Sanuria

It has a small store front right off Pell St, which opens up into a basement dining room. Right off the bat, the menu is more Malaysian than Indonesian. I ordered the Indonesian Curry Noodles, my girlfriend got Nasi Lemak, and her friend got Hainan Chicken. Surprised to see that the Hainan chicken did not come with rice, so she had to order that. Anyway, that was good. Nasi Lemak came with rice, and that whole dish was good. The curry noodles had seafood, still good. For all three dishes, the total came out to $ 24.20 after tax.

A gem on a curved block that already is overflowing with winners, Sanur/​Sanuria is my favorite Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown.
Located down a steep flight of stairs (to keep anyone with second thoughts), the restaurant is a rather small room with a fresh coat of paint and a few pieces of discount art of the walls. There are two, sometimes three woman who work both behind the cash register and circulate between the tables. Food comes quickly — fresh from the wok.
Over three visits in the past year, I’ve wandered my way through several noodle dishes, multiple versions of the roti and the occasional vegetable dish. That final one was a disappointment, just a steamed place of baicai, while in general everything else has been a winner.
As is usual in this part of town, the plates are large the portions filling. But the stir fries and sour curries are a nice change of pace from the Cantonese and Fujianese that dominates the streets. A fiery, spicy soup — although a total mess if I’m still wearing a work shirt — is the perfect way to clear out the sinuses from a day indoors.
I’ve never ordered the hainan chicken rice, but based on reviews here and what I’ve seen at other tables, it’s probably best avoided. That dish is so specialized that it makes sense to head out to Queens for a place that only features the entrée. Otherwise, dive into the menu and be impressed.

I was planning to try the Combination (4) Soup Noodles for $ 6.25, but all the options were vegetarian.
Instead, I opted for the Shredded Chicken & Shrimp Noodle Soup for $ 6.50 at the recommendation of the cashier. The noodles were softer than I preferred and the soup oilier, but overall, it’s very tasty. It came with three shrimp and ~7−10 pieces of thinly shredded chicken with bean sprouts, green onion, and noodles in red-​tinted clearish broth.
The place is cleaner than the average Chinatown restaurant, and the oolong tea was free.

Authentic and extensive menu. Run by Malaysians. They sell kacang and keropok upstairs. Sadly no more Kueh. Hokkien Mee is authentic but could do with a bit more lard.

I ordered the curry laksa. Basically the flavor of the curry was the only good thing about it. The noodles were too soft and completely lacking in chewiness. The toppings were also a bit meager, consisting of fish balls, imitation crab (which was mushy), vegetable slices, and one shrimp. Tau pok and char siu pork were notably missing.

Probably my favorite Malay/​Indonesian restaurant. Very homey food and super cheap compared to other Malay places. Has some Cantonese influence to it since the owners seemed to be Cantonese. I got the Curry Beef Stew Noodles with Ho Fun. And of course, a Thai Iced Tea :).

After what felt like months and months of waiting, Sanuria has reopened after having done some renovation to their basement dining area. Although the walls are newly painted and the place is overall cleaner than what it once was, the food remained just as good as it was before. The cosmetic change to the dining area brings out more light and the new chairs are very comfy, probably because they’re new chairs. The curry chicken still tastes just as good as before. The hainan chicken and rice is another classic dish that is done so well here. The chicken is smooth and succulent, not over cooked or dry.
They also have moon cake for sale on their upstairs (street level) shop. Flavors range from the classic fillings to things like durian paste. with about 2 dozen or so flavors, you have many options to try.

Almost every time I visit Chinatown NYC I make it a point to goto this small, downstairs restaurant. Don’t let the exterior fool you because the food is phenomenal and prices are cheap! Upstate NY Chinese food is much more expensive and portions are usually smaller. The entrance upstairs (ground level) is a quick sit down area hosting only a few two person tables and a tiny storefront selling Chinese, Malay, and Indo snacks. The staff speak fluent Chinese and decent English so there isn’t difficulty asking about the food.
I take the staircase to the right of the mini store area down to the full service restaurant area and immediately be seated anywhere to my liking. Service is friendly and efficient, hot tea and water is brought to the table and kept full during the course of the meal. The Hainan Chicken which is a refreshing, bone in chicken that is cool to eat. By cool, I mean after the chicken is cooked, it takes a plunge into ice cold water so that it’s skin is crunchy and meat is springy. This is definitely one of my favorite eats here and is always served at room temperature. This dish comes with two complementing dips: chili sauce and spring onion ginger oil. More importantly, you must order the special rice to accompany the Hainan Chicken. The rice is steamed with chicken oil and broth so it is very fragrant and completes the dining experience.
Occasionally I’ll get curry noodle soup, lemongrass pork chops, Singapore mee fun, young chow fried rice, dried curry beef, salted fish casserole, roti, and some others. I definitely don’t mind trying the other stuff but I am totally a sucker for the Hainan Chicken. I’ve never had a poor experience here before but I can see room for improvement especially since it appears to be a little run down.
Maybe I’ll stop in for their «Economical Breakfast» when I’m in town… cool eats for less than $ 3 from 8−11am!

The hor fun is very good! Damn shiok! Don’t forget to ask for your cut chillis to go with the hor fun. for the hor fun.

Nothing fancy and the décor kind of a turn off but the food is really good. The restaurant may look dirty and in need of updating. Never had an experience where I had to rush to the bathroom after a meal here.
When I’m here I usually get the curry combination noodle soup. You can pick your own toppings. I usually get a mix of eggplant, fish paste, tofu. The noodle is a mix of rice noodle and yellow noodle. The curry is spicy but not too point where it is not edible. One of the better curry I have tasted in the area.
This places may look a little shady and dirty but it should not stop you from trying it. The food will not disappoint.

The food here is really really good, most of the time. I’ve realized they tend to be a bit inconsistent, but I haven’t been disappointed enough to stop coming. The prices can’t be beat and I find the people working there quite patient if it’s not busy and you want to ask for recommendations or have any questions.
It is in a basement, and it does look shady, but hopefully that won’t stop you from trying this place out!
P. S. it gets pretty hot and stuffy down there in the summer.

Came here on a Thursday afternoon with my bf because I was craving for some Indonesian ‘ayam goreng kuning’. Waited over half an hour for the food to arrive. We ordered the Indonesian fried chicken (which I thought was the ‘ayam goreng kuning, but it wasn’t. It’s the ‘ayam goreng kecap’ FYI) and crab with scallion and ginger. Maybe they had to catch the chicken and crab first before cooking ‘em, hence the 35-​minute wait for the food. We also ordered the roti canai.
Service wasn’t particularly bad, just so-​so. Food was nothing spectacular. Roti canai was unevenly cooked, the curry dip was also a-​OK. Chicken was decent, crab was a bit dry but they gave generous portion. There were probably 4 pieces of crab in the dish.
Overall, we probably wouldn’t come back to eat-​in. I’ll be back for a take-​out to try some other dishes but that’s it. I really have to go to Elmhurst for some authentic Indonesian food. Damn you, ayam goreng kuning!

Came here for dinner with some friends, had been looking forward to this place for a while. It’s underground from a lunch buffet place, so I guess the upstairs and downstairs restaurant isn’t connected. (I thought downstairs was a branch from upstairs).
The place can be cramp when it’s full, but they can fit a sufficient amount of people. Came here a little later in the night, and the staff is one of the older crew and it adds to the charm of the place, I felt like I stepped into a real Chinese restaurant that my parents used to eat at… Very nostalgic.
The food here is good, I had better roti canals and hainanese chicken. But they have amazing flavored specialty dishes like their sting rays — so good the seasoning tastes like tamarind and the sting ray was lip smacking good on top of a bamboo leaf. My favorite is their vegetarian dish with their own made tofu. The instead of the tofu is like cream custard, super smooth and delicious.
Definitely going to try their lunch buffet sometimes!

I love this place, my new go to spot for good yummy Malasian/​Indonesian food.
This restaurant is hidden in a back alley in China town, in a basement, you have to really be searching for something good to find this place.
We were sat quickly and the staff was super friendly.
I have no idea what I was ordering, I asked the waitress to bring me whatever she liked, I am familiar with authentic chinese food but I am not familiar with Indonesian/​Malasian cusine.
Malaysian/​Indonesian food is a Mix between Thai, Indian and Chinese flavors.
I love soup, I ate some curry soup which was the bomb. We also ordered the stuffed chicken wings, which are also interesting and delicious.
Super cheap and super good.
Can’t wait to return… I’m starving right now just thinking about it.

I finally made it to this place. I’m glad I did! This is 1 of 2 Malaysian restaurants that are still left in the heart of the Chinatown hood. The 2^nd one is at the Elizabeth St/​Bowery St tunnel «New Malaysia».
FOOD: Ordered the mixed curry w/​flat noodle soup ($ 5.50). I usually validate Malaysian restaurants with how well they make their curry. I’m happy to report that this place does hit the curry spot. How many «mixed» pieces do you get? 5 pieces. 1– fried eggplant, 1-​fried potato thingy, 1-​fish cake, 2-​fish balls.
Only negative is the batter for the fried potato thingy + eggplant. It tastes like old oil and its been laying round for too long. I really think if they changed the batter/​oil that it would be perfect.
BEVERAGE: Had the iced coffee ($ 2.50). Tastes like a Viet coffee but they use evaporated milk. Thumbs up!
Total bill: $ 8
I will definitely come back. Can’t beat the prices, heart of Chinatown, hole in the wall, no frills, authenticity.

Hole in the wall spot (or should I say hole in the ground, since it’s located in the basement?)
Two friends and I came in on a Friday at around 7 and it wasn’t too busy. Like any other Chinatown spot, this place is great for a quick and cheap meal. The only difference between other spots and Sanur is that Sanur is not a tourist trap. The portions are big but the prices are small.
Since I was craving some type of noodle dish, I decided to go with the mee siam. I liked it a lot better than the ones I’ve tried at other Malaysian places. Most other places make it too oily and that’s all you can taste. But that wasn’t the case at Sanur. The menu says that it’s spicy but I really didn’t taste it all. I also liked how they put a sliced hard-​boiled egg on top (instead of the typical scrambled eggs). Now, I’m not normally a fan of change but I didn’t mind this change at all. I thought it actually improved the dish (you guys must be thinking — ok girl, calm down. It’s just an egg. But just trust me on this one).
I heard their egg & seafood chow fun is really popular here. In fact, my friend was going to order it (along with a couple of other people I overheard ordering) but they ran out of the flat noodles. I’ll definitely be back to try that dish!

This little hole in the wall, that’s might as well be a speakeasy for Malaysian food, is hidden underneath their little ready to buy desserts and snacks upstairs. It’s simple and small place that serves up a killer sting ray and teh tarik (hot pulled milk tea). Others dishes are yummy, too. Especially good for birthdays, big groups and family dinners as dishes are easy to be served family style. Price is probably the cheapest compared to all the other Malaysian restaurants in the city. And sambal is probably the most authentic here, similar to Rasa Restaurant.

1.5 stars.
Years ago this hole-​in-​the-​wall establishment served food of reasonable quality at equally reasonable prices.
Unfortunately, the quality portion of the above statement no longer applies today.
I ordered my usual Singapore noodle, while my friend ordered a simple curry chicken on rice. Both dishes were devoid of flavor. Specifically, the curry that should have been present in both of our dishes was nonexistent.
Portions were also not very generous at all. I suppose that might be because of their low prices. In fact, the only reason why this place earns an extra half star over a damning 1 star review is because of the relatively low pricing.
We will probably try this place again at some point in the future. Maybe they were lazy this time due to the New Year holiday weekend; the restaurant only had a few tables of patrons the Sunday after New Year’s Day.

#MaylasianIndonesianHoleintheWall #Love this filthy place
#Indonesian Curry Laksa is only $ 5.50 #Upstairs pick three over rice is $ 4 now.
#Chicken Wings stuffed with Sticky Rice #I have no idea how they do this.
#Curry Beef Stew is the best thing I’ve had there. Or the upstairs takeout pick three over rice items.
#Don’t be scared.

After going out with a Malaysian girl for a long time, having some home cooked meals from her (and her Malaysian friends), and spending some time in Malaysia, I was excited to have some more authentic cuisine. My friend, also from Malaysia, suggested we eat there.
The restaurant is mainly downstairs, small, and nothing special. That doesn’t phase me really because sometimes these are the best places to eat at. The menu is pretty large and the food was OK. Nothing overly bad, but nothing amazing. It was not very memorable.