Ever since I was little, I have been on a mission to share Malaysian food with everyone I know. Oh, you’ve had pad thai? Well we’ve got something better, char kuey teow. It replaces the sweetness of pad thai with a  beautiful smoky charred flavor and more meat. Everyone knows roast pork rice from China, but Malaysians soak it in even more sauce or even curry and you can have it on anything you want. People love fried plantains, but have you ever had pisang goreng? This fried banana dish melts in your mouth, making sure you enjoy yourself while getting your daily helping of potassium. I’m here to convince you that you’re missing out.

​Malaysian food compared to the rest of Asian food is what Southern food is to the rest of America. They don’t care about the calories or the healthiness of their food, they just make it to taste good. They spoon curry over everything like gravy on your soul food. They fry everything so it sucks the nutrition straight out and replaces it with glorious crunch and flavor. 

10 year old Tiffany in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Much like southern cooking, they still use all the traditional ingredients, things that may seem low class or taboo. Food is still cooked in pork fat, reminiscent of the days when vegetable oil was too expensive, but it gives the food a unique flavor that you can only get with this style of cooking.

​Now that you’re drooling and I’ve shown you what Malaysian food is all about, you’re probably thinking of where you can try it. Look no further than Borneo’s Kalimantan Cuisine in Alhambra. This restaurant on the Michelin guide describes its cuisine as Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian, which makes sense, since Borneo is an island that is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. I didn’t go there to argue about which dish belongs to which country. I was just there to eat some food, share it with some people and see how a Michelin restaurant compared to my dad’s hometown.

The restaurant felt homey. The slight Malaysian accent of the waitress took me back to my summers in Ipoh with my family. The restaurant had tables of different sizes to accommodate any size party. I looked around me and saw families sharing dishes. To my right was what looked like a mom, grandmother and a chubby baby. The baby was independent, masterfully getting noodles into her mouth, reminding me of all my chubby cousins back home. Food is all we had in Malaysia and you learn to eat the delicious food young. 

I ordered some satay, which are chicken skewers with peanut sauce, and roti, a bread with curry dip. These served as appetizers for the glorious meal that was about to make its way into our mouths. The skewers were great, as I was told. ​

I couldn’t eat them because I’m allergic to peanuts, but everyone at the table gave me their approval as they munched away. The roti was to die for. It was crispy yet chewy on the inside and it seemed to be brushed in butter as the flavor hits your tongue right away. ​

It had layers like a croissant and the satisfaction of tearing it apart was not above me. The curry dip that followed was the perfect balance to the crunchy flakey bread. It was light and had notes of coconut milk through it, a staple in Malaysian curry. The roti was able to soak up all the curry, making it the perfect vehicle to get Malaysia’s staple sauce into my mouth.

​What followed was the main dishes. I had ordered a Kwe Tiau Goreng Borneo, the house special noodles. It was stir-fried flat rice noodles with shrimp, BBQ pork, Chinese sausage, fish cake, egg, and choy sum. 

Its toppings to noodle ratio was on point, it didn’t feel like they skimped out on any of the fillings. To tie it all together, I used a chili sauce they had on the tables, giving it just enough kick to make my ancestors proud. I even spooned some curry over it because that’s what dad would do. It was pure harmony in my mouth. The shrimp took in all the smokey flavor of the wok frying technique, the Chinese sausage and bbq pork gave it a sweet kick, the eggs and noodles sucked up all the flavors of everything around it and the choy sum was there to make me feel like I was eating a somewhat healthy dish. But who am I kidding, I was eating a fried noodle dish, cooked in fat, topped with meat and more fat and smothered in curry. 

​The people I brought onto this adventure commented on how fast I had eaten my food and all I could think about was getting more. This is probably why Malaysia is the most obese Asian country. My dad does gain 10 pounds every time he visits home and I am all for that. As I finished my meal, I asked my companions how they liked their dishes. They all showered me with quotes of approval, thanking me for taking them to this restaurant. I had done it. They were converted to Malaysian food lovers. Hopefully they spread the word about amazing cuisine because I’m afraid I’ll eat everything before they do.

Borneo Kalimantan Cuisine: 19 S Garfield Ave, Alhambra, CA 91801
Food: 10/10
Environment: 10/10
Service: 8/10

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