This post should have been done long ago, but the photos were tricky to get off my dad's blackberry. For some reason, my mac hates Dad's phone; they cannot communicate. So I have to bluetooth the photos from his phone to mine, THEN to my computer. It was way too much work.
Anyways, I work in Koreatown LA, and I always see the signs for El Monte on my way there and back. I've been searching for Malaysian restaurants in Southern California for a long time, and I'd been wanting to try this place. Little Malaysia Restaurant is located just north of the 10 freeway, a few blocks past the El Monte Shopping Center. My parents sometimes like to come to LA with me, so they were with me when I decided to try out this restaurant.
We had a little trouble finding it because it was tucked away in the back corner of a dark, small, sketchy-looking strip mall with stores, a dim sum restaurant, and a few little sleepy to-go joints. Little Malaysia Restaurant, on the other hand, has colorful, tropical-themed decor, Asian artwork, and wooden folding chairs--you can tell they're trying to re-create a typical, small town Malaysian cafe.
There was only one pair of customers when we arrived, so we had our pick of the tables. I already know that nothing in Southern California will be comparable to what I had in Penang, but I still crave anything I can get that's close. I think I surprised the waitress because I knew pretty quickly what I wanted to eat.
We ordered roti canai, char kway teow, and seafood noodle soup. I also asked for a teh ice, which it basically cold teh tarik (sweetened, pulled tea). The roti canai was the best I've had so far State-side; it has a nice crispy texture and has the savory sauce on the side.
Mom ate the noodle soup, which was spicy even by my standards. It had really good flavor (not too fishy), and they didn't skimp on the shrimp, fish, and other seafood. The char kway teow was pretty good, too, and definitely better than what we had at the Penang Malaysian Cuisine (see my post on that here). It's such a standard Malaysian dish. The flat noodles are my favorite; it's like a more flavorful, colorful pad see ew at Thai restaurants. The rest of their dishes we couldn't really compare, since we didn't order the same things. But Dad and I can't stand bland food, so we enjoyed everything we ate here.
They give large portions, so we were thankful we didn't order too much. Even with just two dishes and an appetizer, we had way more than enough for three people. The service is friendly, albeit a little slow, especially considering that there were only two tables of customers. I can't wait until I get the chance to go back to Penang to eat my fill of Malaysian food, but this will have to do for now. It was quite awhile ago, but I do remember leaving the restaurant pretty satisfied. Or at least my stomach was.
Little Malaysia Restaurant
3944 Peck Road, Ste 8
El Monte, CA 91732
(626) 401-3188
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