Malaysian cuisine at Independence Mall

Tell us we're hitting a steakhouse for dinner, and we know exactly what to expect. Say we're getting seafood tonight, and we can come up with a good idea of what we're in for. Even mention most fusion restaurants, and we can take a guess at what's on the menu.

But Malaysian? Well, we're lost on that one.

So before we headed up to the Independence Mall Shopping Center on Concord Pike to taste what was being offered at Rasa Sayang, a new Malaysian spot, we figured we'd do a little research first.

To start, let's find Malaysia on the map. The country is located in Southeast Asia, just below Thailand. Population: 28 million. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur. Another city: Malacca Town, which just sounds like a hilarious place to visit. Also, their currency is the "ringgit."

Of those 28 million people, three dominant cultures are represented: Chinese, Indian and Thai, all of which play an integral part of Malaysian cuisine. So, prepped for a hearty meal of rice and noodles, we gathered up our ringgits and headed out for lunch.

Upon entering the 65-seat eatery, a sign posted above the bar read, "Life is too important to be taken seriously." The hostess greeted our foursome and showed us to our table, where we looked over a one-page lunch menu whose most expensive item was just over $10.

That item just happened to be the Rasa Sayang Sampler ($12), which immediately set off an alarm to my dining partner. Wanna get a good idea of what the restaurant has to offer? Get anything that has the word "sampler" in it for a tour of different tastes.

A nice, light veggie spring roll ($4 as an app) was served with a sweet and sour sauce and was followed by chicken satay ($7 as an app) with an unusually sweet (but good) peanut sauce, as well as fried tofu ($5 as an app), stuffed with bean sprouts and cucumber.

Though all three were excellent, our favorite was admittedly very American, however, in the form of a deep-fried shrimp puff ($8 as an app), wrapped in delicious bacon. Put this one down with peanut butter and jelly as one of the all-time great food pairings.

Our second appetizer, the Roti Canai ($8) was quite addictive. The Indian pancake, soft at first then crispy as it cooled, was easily torn apart as our claws grabbed pieces and dipped in a delicious curry and potato sauce.

For the main entree, there were winners all around. The curry chicken ($7.95) served with a side of white rice came filled with thick chunks of chicken and vegetables and the heat was probably a two on a scale of one to five.

Buddha's Delight ($7.95) lived up to its name, a delightful heap of mushrooms, broccoli and rice. The same could be said for the Thai basil noodles ($8.95), with green peppers, basil and a large assortment of shrimp and chicken.

The highlight of the meal was the Mee Siam ($8.95), a heaping mound of vermicelli with tofu, shrimp and bean sprouts in a spicy Thai chili sauce. Though the dish was marked with a star and the word "pedas," which is Malaysian for "spicy," it again registered a two on the scale.

Didn't matter though. The Mee Siam turned out to be the only plate that was completely cleaned at lunch's end. And the owner insured us that any dish could be made spicier.

The good thing we noticed after finishing the meal, other than our new-found knowledge of Malaysia, was that none of us were overly stuffed. The portions were adequate and appropriately priced, and the flavors were exquisite.

What's in a name?

We here in America give our restaurants witty names like "Hooters" and "Applebees." But this Asian restaurant goes a bit deeper with its meaningful moniker. "Rasa Sayang," in the Malaysian language, means "feeling of love." There's a story behind it, located on the first page of their dinner menu, but we won't ruin it for you. Let's just say you can appreciate the name more than you would "Chotchkie's" or "Flingers."

Chillax with a drink

Three Layer Iced Tea, Rasa Sayang fruit juice and Soda Gembira are just a few of the non-alcoholic drinks on the lunch menu. At dinner, there's a list of boozy goodness.

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