SanuRia Restaurant

INDONESIA 🇮🇩
MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

A couple sharp turns and a very narrow street makes for an undriveable little block of Chinatown, a welcome respite from the noise and traffic plaguing most of the area. On lovely and quiet Doyers Street, sits somewhat of a hidden gem: Sanur Restaurant [UPDATE: SanuRia seems to be the name now, much of the rest is the same], which awaits down a very narrow and very steep flight of stairs.

The staircase is adjacent to the upstairs takeout, a much busier spot full in this visit with lunch seekers. Down the stairs is a much more tranquil environment, where the noises from upstairs are still audible, but muffled. The biggest distraction though in this subterranean environment is the fact that every surface is covered with another busy pattern, from the plates, to the walls, to the tablecloths.

We're here for the food though, and the restaurant proclaims proficiency in both Malaysian and Indonesian food, and from our servers conversations, we detect both will be leaning Chinese, as both countries have a rich tradition of immigration and "fusion" cuisine from these many generations of immigrants. We are only two today, but feel like sampling many things and naturally gravitate towards the appetizers, ordering rujak, and two types of roti. The rotis ($1.95, above) are pretty standard and good, although not extraordinary, their accompanying curries above average. Personally I prefer my roti canai a little thicker. The rujak ($4.75, below) was new to me, described as "Fruits in a spicy Malaysian sauce" on the menu, and arrived looking amazingly appetizing. Unfortunately it sat mostly uneaten by the end of the meal, as the sauce was somehow fishy and just did not compliment fruit at all.

Our one main course was the always interesting gado gado ($4.95, below), which in this restaurant's version was served somewhat like nachos. I was expecting a much different plate, but by the end had been converted and was enjoying it just as much as other versions of the ubiquitous Indonesian staple.

One of the highlights of the night was the check at the end of the meal, coming to less than $20 for two including the tip. As far as Indonesian food goes, one might stick to Elmhurst for now, but we look forward to exploring the Malaysian side of the menu here at Sanur a little further.

The old awning.

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CHINATOWN Manhattan

18 Doyers Street

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