Chahaya Malaysia

Name: Chahaya Malaysia
Address: 1690 Montreal Road, Ottawa
Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-10pm;
Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5pm-11pm;
Sat 5pm-11pm; Sun 5pm-10pm
Contact: 613.742.0242
Parking: Available Parking
Price: $20-35

I debate weather or not to put this on my blog. At the end I decided to DO IT.
The reason of the delima is because this is a very nice place and looks very promising as you walk in. SEEMS like an authentic restaurant, until you try the food.

Everything looks nice and very ethnic.

We start off with shrimp chips. Good starter I give it 1 star.

Penang Laksa
This is the most horrible dish ever. Nothing is authentic about this. It is suppose to be a variation of Assam Laksa. Assam means Fish and Laksa means sourly soup base noodle. That is why they usually put lemon and pineapple in it.
The dish they serve us is very Fishy, but you can tell it is can fish. The rice noodle is a very cheap noodle they use, and a proper Laksa noodle is suppose to be clear thick noodle or a mix of yellow thick noodle and a very thin rice noodle.
The also put some shrimp paste to make this dish more fishy which is a horrible mix. Way too Salty and Way too Sourly. Very distasteful!

This is suppose to be beef, but as you can see it is very brunt with a lot of black wok ash. It is very cancerous and disgusting. Plus, as you can see it is overly greasy.

A chicken dish, which is simple stir-fried, no technique involve. The only eatable dish on the table.

My personal must order in all Malaysian Restaurant, Assam (shrimp). $18
I do not know what I am eating. The dish is priced high enough to demand for some real shrimp. Unfortunately I cannot spot a single regular size shrimp, as if that is not bad enough those are frozen shrimp with shell sticking to every one of them.
It is extremely salty, to the point it start to taste very salty. Extremely Sourly as well.
They took it back and switch it up for us. The second plate was cooked by the owner himself, but it is just as bad salty and sourly not at all Assam.


Take it from me, I have been to Malaysia and eaten enough Malaysian food to know what is home cook authentic or restaurant authentic. This owner even thought that I am a Malaysian, from what I ask to order.
Their menu is not at all named properly. Their food is either Malaysian nor eatable.
Their service is horrible. The owner's wife is rude and annoying. She keep asking us how the food is, and all we can offer her is dead silence. Thought she would get the hint after the first few times. With all of our complain they did not even offer us a discount.
The dish is full of MSG and SALT I am currently having a sour throat from that meal.

If you want good Malaysian food try the ones in Toronto. Even if it is own by Chinese they are closer to authentic Malaysian then this. At least they will not kill you with MSG and SALT and CANCEROUS BURNT FOOD.

Restoran Malaysia

Name: Restoran Malaysia
Address: 815 Major Mackenzie Drive East, Richmond Hill (GTA)
Hours:
Contact: 905.508.1432
Parking: Mall Parking Available
Price: $20-$40 ppl

Asian food is big in GTA, but never a place of just Malaysian food. Usually they are own by Chinese. Chinese Malaysian food is nice, but wouldn't you want to have some authenticity? This restaurant is own by Malaysian. My friends from Malaysia ask for this restaurant every time they visit the country. I'm a sucker for authentic food, so this restaurant is one of the top choice for me.

The Atmosphere: Intimate yet warm and welcoming. The mural on the walls help ties the whole ethnic/tropical theme together. The entire place is very clean and new, "Whoever says authentic means dirty is dead wrong."

Setting: It is a fairly large restaurant with seating in both left and right side. There is a huge bar at the entrance which is the center of the restaurant. The bar created an exotic feeling of Malaysia. Plus, you can help yourself to a drink while waiting for a table, because this place is always busy.
Malaysia Cooler $4 (Pineapple juice, Orange juice and Coconut Milk)
It taste like Pina Colada but more refreshing with the orange juice. It is alcohol free, perfect for a non drinker like me.

The Malaysia Trade Marke Tarik Milk Tea or Coffee is a must have.
Tarik is a method in which drinks are pore (pull) between two pots. The two pots are separated arm length wide, one above your head the other down by your knees. This process is repeated until the milk and sugar are well mixed. It is very nice to watch, although they do not preform it in front of you at this restaurant. You will have to go to Malaysia to experience this amazing scene.
I would prefer Coffee, "Kopi" in Malaysian. It is much stronger in taste and smoother in texture.

Appetizer Plater: Spring Rolls, Satay Chicken and Beef, Fish Cake $29
The fish cake is one of the best I have ever tasted in a long time, rich with all kind of spices.
The Satay are delicious, and the peanut sauce is well blend. In Malaysia Street Market there are hundreds of Satay Grill venders, the difference between them are their home make peanut sauce.(allergy alert)

Roti with curry sauce
It is a different kind of roti. This roti is flip and tossed with coconut oil. It is baked to a very fluffy form. Paired with a coconut milk curry sauce is quite a good starter.
Indonesian Beef
The waitress warn us that we might not like it, but being an adventurist we try our luck. It is very herbal spice driven, basil and all. The texture of the beef is MOSH. The spice cover most of the beef flavor. The beef itself is not very juicy. Nice try but I will not order again.

Malaysian Friend Chicken garnish with Lobster Chips
The chicken does not taste like it has been pre-marinated. The beater is just regular grocery store beater. Nothing special, and the chicken is a bit dry and over fried.

Assam Fish
Assam meaning Tamarind. It gives a sourly taste the dish, commonly use in Malaysian Food. Very strong and awaking. The Assam mixed with Tomato gives the dish its original flavor. Sour indeed, but I love it.

Nyonya Curry Chicken
Nyonya meaning pass down recipe from grand-parents, therefore there can be different variation. This chicken dish is not bad, but would not be my person favorite.

Malaysian Kway Teow Noodle (around$10)
Taste delicious and the noodle is tender and springy.
This is often the dish to observe the chef's skill level. It is not easy to cook GOOD stir fried rice noodle. You need enough oil to cook it, but at the same time you need to fried it right so it will not turn out soggy and greasy. A lot of arm work and precise timing and skills.

Overall: This is a really good restaurant with a good atmosphere. The noise level is not too high, definitely a good place to have gatherings. Some dishes are disappointing, but there are also some outstanding ones.
We went to this restaurant two nights in a roll, that is how much I like it. I cannot wait to try my personal favorite, Assam Laksa.

222 Lyon Tapas Bar

Name: 222 Lyon Tapas Bar
Address: 222 Lyon St. North, Ottawa
Hours:11:30am-roughly 10:30pm
Contact: 613.238.0222
Parking: Not Available, Street Parking right across
Price:$20-$40 pp (around $10-$15 per tapas)

This is one of a few Tapas Bar located in Ottawa. Tapas is a Spanish word for appetizers or snacks. Various little dish to share a drink with friends. Two Tapas is the equivalent of one Entree.

Atmosphere: This restaurant is located in mid-town Ottawa, therefore its not too hard to find parking on a weekdays. A small house on the corner, lower floor being the restaurant and I assume it is residential above. This gives a very friendly home feeling. The tiny sitting area and the deem lighting of the little home gives a very intimate feeling. It does not have a lot of windows, definitely feels like one of those Europe bar. In my opinion quite unique.

Service: The lady serving us seems friendly at first, but when we told her none of us are drinkers I can tell her face dropped. I totally understand though being that is a tapas BAR alcohol is probably what brings the cash. Unfortunately we cannot drink. Other then that she is very very helpful, more so then I expected, especially when it comes to dessert. I guess it is a girl thing. With the number of people we have and the amount of food we order they still manage to keep a big smile till the end, I give them a 90% for their service.

Food:
Tapas: from front to back
1. Shrimps Mona Lisa - mushroom, wine, peppers, cream & Brandy
- In comparison very light in taste. Not too many shrimp is sighted, but definitely fresh and big. I will pass.
2. Pork Tarragon - mushroom, brandy cream sauce & tarragon
- Yummy! Tender and strong. But very greasy, a known fact for pork dish, but this is too greasy for me.
3. Snails Andalusian - Chorizo, sauteed mushrooms in a Sherry sauce
- Yummy! Again very rich in flavour. The snail is cooked just right, and for alcohol lover this is a must have, very very strong Sherry taste.
4. Chicken al Ajillo - prosciutto, garlic, wine & touch of chili
- This is the best, another strong dish. The chicken breast bits are tender and you can taste the lovely prosciutto and wine. I think it is a bit on the salty side with prosciutto as an ingredient, but I love it the most.
5. Not in picture _ Squid a la Romana - dusted calamari with house dip
"Skippable" just a regular calamari dish with no flavour at all. However, they are able to achieve the dry dusty texture of a fried dish, and the softness of the calamari.

Dessert: from front to back
1. Wild Berry Cheese Cake
- Non American Style Cheese Cake with blended wild berry mixed into it.
I am not a big fan, because it is way too rich and heavy. Plus you do not notice the berries. Above all it is very difficult to chew with the berry seeds mixed in it. Looks good though.
2. Chilled Cinnamon Pears with Brandy and Ice-Cream
My favorite dish of the night. The pears are cold and full of brandy, a thunder to the taste buds, and yet calming because of the coldness. Slight taste of cinnamon is not too over powering. and the ice-cream is a cream bonus on top of all that. Gives me a happy feeling indeed.
3. Pecan Pie (Unfortunately I did not get a close-up)
From my fellow eat-mates this is their choice of the night. Right balance of sugar, fillings, and nuts. We do not have a high tolerance for sugar and this is the perfect dessert.

Over all: It is a neat place to go try a Tapas experience. I think their wine must be really good(read from the others).But I would not come back again, because the size of a Tapas is very small and it cost more than $10 each, not too worth it. The sound echos too much making it very difficult to talk.