4.5 stars There aren't many restaurants in the Bay Area serving Malaysian cuisine. If I am right, Damansara is one of the only restaurants in SF serving central Malaysian food. My sisters and I visited during SF Restaurant Week 2023. For a $45 prix fixe dinner, you have a starter (slaw), your choice of a hawker snack flight, choice of a main dish, and a dessert (cassava cake) to finish the meal. The menu isn't updated on SFRW's website fyi, but the snack and main choices have vegan/vegetarian options. The Lou-Sang slaw is pretty much the prosperity salad I once had during lunar new year where all of colorful shredded veggies are tossed together by (clean) chopsticks of everyone at the table to welcome the new year. Except these are individually portioned and therefore no need to toss the veggies around. For the snack flight, you can choose either the pork meatball, the salty egg fried chicken or vegan taro snack (forgot the name). Regardless of your choice comes with a murtabak (sort of like a flat bread) and popiah (fresh spring roll). Our table had the vegan taro and the fried chicken. Only minor complaint was the snack flight was served lukewarm since the fried chicken wasn't really crispy and I couldn't taste the salty egg, and the popiah had too much sauce which made it taste very salty. Mains: you had a choice of either laksa, nasi lemak with fried chicken, beef rendang with rice, vegan laksa, and a 1/2 chili crab which is a $10 supplemental fee. We ordered the laksa and the chili crab. Definitely try the chili crab. I thought it was fresh and delicious. It also comes with fried mantou (buns) you can dip in the chili sauce after finishing the crab! The laksa was good, but I've had better laksa outside the Bay Area. But for the curious tastebuds wanting to try laksa, Damansara is a good place to start. The cassava cake -- I didn't eat very much but the prix fixe menu was very (ful)filling. Tip: plan some extra time to dine in. Service was good but a bit slow. Some dishes may take time to come out. Fortunately a waiter comes around frequently to refill water glasses. They take two credit cards per transaction/bill. Any extra cards will be charged $2 each. Add'l Tip: whether you plan to visit during SFRW or a regular day, check if they can take reservations and if not, put your name down on waitlist they have online by Tock. And if you don't want to wait, get there when they open and hope for the best! read more

**Review for SF restaurant week** We came for dinner on a weekday. Not sure it was because of SF restaurant week, but the restaurant was pretty busy the entire night, so I'd recommend making a reservation. We didn't have a reservation but I got on the Tock waitlist ahead of time, and we were able to get seated at the counter right away when we arrived. The restaurant is pretty small. I think this is one of the few SF restaurant week menus that are actually worth it. You get to sample a variety of dishes on the menu, and they're generally popular dishes. The Lou-Sang Slaw was a great start to the meal. It was light & refreshing. For the second course, the Hawker Snack Flight, I got taro cake, egg jicama popiah, and cereal chicken. My least favorite out of the three was the cereal chicken, which honestly just tasted like popcorn chicken that has been sitting out on the counter for a day. I chose the signature laksa as my main course and my friend chose the beef rendang rice plate. I've had laksa in Singapore and this tasted pretty similar. While I enjoyed the soup and the noodles, the rest of the dish was disappointing. The fried tofu was way too hard and did not soak up the soup at all. The lime slice that came in the soup had completely dried out, and I wasn't able to get a single droplet of lime juice from it. I wasn't the biggest fan of the beef rendang rice plate, but my friend enjoyed it. Lastly, the dessert, which was a piece of cassava butter cake. This tasted like honeycomb cake to me & came out warm. It was small (bite size) but a good portion size to wrap up the meal. Overall, everything was rich in flavor & the restaurant matched my expectations for Malaysian food. However--I'm not sure if this was just because of SF restaurant week--you can tell that everything was pre-prepared because most of the things came out cold and stale. We were sitting at the counter directly facing the kitchen, so we could watch most of the dishes being prepared. The restaurant was also massively understaffed and things were insanely hectic. The second course came out first, then my friend's main entree, then the first course, then my entree. It was completely out of order. I would revisit when it's no longer SF restaurant week. I think it would be a more pleasant dining experience overall. read more

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Way over priced. Paid $75 for some frozen spring rolls, a plate of rice with a block of tofu barely seasoned, and another plate of rice with a chicken leg / wing. It was underwhelming to say the least. read more

hm 2.5 if i could cus it's hard to say how i feel. ngl, i'm surprised that i'm not satisfied with this place. i, like others, heard the buzz on sf chronicles/eater/instagram from other local businesses about the place and like others, i really really wanted love this place. i'm not sure if i'll come back in the future. why? well, let's get into it: first, they need to work out so many kinks. the service is such a hit or miss when i went back in october 2022 (maybe it's better now i hope?). like i don't mind the placing the name on the wait list, that's standard. also from my experience, the hostess in the front was so sweet, she was very attentive to the people who were on the waiting list and who were walk-ins. however on the opposite, the waiters were not paying attention/ following up with tables they're in charge of (saw on their instagram that we/customers need to chill about the service because they're understaffed, which i totally get, but like we first waited like 15 minutes to get acknowledged in order to place our orders when we were *already* sat at our table.. 10 mins for us to get our utensils/water (cus our table had none of that btw), and another 30 minutes for first dishes of our food to come...we waited like nearly 45-50 mins get to food.) second, slightly off topic, but i've observed that their instagram business doesn't allow tags and their comments on their posts are limited, in addition to the owner being vocal on their business stories and posts. i can see multiple sides of the owner- being a progressive, trial blazer, as well as a controversially intimidating, restaurant owner. third*** most important. food.let's go: -some were better portioned than others, nasi lemak is most worth the price and portion while others are definitely affected by inflation prices. last place. this laksa is on the sour side, is more spicy than tasty, the soup is not dense, the shrimp do be tiny babies, portion is mid. noodles aren't thick enough and the dish overall is missing something that makes it satisfying, taste&texture wise. low third. otak-otak, interesting in a neutral way. it's a fish cake with subtle flavors of (like powdered/japanese) curry. more of novelty item where one can open up something so thin and small (portion wise) mid third, better entree. nasi? just get fried chicken and sambal on your own or diy/make it yourself. best portions but you taste no seasoning on the chicken coating. though, their pineapple salad is nice, chicken meat is nice and tender + the visual is nice. high third. cereal fried chicken. uhhhhh innovative for sure. the coating was all texture. salted yolk really pulled through. get this more than otak. but something left like it was missing taste wise though. not bad portion wise, good size for appetizer/small eats. first place, my number one recommendation, the cassava. honestly the best thing i've tried from all that i've ordered. it tastes the MOST innovative and delicious. the texture of the torches sugar and soft cake? yes. sweet but not too sweet :') if the food tasted more intense/flavorful/elevated, i wouldn't mind the pricing and fees. but my satisfaction wasn't even close for spending over 100$ (esp cus i really wanted to give this place a fair shot). my two biggest highlights were the hostess and cassava cake, my friends. bummer indeed. read more

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I hadn't had assam laksa in over 5 years so when Tracy announced that she was going to serve it for a limited time, my family and I made the trek to SF to try it. It was amazing, the flavors and heat bringing back memories of sitting in a humid coffee shop, slurping down our noodles. We shared the Babi Keluak - another amazing dish but a bit on the fatty side. Shrug. I would get it again though. After all, this is why we work out . We also ordered the cendol to share. It was refreshing and delicious in its own right but we decided it was more ice kacang then cendol. Service was pleasant and very attentive. Our glasses were always full of water, thank you. My family and I have been away from Malaysia for many years and this was such a welcome trip down memory lane. The chef gifted us with a plate of keropok on the house - thank you, Chef. We plan to come back to try other specials. read more

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So excited that there's a great Malaysian spot in SF! The food at Damansara was delicious and every course was impressive. We started off with the best greens - which truly are the best. I've had many Gailan in my life and this was by far the most delicious. I'm not entirely sure what's in the onion topping other than magic, but whatever it is is insanely good, I'd love to put it on all my vegetables going forward. The chili crab was so perfectly cooked. Had a super flavorful but imo perfectly mild kick to it. The fried mantou were incredible dipped into the chili crab sauce. I appreciate that they give you gloves and a bib to eat this - so necessary and makes the experience 10x better knowing you can be carefree about it! The laksa was equally delicious (so much so we dug in before getting pictures). The broth was flavorful and well balanced - and even my soup hating partner admitted it was fire. Looking forward to trying more dishes in the future! read more

Damansara - The Best Greens - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Damansara got its humble start at the kitchen incubator La Cocina but has now blossomed into a trendy, energetic Malaysian restaurant in a residential strip of Noe Valley. The small menu centered around small plates of Malaysian "drinking food," which were great for sharing and pairing with drinks! My favorite dish was the Cereal & Salted Egg Fried Chicken, four boneless chicken thighs coated in an insanely crunchy cereal batter and finished with a creamy salted egg sauce, which had the right balance of savory and umami flavors without being too salty. We also got the quintessential Malaysian dish Otak-Otak Muar, made with fish paste mixed with coconut milk and spices, wrapped and grilled in banana leaves, and the fish had a custardy texture and enticing lemongrass aroma. "The Best Greens" was a vegetable dish of gailan (Asian broccoli) topped with a salty oyster sauce, caramelized onions, and fried garlic; and the Pork Bak Kwa Sando was a creative (but skippable) sandwich made with Japanese-style milk bread with a filling of sweet and sticky bak kwa (pork jerky), sliced cucumbers, and Thai-spiced aioli. And then came our mains! The Damansara Laksa was a noodle soup made with soft rice noodles in a spicy stock made with fish, shrimp, chicken, and coconut milk, topped with chicken, prawns, puffed tofu, a boiled egg, and vegetables. The best part of the Laksa was the salty, spicy broth, which wasn't creamy like other laksas I've had, but was rich and unctuous nonetheless. I was an even bigger fan of the Nasi Lemak, a dish centered on a mound of coconut rice topped with anchovies and peanuts, served with pickled vegetables, cucumber slices, a boiled egg, sambal tumis (chili and shrimp paste), and ayam goreng (fried chicken leg quarter). The different components came together perfectly from the earthy coconut rice to the crunchy peanuts/anchovies, the briney pickled vegetables, the cooling cucumber slices, and the spicy sambal; and the fried chicken with crispy skin was also perfectly moist and flavorful. Overall, the dishes here were a bit on the salty side (to be expected from drinking food), but all the flavors were on point, and the buzzy atmosphere really brought life to this quiet corner of Noe Valley! read more

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Was very excited for this place as a Singaporean in search of the Otak Otak.. Too Pricey for the flavours & quantity.. We ordered Roti Chanai, Satay, Curry Puffs & Otak Otak for the starters. The curry for the roti was too salty, the peanut sauce with the satay was bad, lacks flavour. Curry puffs were definitely not worth the money. Otak Otak lacked the flavour too. I was so excited for this place as I couldn't find Otak Otak in places around the Bay Area, felt so disappointed with the food.. We ordered Nasi Lemak & Beef Rendang for the entrees.. the sambal was really average, and nasi lemak had hardly a few pieces of ikan bilis & nuts, also not sure why there was a vegetable salad in Nasi Lemak. The Beef Rendang was good, and also the Bandung was good. Overall it's a very Americanised place, for anyone expecting authentic Malaysian food, then it's a no go. Service was good, but food lacked so much of flavours. Ambiance was pretty good as well.. read more

Made the unfortunate decision to come here for dinner last night, which left a bad impression for the soft opener. It is unfortunate as the interior is quite nice and modern!! For any Laksa fans looking for authentic Singaporean or Malaysian flavor - this ain't it. Truly disappointing as it lacked any coconut creaminess or heat. For a $24+ soup I would expect a large portion bowl that can be shared for two - you would be lucky to consider this a kids meal portion. The half bowl of soup lacks quality ingredients. Its taste truly failed to deliver on all ends for a broth that claims to be simmered over two days. (0/5) Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken (1/5) Somehow they managed to serve us a single piece of fried chicken that was incredibly dry. I was hoping for a juicy fried chicken and was left incredibly disappointed (again). Didn't know this was possible until today as we tried to take a bite that left us incredibly parched from its overly salted breading. The one redeeming quality was the sambal on the side, which was also quite salty imbedded within its umami nature. Appetizers - chicken skewers and fish paste Truly unmemorable. Not even worth a review... hard passi I read more

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Beautiful decor, great atmosphere, and excellent, friendly service. The salted egg fried chicken was tasty, though I would have liked a little more salted egg flavor and the sauce was slightly floury. For the nasi lemak, the fried chicken was very crunchy, but (other than the sambal and anchovies) the dish was a little bland, The laksa was rich and delicious. I look forward to trying the vegan version next time. read more

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I came to Damansara on opening day, where I made standard orders: nasi lemak, laksa, satay, & the salted egg fried chicken. All were good and had authentic flavors, but I did think flavors could have been stronger/more pronounced on classics like nasi lemak (rice could be more lemak, coconutty) and laksa (broth could have used more seafood). I enjoyed that visit overall. However this review is more for the second time I stopped in, mainly for the chili crab (seasonal special) and otak otak! I haven't had chili crab ever since I was back in Singapore 3 years ago, so this was a great treat. IMO, the sauce was super accurate to how I remember it, with a good kick and a strong/aromatic tomato-based sauce. It's a bit pricey given that it's market price, but I think it's absolutely worth it for a taste of Singapore. I haven't seen otak otak on many other Malaysian/Singaporean menus in the Bay, so this was awesome to have. Thought it could be spicier but it was still really tasty. I recommend it with a side of coconut rice :) We also ordered babi keluak (also quite rare to see this on menus). I loved it! Again, quite small portion but I think it's worth it, especially if you haven't tried this sort of Nyonya cuisine before. Will probably be back whenever I'm craving SG food :) read more

Damansara - Otak otak wrapped in banana leaf - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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One of the best restaurants I've eaten at in San Francisco in 2023. We have been here for brunch and dinner. All the food is house made and you can taste the care and intention behind everything. Love the Rendang & Nasi Lemak. The handmade laminated curry puffs are *BETTER* than the ones I've had in famed Singaporean hawker stalls. Restaurant has a lovely open kitchen and seating feels comfortable. I'm excited to see Chef Tracy always making an effort to put specials on the menu. Not an easy feat!! read more

What a neighborhood gem! I took my friend out for a birthday dinner and he wanted to try this new-ish Malaysian restaurant. Tip: Join the Yelp waitlist--otherwise you'll be waiting a long time for a table. There were lots of groups waiting before the doors opened for the evening. We brought our own bottles of wine and their one time corkage fee is $35. I definitely recommend enjoying theirs or your own drinks to pair with their yummy plates! The small plates are all great options. we ordered one of each small plate in the menu, and it was enough for four people to share. We each also got our own large plate. I got the Nasi Lemak and also the Laksa. Both were so rich with flavor and the Laksa soup had a kick of heat to it too. The desserts are delicious! The toast is sweet and the cassava cake was the best. Great place to visit with friends for a fun and delicious dinner! read more

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Overall (5/5) Food (5/5) Very flavorful and delicious! Everything had tons of sauce and packed tons of flavor. We ordered the laksa (medium spicy, delightful), the combo which serves most of the small plates (delicious, great deal and you get to try everything including dessert). The desserts were amazing and we had to order an extra round of the cassava cake. Not shown in photos because it was quickly devoured. Bruleed sugar topping and soft, dense, sweetness. Service (5/5) Attentive and flexible. We asked for sharing plates and bowls and serving utensils and they were quick to carry it out. We ordered two separate rounds of dessert, each of which came with separate plates and forks for all 4 of us. Empty plates were cleared quietly and quickly. Atmosphere (5/5) Small but intimate. Quiet surroundings, as it's on the edge of noe valley. Misc We were able to get seated as a party of 4 on a Friday night at 8pm quickly with no wait. Approx $60/per person after tip, and we left stuffed. read more

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Came for the soft opening. Delicious meal. Ordered the laksa ($26), nasi lemak ($20), and greens ($8). Really enjoyed the laksa and the fried chicken. We were a bit confused as the server had described the difference between the fried chicken starter and the fried chicken meal as thigh vs. breast meat, so we went with the meal, however when the dish came, it was just one chicken thigh. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and we'll look forward to trying the starter in the future so we can each have a piece. The other small hiccup was that they forgot our laksa order, but they were very nice about it when we alerted them and comped a dessert, which was also very good! This was the soft opening so look forward to trying this again once they have their service process in place. Great food, and recommend! read more

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A solid Malaysian restaurant with good food options but expensive. I was a huge fan of the roti which was flaky and soft and the sirap limau drink as I love rose flavored water. The broth of the vegan laksa noodle soup was also really good but was mostly just noodles with barely any tofu or vegetables. read more

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One of our new favorite spots in SF. The owner and chef is super passionate about their food, and both times we went we felt it hit the right spots. Asam laksa was delicious, and I'm not sure where to get something like it in the Bay Area. I also had the chili and pepper crab during crab season and was delighted. We really wanted to try the curry puff but apparently those are legendary and get sold out. Will come earlier in the day next time. read more

Enjoyed the tasting menu tonight. A friend invited me and she said her friend was invited her as he couldn't attend the tasting / soft opening. They won't open till October as they are working thru the city's bureaucracy and requirements. Enjoyed the tasting. The laksa was yummy. The service was impeccable, and later we learned the staff can out and volunteered to serve as well as the owner's friends. read more

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An awesome place with great food and responsive service! Very comfy and lively. Highly recommended! read more

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Wish I could give six stars :) We had the chicken satay, the pork sandwich and the laksa. Our favorites were the satay and laksa...incredible flavor! I definitely want to try the vegan laksa next time as it also seems very delicious. We ordered both desserts and our absolute favorite was the cassava cake. Yum buttery perfection, and baked so fresh. Best part is the chef brought it out to us herself! Very impressed and excited about this great new Noe Valley spot :) read more

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Damansara is one of the only restaurants to get great Malaysian food in San Francisco! We got seated right away and ordered a couple small plates and entrees. The curry puff w/potato & egg had a flaky crust & nice sauce and the mee goreng kichap had thick, flavorful egg noodles. We also liked the tender beef rendang (even the fatty parts were so delish) and served w/blue coconut rice. The cereal & salted egg fried chicken is one of their most popular dishes and the chicken was good though we didn't quite taste the salted egg flavor. The menu also had some interesting Malaysian desserts but we were so full so we'll have come back again to try them! read more

We came here on a week night early in the evening. We made a res but they take walk ins and not too busy at the time. The inside is cute, clean, nothing too fancy, and feel relaxed. We got seated right away and ordered a couple small plates and entrees. We started with the garlic chips, curry puff set, and popiah. The garlic chips were delicious and addicting. Not too strong on flavor but nice and crisp and light. I really like the popiah for something new and different. It was flavorful and something unique that I'd get again. The curry puff was good but didn't feel like a standout. The best part was the light pastry crust. It had plenty of filling and the sauce was good. We got the laksa soup and beef rendang for entrees. The laksa had good flavor, portion size, and liked that it had multiple proteins in it. The beef rendang was good too. The meat was flavorful, really tender, and like the blue coconut rice. I enjoyed trying this restaurant for some more Malaysian food as there's not a lot of options in SF. read more

Damansara - Inside - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I love my Rendang and Kaya! They're so good. Rendang is how I remembered it when I went to Indonesia. Kaya was on point - the fried dough helped brought the dish together! Mee goreng and satay are great too -- my husband loved them! Looking forward to coming back!! read more

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Came here for SF restaurant week & our whole party loved it! Great food & portions for the $45 prix fixe menu. Service was all-around solid, with quick, attentive, and friendly servers. The slaw was refreshing, and we chose three different options for the hawker flight. The pork meatball + fried chicken both were very tender with a crispy surface, and we all loved the curry puff. Entrees were very filling portions - the nasi lemak had two large pieces of super crispy fried chicken, and both this and the beef rendang had a large helping of rice and vegetables + a chili paste. The party member who got the beef rendang also grew up in southeast asia and said this was fantastic and very similar to what he's had there. Laksa was also very flavorful, and the noodles had a great texture. The cassava cakes were a favorite all around - rich and buttery, with a chewiness almost like a mochi cake. Being unfamiliar with this neighborhood, I didn't realize how challenging parking could be on a busy evening. Definitely worth showing up early since it's all street parking and can be hard to find a spot close by. Overall though, a wonderful experience and I'm glad to have found this spot! read more

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Adding a new review for Damansara, specifically because I had the Bak Kut Teh brunch set recently and it was amazing. It was a special that you had to order ahead, but it was so delicious. Hopefully they do it again (or it even goes on the regular menu some day), one of my favorite dishes from times I've been to Singapore and Malaysia and this was maybe the best I've had. Can't wait to go back and try more things as the menu changes. read more

Nice place. We had a reunion dinner and ended up ordering 90% of main dishes to share. The food was really good. Both veg and meat dishes were pretty good. I would recommend always try to make a reservation. It's a small place and gets crowded. My only reason for not giving a 5 start is the price tag. We felt that the prices were high for the quantity they serve. read more

I came here with a friend on a weekend so we ordered off the weekend lunch menu. We ordered the chicken satay, otak otak, and char kway teow. I wanted to try the popiah, but they didn't have the ingredients that weekend. My dad is from Malaysia so I was really excited to try this place! I loved the otak otak it was tasty and fragrant. it was really special to see this on the menu as there isn't a lot of places that have this. the chicken satay was pretty good, but I was disappointed with the char kway teow. The noodles for the char kway teow was very al dente, felt that there was too much dark soy sauce and was a bit too salty and too wet for me. It needed the wok hei but there was not much charring in my dish. read more

Damansara - Otak otak - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food was good, portions were good size. Service was very good, not much wait time on weekdays. Flavors weren't as Authentic but it was definitely good enough. read more

Wow. This place served me raw chicken, TWICE! I came during restaurant week because I love Malaysian food and they had really high ratings on google(I can't believe I forgot to check Yelp). I was super excited because it's hard to get good Malaysian food in the bay area. I order the fried chicken that came with rice and curry sauce. First bite into the chicken, it's tasteless. Absolutely no flavor and that piece was pretty overcooked. I take a bite of a second piece, and it's raw and bright pink inside. I instantly feel really disgusted and notified the server. No apology, just basically said I'll get you new ones. We wait for a bit and the new chicken arrives. I cut into it, and it's even more raw than the first piece. Bright pink, with pink juice flowing out, and the meat sticking to the bone. At this point I'm mortified and I let another server know. This time she was apologetic and offered $10 off and remake the chicken a third time. At this point, I have no faith in this restaurant and I just wanted to leave. You would think after the first complaint of the chicken being raw, they would be more careful and temp the chicken but getting it wrong 2 times in a row is unacceptable. How can one piece be overcooked and the other be raw? Pick a struggle already. The curry sauce, also tasteless, pretty much tasted like curry scented water. Imagine curry flavored LaCroix but warm and thick. The sambal is $2 each and they're all tasteless. Sambal is supposed to be fragrant and spicy. The sambal that they served was the most bland sambal I've ever tried. Moral of the story-- everything is wrong at this restaurant. Serving food safe, cooked meat is the bare minimum for any food establishment and this place has failed multiple times. Absolutely unacceptable. read more

Damansara - Six Piece Fried Chicken Combo - LIMITED Straight up RAW. - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Laksa is legit and rarely, do I see assam laksa outside Singapore and Malaysia. I really love all the effort Tracy has put into this place. Whenever I'm missing home, this hits the spot. So, every dollar is worth it for me. Really enjoyed having bak kut teh here recently~ huge portion and perfect for lunch. read more

They have a great vegan laksa! And to my knowledge, the only vegan laksa in the area.

I never had Malaysian food before so was very excited to try this restaurant with my wife and daughter. It turned out to be a real disappointment. The food was mediocre, the portion rather small and the price somewhat big. Our waitress also showed a disinterest in work. I obviously will not go to this restaurant again. read more

Prompt and kind service, cozy ambiance, excellent food, and well-priced!! We tried the Beef Rendang, Babi Keluak, Kerupuk, Laksa, and Kaya Fried Bread snack for dessert. True Malaysian flavors with modern presentation, This is a Gem in SF, and highly recommended. read more

Damansara - Rendang - Malaysian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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It was just ok. I expected stronger Asian flavors but it was sort of bland. The desserts were very dry and didn't have much flavor at all. I am not Malaysian so maybe that's how they are supposed to be and taste? The laksa was bland and had too much pasta that quickly soaked up all the broth and became mushy. We had to call the servers to come up and pick up the empty dishes as tables are tiny. So the service was average too read more

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Food doesn't even come close to authentic Malaysian food. Food was okay. My son loved it.

Asam Laksa is under $2 in Malaysia, this place charges $25. Doesn't taste good. Also the Chendol was gross. Owner needs a reality check to say I'm over reacting on her IG. Originally this was a 3 star review with less negative comments but had to come back and revised and downgraded to 2 star. A bowl of pho cost no more than $16 with more meat and flavors. To pay $25 for a bowl of noodles with shrimp paste and bad fish is not okay. I don't mind paying for expensive food that tastes good, in this case not. Ever wonder why your shop was emptied on a Saturday night? read more

We had 5 small plates: chicken satay, curry puff, fish in banana leaf, pork belly, and meatballs. For entrees we had the fish laksa and beef Randang. Everything was obviously hand made with a lot of attention to detail. The chef cares about balance of flavors with authentic tastes brought together by spices and herbs from her home country. The best dishes were cooked to perfection: tender but not falling apart mushy, rich flavors highlighted by perfect seasonings. When you enjoy chef's food, the multi-layered flavors dance in your mouth. What an experience, we can't wait to come back for more! Photos credit: @tainanchuang read more

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Absolutely fabulous!! As a son of Malaysian and Singaporean parents, I sure do crave the wonderful flavors of home -- and it can be extraordinarily tough to find tasty Malaysian cuisine. A group of three arrived on a slightly rainy day and just had a grand ole time. Here's what we ordered (not in rank order): 1. The otak-otak tasted like back in Malaysia! The fragrant, spiced fish paste in banana leaves hit all the right notes. It's the closest I've tasted here in the states. It was a perfect to start the meal. A brightness of the kaffir leaves contrasted nicely to the smokiness of being grilled in the banana leaves. 2. Best greens. I mean we had to order greens and they didn't point. Think kai lan with oyster sauce but elevated with a delicious umami packed topping. 3. Nasi lemak was soooooooo good. Crunchy fried chicken (like a chicken quarter -- like thigh and drum stick!) with the lovely coconut rice. And I loved the pickles as a tangy contrast from the richness of the dish. The sambal was phenomenal...I wished I could've bought a jar so I can bootstrap a nasi lemak in a pinch if I can't make it to Damansara. The only downside is I wish I could have this for breakfast as well. We also ordered the non-sweet sambal as extra and really appreciated that as well. 4. Beef rendang. Tasty rendang! I was too enamored with the nasi lemak and just had a couple of bites (while my friend who like rendang did most of the tackling on this one). Lovely richness of the coconut against the beef. I'm not as familiar with this version of rendang, but it was good. 5. Crab two ways - cereal and salted egg yolk and black pepper. Both were good, and the black pepper was outstanding. Like better than the black pepper crab I've had numerous hawker stalls in Singapore or even at Red House and Jumbo (IYKYK) in Sg. If it's on the menu, get it. And the fried mantou -- we should've ordered more to dip into the delicious sauces. On the prices -- it's San Francisco. It's a city where folks pay $3K/month for a 1 bedroom on average. Of course, it's going to be more expensive than eating in SE Asia or in a less expensive part of the state. I think when taking into consideration the time (it's 2023, not 1993), location (San Francisco), and the high quality of the food, I think the prices make sense. Goodness there are places serving entrees northward of $40 these days - so a hearty plate of nasi lemak at $25 seems about right to me. I can't wait to try Damansara again on my next trip to San Francisco to try the laksa and the remaining dishes. read more

This place charges a 20% "equity fee" to each meal and expects customers to tip on top of that. Pay your employees livable wages and you won't have to circumnavigate tax law by adding a margin to every bill read more

I absolutely loved my vegetarian Laksa here. The cold unfiltered sake and little cakes (I forget what they're called) were great too. The service was good and I love the vibe... BUT that tipping policy needs to change. I read an interview with the owner where she said the 20% worker's equity charge is meant to be instead of a tip, but when someone puts a receipt with an additional 20% suggested tip percentage calculation in front of you, you feel like a jerk not adding. I'm still giving it 5 stars because I loved my meal, but it sucks that I'm still thinking about this awkward encounter 4 days later. read more