Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday Brunch: Laut

When in doubt, Laut.
 
Now it's time for the other half of brunch: lunch!  There's nothing wrong with eating breakfast at lunch time, but it's nice to have a real lunch once in awhile.

I had originally discovered Laut through MalaysiaKitchen two years ago and was more than pleased with my experience.  Now I try to bring everyone I know there at least once.  Laut specializes in Malaysian, Singapore, and Thai food - a real Asian fusion.  And if Lillies Victorian Bar is full, this is right next door.
One of the reasons I wanted to go here was that Laut is one of the few places that serves tea tarik. Tea tarik is warm milk tea that is "pulled" or poured back and forth between two metal cups before serving. This makes the tea very frothy and a pretty nice spectacle to watch if your near the kitchen.

Tea Tarik in action at a  Malaysia canteen.

Roti is traditonally Indian, but they serve this at Laut as well since Malay food is also has Indian originas.  There are two kinds, Roti Canai and Roti Telur -- both of which you can't go wrong. Roti Canoi looks a very flaky funnel cake that you peel off and dip into sauces. Roti Telur looks more like a savory pancake with egg, peppers, and scallions.

Roti Telur straight from Malaysia

Roti Telur with curry dipping sauce. Curry Puffs are optional, but delicious

Laksa is another dish that is delicious and best served spicy. If you have watched No Reservations, this is a dish that Anthony Bourdain raves about a lot. Ironical a few weeks ago he even visited Laut to share his Singapore memories.  I will warn you that the laksa here is so spicy that you may not be able to reach the bottom.  I love spicy food as much as the next person and can take the heat too, but I had to throw in the towel and took at least half home.
Curry Laksa.

What I also like about Laut is that you can walk in almost any time and get a table. While this is an indicator of not-so great food, Laut it just means the food is so great that most people just don't know about it. The price was average and affordable, and the service was OK. I put an OK because waiting for the check was a bit of a hassle.

Laut
15 E 17th St
New York, NY 10003
212-206-8989


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