"There have only been two instances in which we were convinced we had telepathic powers. This first was when our best friend appeared from across the party, just in time to save us from a conversation with a Dogecoin peddler. The second was while eating the Singapore kari laksa at Taste Good. A few spoonfuls into the creamy coconut milk broth, the essence of shrimp incepted our brains—suddenly giving us the ability to read minds. We knew exactly what everyone else was thinking, and we were thinking it too: this tastes so damn good. We wouldn’t say no to our own Marvel franchise, but you don’t need superpowers to make the same assessment. This Malaysian restaurant in Elmhurst has a name that makes a promise, and it delivers on that promise every single time. Taste Good has anchored one of Queens' best food neighborhoods for around three decades, and it’s one of the city’s most reliably excellent places to share a meal. photo credit: David A. Lee Since Taste Good opened in the ’90s, a couple of chefs have come and gone, but the cracked yellow sign and cafeteria lighting are permanent features. No matter where you sit, you’ll still be “squeezing in,” and acutely aware of how many limbs you have. The menu hasn’t changed much—but, crucially, neither has their ability to cook outstanding food that renders the rest of these details irrelevant. There are 198 dishes on the menu, and photos of the most popular ones are plastered on the walls. This makes the period of time after ordering particularly agonizing, because you’ll see several other things you wish you’d ordered instead. Thankfully, the pain is short-lived. Whether you’re there during the dinner rush or the 2pm lull, your food will arrive in a fraction of the time it took you to decide what to get. photo credit: Alex Staniloff And anyway, there's no need to torment yourself too much with what could have been. Every time we’ve strayed from our standard order here, we've just come out with a new standard order. That said, there are a few items you should try at least once: the mind-bending Singapore kari laksa, the chewy, flaky roti canai, and a Hainanese chicken that’s almost scandalously moist. This place isn’t likely to make any big changes soon. It’s still cash-only and can be a pain for groups (come between lunch and dinner to secure a four-seater). If they do decide to make some upgrades, though, they can start with the name. Taste Good is just selling themselves short. Food Rundown photo credit: David A. Lee Singapore Kari Laksa For first-timers, this is a must-order. It’s all about the broth: a creamy prawn stock concoction that’s both sweeter and more subtle than its dramatic orange color might suggest. The laksa is filled with rice noodles, soft tofu, shrimp, fish cakes, and a boiled egg. Everyone goes quiet while eating this, taking down one spoonful after another in silence. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Hainanese Chicken One of our biggest food-related woes is the lack of great chicken-rice in New York. What are our ambassadors in Kuala Lumpur doing if not negotiating a trade agreement around the Southeast Asian staple? Taste Good is one of the few places with consistently juicy chicken that’s moist all around, with a slip-n-slide texture. You can get half or whole portions, which come with a cup of gingery broth, chicken-flavored rice, a light soy sauce, and a sweet vinegar sauce. If you like your chicken roasted, they serve that version on weekends only. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Sizzling Bean Curd This is the dish to get if you manage to snag a table with your walk-in group. On top of a thin layer of egg, there are big squares of fried tofu with puffy skins and creamy insides, topped with a thick, soy-sauce gravy, ground pork, shrimp, carrots, onions, and scallions. It’s a crowd-pleasing salt bomb, and you’re going to want to get enough rice for everyone to spoon it over. photo credit: David A. Lee Sizzling Pork Chops These fried pork chops come piping hot, covered in a thick, sticky marmite sauce. More sweet than salty, the sauce caramelizes, creating a sugary crust, and you may find yourself peeling scraps of it off the skillet for an embarrassingly long time after finishing the chops. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Abalone Mushroom w/House Tofu The tofu in this dish has a light, custardy quality that works well with the big, meaty mushrooms. It’s in a simple soy and rice wine sauce, similar to the one you might get in an order of Buddha’s Delight, so that most of the flavor comes from the earthy fungi. photo credit: Sonal Shah Pandan Ayam These chicken wings are wrapped in pandan leaves until they crackle and pop when you bite into the skin. You don’t eat the pandan leaves, but they keep the meat incredibly moist and give it an herbaceous flavor." - Neha Talreja
