Why Come Here? Great introduction to Malaysian cuisine, reasonable prices
Right Amount for 2? 1-2 smaller plates, 2 entrees
While Thai and Vietnamese restaurants have occupied nearly every corner of NYC, their dangley Southeast Asian cousin to the south known as Malaysia has yet to make a much of a dent. To borrow a phrase from the region, think of Malaysian cuisine compared to it’s neighbors as “Same Same, but Different.” Many dishes share elements with Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cooking while others clearly have a unique taste of their own. A perfect place to get started is Pasar Malam where they serve everything from crowd pleasing Thai standards to the “acquired tastes” of spicy fermented sambal.
Pasar Malam markets itself as a “Malaysian Night Market” and is meant to resemble the stalls of Kuala Lumpur with open kitchens, a hodgepodge of signs advertising dishes and a colorful mix of murals, flowers and Buddhas. Unlike the stalls, you won’t have to wait in long lines only to hope the cashier understood which dish photo you pointed at. Pasar is instead a typical waiter service restaurant which is fortunately staffed with people adept at describing the unfamiliar items on the menu.
The offerings at Pasar have the range of a full-on market with sections devoted to rotis (pancakes), salads, noodles, fried rice and satays. For your friends who don’t like to be surprised when their food comes out, there are Americanized version of dishes like the Elvis Roti (peanut butter & nutella) as well as Southeast Asian standbys like stir frys and Drunk Man Noodles. Prices are reasonable with entrees in the 10-$15 range for good sized portions. Whatever you do, be sure to get some satays for the table and a roti if you’re hungry. They’re among the best renditions in New York. Here’s what I tried:
Roti Canai 
Best I’ve had in the city. This one is light and buttery with a spicy curry dipping sauce.
Satay Chicken w/ Peanut Sauce 
This is not the typical peanut-buttery peanut sauce we Americans are commonly shafted with. This is the real deal curried, slightly spicy stuff you find on the streets of Asia. Try it while you can.
Satay Tandoori 
The Indian spiced chicken skewer was very tasty, although nothing you couldn’t find at a good Indian restaurant.
Satay Babi (peanut & pineapple) A juicy pork skewer with their excellent peanut sauce and pineapple chunks, it sort of reminded me of an al pastor taco. Note: someone please make this into a taco.
Nasi Lemak 
The “National Dish of Malaysia” comes out like an Indian thali, which is to you get a bunch of things that you get to mix together yourself. Sorry, but that doesn’t mean you can say you”made” Malaysian food. The entree is basically a curry chicken (10 o’clock) which goes nicely with the peanut dried anchovies (8 o’clock) and sambal (5 o’clock). The spicy funky shrimp (3 o’clock) and passion fruit desert (1 o’clock) are basically bonus items. Think of it more of as an opportunity to try a lot of flavors than a great dish itself.
Flounder w/ Basil It sounds like you’re typical Thai or Vietnamese basil stir fry. But a surprisingly funky sauce that doesn’t overpower and lets the big hunks of fish and vegetables shine through makes this one a winner.
Pasar Malam
208 Grand Street (Driggs & Bedford Sts.)
Brooklyn, NY
