Laut

I think our group was pretty difficult to deal with, and the waiters and hostess were perfect angels, so 5 stars for service. First, our group was VERY LATE. I arrived on time and told the hostess the rest of the group would arrive soon, but they didn’t come for another 45 minutes. I felt bad that she had to continue to turn away people without a reservation! There was some confusion as to whether this was a BYO – it’s not. We were pretty difficult about this, but the waiter was really nice and apologetic the whole time. Protip: don’t come here for the alcohol – we tried to order tequilla, and they didn’t do shots or anything. It was a birthday dinner, so we were pretty disheartened about this… but it’s okay because the waiters were so nice!
The food was delicious. Portions were pretty small, but the flavors were fascinating and authentic, according to my malaysian friend who came with me. Most of the food is cooked with fish sauce, so if you’re vegetarian or vegan (like a couple of my friends who came with me are), it can be difficult to find acceptable food to eat.
I understand why this place is Michelin-​rated! Wouldn’t have been my first choice for a birthday dinner, but a great culinary experience.

Food is great. Service is terrible!!! They rush you once your done with your meal. When I experienced this there was only 6 tables being used. I kindly asked the waiter if they needed the table and he said «I definitely do.» I’m all about service and the whole experience and honestly that ruined it all.

This place seems to be a love-​it-​or-​hate-​it based on the reviews here. My standard is the Hainan Chicken Rice… and the rice was flavourful but the chicken was awful. Dry and stringy. They oven roast it after steaming — I don’t know why they do that because it clearly ruined what could have been great. I don’t want this to take away from the fact that my friends loved theirs… especially the night market noodles. The decoration is a reference to the hawker center so it is done well. Nonetheless, for a Michelin Star place they seem to be all over the place in terms of people liking it.

It seems that delivery is their prime focus: we arrived for dinner in the restaurant at 8:30pm, and during the next 60 minutes a cavalcade of bike-​messengers entered and exited, head-​to-​toe in winter regalia, loudly stomping and rudely passing diners, talking on cellphones and texting. This was really pretty awkward, and easily solvable, if, at like so very many other restaurants, front of the house employees went to the back of the house to bring out the orders ready to go.
It seems that efficiency is their goal, but they failed at it miserably: we were asked by four total people if we wanted to order drinks, and then once we did, they just sat at the bar waiting and waiting, nobody wanted to actually bring them to us. And this happened with appetizers. And this happened with primary courses. And this happened with secondary courses. And it would have probably happened with desserts, too, had we felt welcomed, so we didn’t order any.
It seems that they really wanted to leave: at 9:30pm, they turned the music off and all the lights on, and every employee kept repeating – over and over, again and again – that they would be closing soon, that we must place all orders for any additional foods and drinks immediately, and we must finish them all before 10pm. There were three large tables of diners, about 16 customers total, a few of which had just sat down, and we were all basically being told to eat, pay, and leave — in the most hurried horrid way possible!
It seems that there was something off in the kitchen: around 9:40pm, a loud fight began among employees, every curse word was audible, many were in English, and during these disputes, food was still coming out, and it was pretty awful. Just the night before we had the Beef Rendang at Pasar Malam: this didn’t even compare, it was greasy and bland and chewy! Just the night before we had the Murtabak at Pasar Malam: this didn’t even come close, it was chewy, meager, sloppily plated. And the curry puffs were cooked to death. And the Masak Kicap was under-​seasoned: there was no turmeric or ginger or garlic, it just tasted like candy.
It seems as if they are resting on their laurels: they used to have a Michelin star, but things are very far from what they used to be, and I will be staying very far from here. Their sister-​restaurant, Pasar Malam, is vastly, greatly superior, in every way imaginable — it really is worth the trek to Williamsburg, for better food AND service.

I ordered Pad See Ew. The taste was good. It is not that salty. But I would recommend to watch out your check before you pay. They may put a higher price than an actual price in the menu. My friend caught it just right before we paid. But one of the servers said it could have happened more customers. Just look at the price carefully before you pay it!

We were surprised to walk into an empty restaurant on a Saturday afternoon at 12:50pm. The hostess told us that the kitchen would open in 10 minutes and escorted us to the table by the window («look passerby, someone is eating our food!»)
Our fears started to fade soon after. More customers streamed in as we surveyed the extensive menus, settling with sugarcane juice (delicious), roti telur (fair, a little oily), crispy soft shell crabs (well seasoned but a little too doughy) and massaman curry. Service was prompt and courteous. The restroom was spacious and clean.
I will come again to try some of the larger plates. This may yet become a 4 star review.

When you usually opt for Asian food, you’re really not expecting anything except a pretty decent serving of pad Thai (or drunk man noodles if you feel adventurous).
I don’t mean to downplay the breadth of Southeast Asian cuisine. But when I can order a dish from seamless for less than $ 12, I don’t really hold great expectations.
Then comes Laut. Wow. From every aspect of what is on their menu (which is quite a lot may I add), it’s just really, really great food. I can’t recall exactly what we ordered but that roti was amazing.
Prices are great, service attentive and you simply walk out with a slight lingering spice in your mouth but satisfaction overall.

Wha a find. Great place to check out if you can’t make up your mind on which southeast Asian cuisine to have. The menu lists delicacies from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thai.
Tried Hainan chicken rice and Khao soy, both are excellent.

I’ve definitely walked by Laut many times on my way out of Union Square, but I had never been to Laut before going on a double date here a couple weeks back. Apparently it was a Michelin-​starred restaurant a few years back, but it certainly has a bit more of a divey feel to it, particularly when the big group table behind you is doing sake bombs while a gong is getting whacked right outside the kitchen… definitely a more festive and lively atmosphere, to say the least. While our table was ready at the time we had made a reservation, the service was rather abysmal — it took forever to get our waiter’s attention to take our order, and it took similarly long for him to offer us dessert (which he did twice with no trace of irony whatsoever). Then again, since he was the one enjoying the gong play, perhaps it makes sense that he was less focused on his other tables…
We started out with a roti canai, which had good, complex layers that showcase the Indian influence in southeast Asian cuisine but nowhere near enough bread (which is similar to naan) to split between four people — meaning that we had a lot of dipping sauce left over. The other appetizer we had — the five-​spiced pork roll — was also pretty good in flavoring, and I really liked the tofu skin wrapper around it — but again, it was a pretty small portion to split amongst many people, and $ 8 felt a bit expensive for the quantity. As for the entrees, it was relatively standard food that didn’t stand out a whole lot to me. The nasi lemak was solid, as was the noodle soup we had (which was a bit lighter than my preference). The spicy chicken dish was probably my favorite, as it had a little bit of heat and was a bit more unique of a dish relative to the other entrees we had.
While the coziness of the restaurant was nice, and I enjoyed the lively atmosphere, it certainly didn’t jive with my expectations of where I thought the restaurant would be beforehand. While I would not mind coming back to try other dishes, the (non) service would probably make me heavily consider if I didn’t want to enjoy a dining experience elsewhere first.

I’ve been here several times, and the common denominator has been the roti canai.
I have to say that my food experience with my other dishes got a little more mediocre after each visit. Most recently, I remember my pad see ew being unbearably sweet. I was really excited about the laksa dish during one visit, but that also ended up being a little bit more bland than I expected. I remember the soft shell crab dish being good as well.
Lastly, I appreciate the variety of Southeast Asian dishes that Laut has to offer. It’s definitely worth trying!

Passable Asian food if you have no other options.
We had night market fried rice with tofu and vegetable, it was bland, dry and boring.
Pad see we with beef was sweet with no real other flavor. If you are looking for authentic food, go elsewhere, if you have no other options, then this is passable, and forgettable.

This place is really legit and the price is reasonable. The food was a bit slow coming out, but nothing to freak out about. I had the tandoori chicken satay and the regular chicken satay, both were fantastically seasoned. Some places overdo it on the spice and sauce, but not here!
For dinner, I had the pad thai… once again, very on point. Too bad I was full at the end for dessert, next time I’d like to try the fried banana.

I enjoyed Laut. I didn’t love it, but it was a pleasant experience.
The wait on a Saturday during lunch wasn’t too bad, which is why my friend and I settled on it. He had been there before and said it was pretty good.
We started with the Roti Cani (malaysian food staple) and a Chicken Satay. The Roti was warm, chewy, and soft and the curry was absolutely delicious. The chicken satay had a rich sweet curry flavor and it came out piping hot. I think my friend actually burned himself on it, but I would definitely recommend ordering it, just wait a few for it to cool down.
For my main, I ordered the comfort sampler thing and this was the reason I knocked it down to a 3. It wasn’t that good. There were salted peanuts, dried anchovies (like the japanese snacks), the dried anchovies in some type of cold cabbage with sauce that was pretty good, coconut rice (also good), and some other things I can’t recall but was not too impressed with.
The pulled tea was pretty good too, but I don’t think it was that special. I’m not sure if that’s their fault as I’ve never ordered pulled tea anywhere else.

Not bad LAH for Asian food. Its decent Malaysian/​Singaporean food. And they have TIger beer, a nice plus, as well as sugar cane juice.
Food wise, I enjoyed the roti canai and murtabak. They are both great appetizers for sharing in a group. We also had the char kuay teow, and sambal kang kong. Omg I love sambal kang kong but they make it better in Asia. The rendang beef was not bad. The nasi goreng was good… I love myself a good plate of nasi goreng.
I can definitely eat these dishes for way cheaper in Asia but its nice to be able to eat this kind of food here.

Last of my Groupon fueled weekend… although this one actually made it to the next round of weekend eats. This former Michelin starred eatery was great but do heed the reservation requirement (we waited quite a while on a Friday night). We had the soft shell crab to start and then I ordered the drunk man noodles with beef. My boyfriend ordered one of the more Malaysian dishes. can’t remember the name, but he enjoyed it. The crab was delicious, and the noodles were flavorful albeit a bit sweet. I would knock off another half star for the service. it was quite slow and we were seated very closely to another table (they could’ve moved it a tiny bit before seating us). Still good eats though.

Laut is a great restaurant to go to for a warm bowl of curry noodles (among other dishes) on a chilly, rainy day. A table for two during peak dinner time on a weekday was readily available for us, so I’d say reservations are not necessary.
Roti Canai: Not the best I’ve had, but still delicious. It came out steaming hot, light and soft. The sauce was a bit watery, but the flavors were good. I recommend this appetizer.
Curry Laksa: The broth was everything. The flavors were rich and deep. The portion was good. Not recommended for people who do not like coconut milk based soups.
Service was adequate. Atmosphere was chill. I’d come again.

Great little place for some Asian food that has surprisingly good alcoholic drinks too!
First recommendation, order something out of the ordinary here. My friend and I made the mistake of ordering typical food items like papaya salad (lacked flavor) and pad thai (mediocre and again lacked flavor) that were not the restaurants strengths. But when we looked over at the table next to us, we were green with envy as we eyed their spicy soft shell crab dish that looked amazing. So feeling unsatisfied with our meal, we ordered that and paired it with coconut rice — and ahhhhh — very delicious! We were a bit uncouth with this dish as we poured the rice into the plate so that the runny sauce would not escape our taste buds! But as uncivilized as that may be, that is the way to go!
So recommendation: order something you wouldn’t typically order, look at the backside of the menu (yes we completely missed there was a second side), and order the spicy soft shell crab, coconut totty (friend loved it) and I had the fresh sugar cane mojito.
Enjoy!

Great atmosphere, best waiters, and most importantly — incredible food!
Laut has an unusually quaint and cozy atmosphere with exposed brick and colorful wall painting, an interesting Asian spin on urban décor. The ambiance was perfect — bustling and busy but also intimate and still able to enjoy a conversation. Great for a date or a small group — definitely good to have a reservation.
The host and waiters welcomed us with big smiles. My favorite part — our waiter was about as giddy and excited about the menu as we were. He exuberantly answered our endless common-​mouth questions (I now finally understand bow steamed bao buns are actually made) and he eagerly explained the intricacies of every dish.
We finally chose 4 dishes that he decided would give us the widest spectrum of all the flavors. My expectations were high and the food really blew me away. I would describe it as a top-​notch chef’s spin on Asian street food, with really fresh ingredients.
At the suggestion of our waiter, we started with the Roti Canai — a tender Malaysian flatbread with a curry-​like dipping sauce. The dough was cooked to perfection, slightly gooey in the center and crispy on the outside. The orange curry sauce was equally incredible — spicy with a mix of rich peanut, cinnamon and ginger flavors. A lot of different tastes all blended together so well. It was my favorite sauce. I ate it with a spoon like it was soup.
Next up was the Mee Goreng. The dish was a base of home-​made red chili shrimp paste filled with thin hand-​made egg noodles, crispy shrimp fritters, fried shallots, and fluffy egg-​whites. Our waiter’s top recommendation was the soft-​shell crab in green curry sauce. The crab was crispy to perfection and the sauce was a softer yet spicy coconut milk base with basil and onion. Our last item was the Curry Laksa which featured a unique blend of coconut milk, spices, and mint base. There were three fish balls in the dish — I don’t know exactly what Indian fish balls are but all I know is that they were hidden in the concoction and you had to swim around for them with your chopsticks — but they were the best part.
All of the dishes and flavors were incredibly unique and memorable. Well-​earned Michelin star.

OMG this was the best asian (Malaysian) restaurant i have ever been to, perfect food, great atmosphere, best waitors
If you are in NYC go here !!!

Occasion: quick lunch
Ambience:
Crowded
Order:
Thai Iced Coffee $ 4
Curry Laksa with Chicken and Shrimp $ 17
Thai Iced Coffee:
Bad. I don’t think it’s real thai iced coffee. Looked and tasted like Maxwell instant coffee. The authentic Thai Iced tea/​coffee has two layers — one layer of pure coffee and one layer of condense milk on the top. This one is not like that at all.
Curry Laksa:
I judge a Malaysian restaurant based on its curry laksa — the quintessential food of Malay cooking. This curry laksa is authentic with its two kinds of noodles — regular egg noodles and thin rice vermicelli — chewy fish balls, fresh shrimps, and vegetables. The broth doesn’t taste fishy like some other laksa I had before. It is rich with a coconut aroma and has a kick of red chile oil. Overall it’s simple and hits home for people who are homesick with their Malaysian food.
Based on the curry laksa, I’ll give it 3.5 stars. I will come back to try more items on the menu.