicuous, indecipherable business signs. I feel I may have been here years before, because its appearance reminds me of many other Chinatown restaurants; quaint, simple but perhaps marked by cliche decor reminiscent of your typical Chinatown restaurant. A recent visit to New Malaysia was in order however, and there are fusion/Malaysian dishes here that provided my clear reason to return.
My friend recommended the Beef Rendang, so we had one order to share. I wanted to try as well, the popular menu item of the Honey Glaze Pork Chop with rice and their Roti Canai. The Roti Canai is a really great starter and perfect to share. It is a bit imperative to order Roti at a Malaysian restaurant though, and I am a big fan of good Roti (Indian‑influenced flatbread, very similar to Naan, served with a dipping sauce of curry). New Malaysia's Roti was indeed delicious. The curry had a nice tinge of spice. Bread was super soft and flavorful. Onto mains, I thoroughly enjoyed the Honey Glaze Pork Chop, but my slight hesitation on this was the honey, which may have added a bit more sweetness than I would have liked. But this is one of their popular menu items, and it was a certainly tasty and ample sized portion for even two people. The pork was a nice texture and packed with flavor. Note again that it is on the sweeter side, but it was not overwhelming, which I appreciated. Onto Beef Rendang, this was a clear winner out of all dishes. Worth sharing too because they give a hearty amount. Rice is necessary as it is super saucy. This may have been my first time having a dish like this — beef dressed and simmering in a coconut and spice based curry like stew. The beef is extremely tender and pull apart soft. I imagine a lot of cooking time goes into the beef to get it as soft and super flavorful as it is. I certainly enjoyed this dish, and it's a winner at New Malaysia. Soak some of your rice with that leftover Rendang sauce, and it is excellent.
New Malaysia is a solid option for good Asian fusion, Malaysian/Indonesian inspired dishes. It was authentic based on what I tried on the first visit. Quite inexpensive too, and credit cards are accepted. I had no issues with their service. The restaurant is quite spacious and has plenty of seating. Next to other more popular spots in the area, I would much rather opt for New Malaysia and go for Roti with some Rendang for sure.
Came here with a friend for lunch. New Malaysia is located in the shady tunnel between Bowery and Elizabeth St. but the restaurant itself is pretty clean. Side note: I actually remember going to a restaurant in the tunnel with family when I was a kid and the tunnel used to be very well decorated! It's sad to see it so run down and abandoned now! Anyways, the restaurant itself is actually a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be but we were still able to find seating for 2 immediately at 1pm. Service was very attentive and nice and we got our food very quickly after we ordered. We got the most popular dishes which are:
Roti canai- A must when eating out at Malaysian restaurants and the one here was pretty good! The bread was crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside. Way better than the one at Sentosa since the one there was way too thin and had no substance to it. The curry sauce had the perfect level of spiciness and the chicken and potatoes in it were delicious. The only thing I didn't like was the price. It's $4.50 for one piece of bread and a tiny bowl of curry sauce so it wasn't really worth it.
Honey glazed steak with fried rice- A highly raved entree but I only found it to be alright. The steak was cooked perfectly, not too chewy but not underdone. I wasn't a big fan of the honey sauce though but that's a matter of personal preference since I don't like mixing sweet and savory. The fried rice was delicious.
Hainanese chicken with rice- Wow what a disappointment…The portion of chicken was small and they give you the parts with really little meat…The rice is supposed to have absorbed all of the oils of the steamed chicken but it was seriously lacking in flavor. The dish also comes with the ginger/scallion and chili sauces but even those couldn't save such a disappointing dish.
The question of the year is: Why can't I find a good Malaysian restaurant in NYC?? I seriously was not impressed by any of the ones I've been to because the flavors of the food are substantially lacking and the portions are way too small for the prices. While New Malaysia wasn't horrible, it didn't leave a good impression on me either. Only positive worth noting is that the service was very nice.
New Malaysia isn't what it used to be. We ordered the crispy seafood noodle, along with the roti canai, and their grilled pork chop in house special sauce. We remember the days where this alley was full of delicious restaurants. It seems like this is the only original restaurant left.
Sadly, the quality has gone away with the good old days. The crispy noodles were plain in presentation and flavor. The pork chop was plentiful, but nothing special. Half the pieces we had were just fat that they fried and tossed in the sauce. The only redeeming item is probably the roti canai that was full of chicken and crispy roti.
Located in NYC's Chinatown, New Malaysia is seriously one of my favorite spots. I come here every time I'm in the city, because I perpetually crave SE asian food. This location isn't too difficult to find now, especially because they have a big orange banner.
As someone whose boyfriend is a proud Singaporean and who spent June-August in Singapore for the past three years, I'd obviously seek out an eatery that satisfies those crazy cravings for my favorite cuisine in the entire world. New Malaysia is one of the best. Yes, it's not Singaporean food, but the same passion and love for spices and making legit comfort food is there. Crispy butter prawns and hainanese chicken are our favorites from here. The food definitely has that signature SE asian taste. In particular, I enjoy the curry leaves in the crispy butter prawns. It just adds that extra element of taste and fragrance that can be undervalued at other restaurants that claim to know Malaysian food well.
In terms of service, the wait staff are pretty hands off. With this in mind, they're still attentive and do change your dirty plates and casually check in on you.
Overall, I'd definitely say to check this place out. It's definitely not the exact replica of Malaysian food, but it does hit the right notes.