The Curry Leaf

Our food quest took us on a tasting tour of Malaysia. A quaint, no frills place simply named, The Curry Leaf was our hub grub this time. Located at 135-31 40th Rd. in Flushing, Queens this small restaurant sits in the heart of this town but is easy to miss. 

The special diners this trip were my father, nephew and little sister who came along as a reward for doing well at the NYS High School placement test. We were greeted immediately by a very friendly little woman who spoke very little english but led us straight away to a small table in the middle of the restaurant. This is by no means a date spot, as the ambiance is quite lacking. There are no pretty colored walls or paintings here, just tables, chairs, cutlery and a television that was showing a modern day kung fu flick. 

For our starters we chose two orders of Roti Canai (Malaysian version of roti, an Indian flat bread and chicken curry), Chicken Satay with peanut sauce and a Sesame Oil Chicken Soup. The roti was thin, crisp and quite large. The chicken curry sauce was absolutely delicious. A perfect blend of savory, spicy and sweet from the coconut milk. Oh what a treat that was. Chicken satay was well cooked and seemed to be marinated in sugar as it was quite sweet. We didn't care so much for the peanut sauce so we put it aside after a small taste. Mmmm... The soup was glorious. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, slightly crunchy and full of flavor. The sesame oil gave the dish its smooth smoky taste and we loved every drop.

Our waiter was personable and spoke more english than the host so we took the opportunity to ask for her suggestions of entrees that would best represent her homeland. Sizzling from the kitchen came a large plate of Thai Style Fried Rice, Pipa Duck (Roast duck in a sweet sesame brown sauce) and Sizzling Tofu Japanese Style. Everything looked and smelled delicious. Like usual, we didn't skip a beat and with spoons and forks in hand we gladly accepted the challenge of emptying the plates set before us. The rice was oh so good. Definitely a seafood lover's dream. Loaded with crab, shrimp, scallops and squid this dish hit the spot. No one at the table (with the exception of my dad) was a tofu lover but boy were we converts after the first bite of the Tofu platter. This homemade soybean concoction was wonderfully cooked and rested in one of the most perfect sauces I've ever tasted. Wow! That was indeed a winner. Now for the duck. No disappointments here. Crispy on the outside but moist and succulent on the inside, it was served with what tasted like a hoisin and sesame sauce. The only complaint was that the sauce was just a bit salty for our pallets. Over all it was good.

Tried though we did, we were unsuccessful in clearing our plates and a doggy bag was requested. There was no way that dessert was possible. There may always be room at the cross but that's not the case for our stomachs :-). Ahhh... The Curry Leaf did not disappoint. Simple name but big bold flavors are to be expected from this little hole in the wall restaurant. So for a clean, quiet restaurant, friendly staff and food that was outstanding from start to finish we gladly give The Curry Leaf our first A-. Good job guys. We shall indeed return.