Spork and Knife

There are always those nights when you feel like heading out on the town, but keeping it low key.  You don’t want to dress up, so the new hot spot is out of the question (The Source) and you don’t want anything too quick, which leads a lot of people into the Chinese, Thai, etc. category. 

D and I were in such a mood a few Fridays ago and decided to venture to a spot I had consistently heard about since moving to DC.  Our choice was made even more definite when we couldn’t decide on a cuisine and since Malaysia Kopitiam claims influence from Malaya, Chinese and Indian cuisine it seemed like a good choice.   

As we made our way to the corner of 18th and M Street in Dupont Circle I began to get cold feet.  The restaurant is located in a basement right next to a “gentleman’s club”, and although the Zagat review in my hands was a fairly good one, the writers described the surroundings as “dumpy basement digs” so naturally D and I came up with a back up plan.  Penang, another Malaysian restaurant that’s a little flashier was just around the corner and although it’s higher priced it gave both of us comfort that should we decide that the basement was in fact “dumpy” another option was not far away.  

We opened the door to MK and breathed a sigh of relief.  Yes, it’s a basement, but it’s on the same level as a lot Chinese restaurants (regional decorations with the standard table cloth) and we took a seat feeling a little better about the meal ahead.  At this point I should probably direct folks to the reviews that led us to MK, so enjoy. 

Here and here.   

When I opened the menu, I fought another urge to run out the door.  The pages were full of pictures.  Generally, my rule of thumb is - if they can’t take the time to describe a dish and use pictures instead, the end result will not be good.  But in this instance I was actually grateful to get a visual of the extensive menu.  There were so many choices, many of which included ingredients that I was not familiar with, so in this circumstance I was willing to break my rule.  A gut instinct that I’m glad I made.

We started off the meal with an order of Po Pia…

what I was told is a traditional Malaysian dish.  I’d sum it up as a soft spring roll drizzeled in hoisin sauce (AKA the plum sauce you slather all over your mu shu pork).  Made with eggs, lettuce, jicama, dried shrimp and crispy shallot, it was a good way to start the meal and I would recommend it as a gate way appetizer for those venturing into uncharted waters.  I regret not ordering the roti wrap (Indian Flat bread), but from the looks of my neighbor’s table (yes, I was spying) the wrap could be a meal in itself. 

For main dishes D ordered the Singapore noodle with shrimp, egg, onion and green peppers over thin rice noodles in curry flavor.  Wanting to sample the Indian side of things, I ordered the Chicken Rendang, a curry chicken simmered in coconut milk and “various” spices.

I don’t say this very often and I can’t believe I’m admitting it now, but I liked D’s dish much more than my own.  The noodles were thin and delicate, not greasy at all and the curry flavoring was light allowing me to actually taste the sweetness of the shrimp and peppers. 

As for my dish….well, the chicken was suspect but the curry sauce had the ability to revive things.  While I wouldn’t order that specific dish again, I would explore MK’s other curry dishes based off of their Rendang sauce. 

 As a whole, Malaysia Kopitiam is a good low-key restaurant.  I may not have loved all of the dishes we ordered, but I know enough to realized when a menu has potential.  When the night comes where I’m looking for something casual and adventurous I’ll turn to the picture menu once more.  Prices were fair, though higher than your average Chinese or Thai restaurant, so expect to pay somewhere in the teens for your entree.

Malaysia Kopitiam

1827 M Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

202-833-6332