THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW PERMANENTLY CLOSED.

There had been a bit of buzz about Medan Pasar, a new Malaysian restaurant on the lower east side, so I made a res and headed there to lunch with a friend.  I was pleasantly surprised to find both inside and outside seating at this take-out-only store-front restaurant.

We had made our selections before we arrived based on what we had heard and read. From what we had, I’d only recommend the two entrees.

Skip the prawn fritters ($6 for two), crunchy from the crackling shells of the unpeeled shrimp yet neither accompanying sauce enlivened the blandness. Also, I’d skip the also bland rojak salad ($7) with mango, pineapple, jicama and spongy tofu, sprinkled with ground peanuts and poked with shrimp chips; it had no distinctive flavor.

The entrees are much better.

The curried chicken comes in one dish served atop another that’s filled with wonton noodles and garnished with Chinese greens along with a side of chicken soup containing two wontons. I would have loved more greens.

What I’d head down to the lower east side for is their nasi lemak with beef rendang, pushing the “extra spicy” button when ordering. The meat, easily cut with a fork, comes in a complex sauce along with roasted peanuts, dried anchovies, sliced cukes and a fried egg. It’s worth the trip.

Medan Pasar
Lower East Side
102 E Seventh St
New York, NY 10009