There’s an NKOTB, Quallys Restaurant – Best Masakan Kampung Malay Food for the soul.
I’ve known Alor Setar-born Yusniza Ayu Yusoff, aka Kak Ayu, from her Downtown Café days.
For four years, Kak Ayu managed Umi Restaurant at the TOP, Komtar; I would drop by for a quick lunch.
I’m so pleased she has returned to her passion for offering “masakan kampung” (traditional Malay village cooking) and starting Quallys.
There is something different about “sentuhan Air Tangan” Kak Ayu, translated literally as “a touch of hand water.”
It simply means she had cooked the food with passion and love.
I dropped in late one night to visit Kak Ayu, the chef-owner who opened her first restaurant in November 2020.
That was when the coronavirus pandemic brought countries worldwide to a standstill.
It was a very bold move on her part.
When I went, it was the first week of operations, and we ate a late supper in the kitchen–I had the Bakar Bakar Dishes.
Malay dishes cooked with “sentuhan Air Tangan” Kak Ayu.
Quallys Restaurant
The restaurant’s menu is masakan Melayu (ethnic-Malay cuisine).
It features lovely Malay dishes, including delicious gulai and dishes from the northern states.
Kak Ayu likes to keep everything fresh.
If you call ahead, tell her the type of protein you want, and she will tell you what she has new in the kitchen.
I like her style of keeping the proteins within the same family.
The best is the seafood spread with fish, prawns, squids, and shellfish.
That Night In November, I tried the delicious Bakar Bakar dishes.
“Daging Harimau Menangis,” – Crying Tiger Beef
Those familiar with Thai cuisine may have tried “Sua Rong Hai,” a dish that hails from Northeastern Thailand. In Malaysia, it’s known as “Daging Harimau Menangis” or Crying Tiger Beef.
This dish features marinated beef brisket, spiced, grilled to perfection, and sliced into tender pieces.
In Thailand, they serve it with sticky rice.
The name “Daging Harimau Menangis” is based on a local myth: the meat is so delicious it makes a “tiger cry.”
The dish uses bottom sirloin, one of the most sought-after cuts of beef, known for being exceptionally tender.
According to local myths, a tiger’s mouth cannot reach the cow’s hip bones, preventing it from tasting the meat.
As a result, the tiger misses out on the juicy, tender slab, which is said to make it cry.
And since the tiger can’t eat the tender part, the tiger would be sad, upset and cry!
Did SmartDory cry eating this tender morsel? <grins>
I think it overwhelmed the greedy little fish.
The beef had 50% fat, 50% meat coated with the spice marinate, and perfectly grilled tasted so good!
If there was any crying, it was more tears of joy than anything else in the grilled beef brisket with an aromatic sauce.
The red spicy Sambal Bonda combines heat, sour, spice, and Belacan (mmm mmmm).
“Daging Harimau Menangis,” – Crying Tiger Beef
Cencaru Sumbat Kelapa (Stuffed Mackerel Fish)
People ask me if I like to eat fish since I’m the proverbial “smart-alecky fish.”
My answer is I prefer Fried Chicken to Fried Fish any day.
However, I take three styles of fish: steamed, boiled, and grilled.
And this is a mighty tasty Fish – Cencaru Sumbat Kelapa.
The Torpedo Scad or Hardtail Scad is a finny scad, and filleted mackerel is the best fish for Cencaru Sumbat Kelapa (stuffed fish).
Kak Ayu’s stuffed fish is so flavourful, with white coconut stuffing, unlike other restaurants with loose fillings.
Yes, if you like coconut like me, you will love the stuffing!
Kari Ikan Bawal Hitam (Black Pomfret Curry)
Fresh Black Pomfret is very healthy and delicious, with many nutritious excellent protein sources and many health benefits.
The fish doesn’t have high saturated fat.
Cooked at Assam Pedas Malay Style, this hot and sour Black Pomfret Curry is delicious with white rice.
Ais Bandung (Milky Syrup Drink)
Iced Bandung, Sirap Bandung, or Air Bandung is popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
Ever since I was a young girl, I have ordered this evaporated or condensed milk drink.
The drink has rose syrup (rose cordial) and a pink milky taste.
It was attractive and reminded me of family curry meals.
A milky drink is the best for a child learning to eat curry.
Fast Forward to March 2021, and in Quallys Restaurant’s 5th month, Aly Cat and I visited Kak Ayu.
Quallys Best Masakan Kampung Malay Food at the Teels Heritage Café
Kak Ayu’s cooking and her Malay food are very pleasing ways of growing on your palate. For lunch, I left it to Kak Ayu to cook.
For two people, Kak Ayu made us
Quallys Nusantara Kitchen Menu
- Gulai Ikan Bawal (Black Pomfret Curry)
- Kerabu Mangga (Mango Salad)
- Sotong Goreng (Stir Fried Squid)
- Telur Dadar (Omelette)
- Kacang Botol Petai Goreng (Stir Fried Four Angle Beans and Petai)
- Sambal Belacan
- Rice
A glorious lunch for two for only RM39! Photo: Aly Cat
Gulai Ikan Bawal (Black Pomfret Curry)
My mom would make our gulai at home with powdered curry paste from packaged small plastic bags to get a pot of good- and authentic- Malaysian Indian-style curries.
Sometimes, we would buy fresh curry pastes that are readily available in wet markets.
I like Quallys Restaurant’s creamy Gulai Ikan Bawal version with ladies’ fingers and tomatoes.
That said, Kak Ayu has her own blend of curry paste, which is very good.
I fancy some secret spices, including mustard seeds, cardamons, cloves, and curry leaves in the paste,
Fresh curry paste is always delicious without that powdery taste from prepacked powder stuff.
Gulai Ikan Bawal (Black Pomfret Curry)
Kerabu Mangga (Mango Salad)
I am not sure about you, but my mouth waters at the sight of this simple but visually pleasing and flavorful dish.
Kerabu Mangga, or Mango Salad, is a Malay appetizer widely available in Malaysia.
It’s light, delicious, and low in calories!
Half green/ripe, raw mangos make the best sour, crunchy, cool, and refreshing salads simultaneously–the perfect appetizer.
Authentic Kerabu Mangga is like its Thai counterpart, “Som Tum” (I love), a healthy Thai Green Papaya Salad with shredded green papaya, long beans, peanuts, and tomatoes.
Kerabu Mangga is less spicy, made without raw garlic and fish sauce, but more tangy and sour.
I miss a good sour, Authentic Kerabu Mangga, which is appetizing when paired with grilled meat, seafood, or plain white rice.
For Kak Ayu’s version, she could see me just forgoing the other dishes at the end of the meal and eating Kerabu Mangga with plain white rice–to finish the meal.
Kerabu Mangga (Mango Salad)
Sotong Goreng (Stir Fried Squid)
If you love squids, you will enjoy this stir-fried dish with broccoli in a tasty sauce.
Sotong Goreng (Stir Fried Squid)
Telur Dadar (Omelette)
The Telur Dadar Omelet features multiple soft inner layers and crispy edges, and it is addictive.
A crispy Omelet is very easy to make if you understand the deep-frying techniques to make a perfect, delicious omelet at home!
The secret is controlling the heat and the amount of oil for frying.
Telur Dadar (Omelette) White Rice and Sambal Bonda
Kacang Botol Petai Goreng (Stir-Fried Four Angle Beans and Stink Beans Cooked with Sambal)
Kak Ayu asked if Aly Cat and I could take Petai. I remember telling her that, well, maybe not too much, as the taste can overpower the uninitiated.
Her version is the best I’ve tasted so far.
Many restaurants scrimp on the Sambal Belacan with dry shrimp, usually watery or diluted.
Kak Ayu’s version is not fiery or oily.
Instead, with an egg knocked in, the dishes are creamy, well-rounded, and have a delicious umami taste.
Aly Cat likes all the dishes.
I like the Kacang Botol Petai Goreng, which has the best texture, taste, and balance.
Kacang Botol Petai Goreng (Stir-Fried Four Angle Beans and Stink Beans Cooked with Sambal)
Menu Price
The servings are tiny, almost like tapas, but the prices reflect that since most dishes are below RM10.
Our meal came up to just RM39!
Review of Quallys Restaurant
Air Tangan Kak Ayu is something special that makes every dish excellent with its unique flavor.
Her flavors were terrific, with just the right balance for Kak Ayu cooks with her heart, and her passion for Masakan Melayu is outstanding.
I have only tasted Roti Jala with some excellent Gulai Ayam.
They serve the food at the adjoining Teels Heritage dining area.
Quallys Restaurant
Address: 144 G & H, Jalan Burma, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm
Closed Sunday
Kak Ayu contact number: 017 5296674
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quallys.hq
A 1-min walk from Enliven Hair Care Georgetown- Hair Loss Treatment & Scalp Treatment
SmartDory has a new eater. Meet Aly Cat! MEOWs everyone. Note to all: Aly Cat loves to eat fish.
Blog Disclosure: This is a NOT sponsored blog post. All opinions are mine. The writer and friends paid for their meal.
