Jaya, not Java.
August 7th, 2006 | by Loretta |Dinner at Jaya with a hearty serving of good company may be the best solution to curing Monday syndrome. Despite having to transfer train three times more than usual to get to work this morning, I had hardly any Monday syndrome symptoms. Nevertheless, an evening with Mike and good food only made life that much better and that much sweeter.
My current experience with Malaysian restaurants in New York’s Chinatown has been rather remarkable. Jaya only adds to the list of delicious memories.
The first thing that got my attention was the decor. Warm orange screens filter out light that further adorn the chestnut-colored walls. Strewn white Christmas lights add a nice touch to the generally dim-lighted restaurant.
The restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived right after work– a small table had just finished and a table or two in the back were just recently seated.
While I am not a newbie at Malaysian cuisine, it took me a good five minutes to calm down from the excitement of seeing such an extensive menu.
The logo is unforgettable. The chili pepper that doubles as the letter “J” is very suiting. Dishes that are indicated as spicy and hot was just that. (This is often the case in Chinatown, where they do not down play the authenticity of the food to suit their clients. If you want downplayed spicy food, try going uptown.)
After much contemplation, Mike asked an important question: how hungry are you? Yes! That was certainly a good start in deciding what to get. I was moderately hungry, but not quite. Eventually, I arrived at a final decision and the waiter took our orders.
Mike ordered an appetizer– roti. Roti is an Indian bread that is often dipped in curry. At an Indian restaurant, this may be served with other goodies, such as dal, or curried lentils.
The roti had too much time to cool, since my mouth with too busy catching up with Mike. Fresh from the kitchen, roti is tender and pliable; given the chance to cool it is very crisp and flaky. The curry that went with it was enriched with coconut milk and spiked with hot chili oil. A very good combination and just the way curry should be.
Mike’s entrèe was the Mee Siam Nyonya. According to the menu, it is “Stir fried rice noodle with tofu, boiled egg, shrimp, bean sprout on a spicy Thai chili sauce with peanuts.” Yum.
If you’re thinking, ooh, ahh, what lovely presentation!, well, you have Mike to thank for that. Chez Mike got artsy with his plate and arranged the shrimps.
Originally, it looked like this:
I had a bite at towards the end. It was supposed to be spicy, but it really was more towards the sweet side. They over did it with the oil, but this is often the case at any Malaysian restaurant. The noodles were not overcooked and the flavor was very rich.
As for my entrèe?
Yang tao food noodle. In curry broth. The broth was possibly a little more mild than that served with roti. This flavor difference is important, because roti would need something more concentrated to really have its kick. It is egg noodles (think: noodles used in lo mein) and bean sprouts served under deep fried tofu cubs, fish paste-stuffed eggplants and deep fried bean curd sheets.
Yes, I was very satisfied with my decision.
The only “set back” of this dining experience would be that we were not served sliced oranges at the end of our meal. 
Our palates remained unclean. Still, it was a great evening together with Mike, filled with a never-fail combination of good food and wonderful conversation. (Thanks, Mike. :D)
For those interested in trying worthwhile Malaysian food, Jaya is located on 90 Baxter Street in Chinatown. If you’ve already been to Jaya and would like some new places to visit for comparison, I would suggest Penang on Elizabeth or Nyonya on Grand Street.