Replacing Wau on the UWS, Kancil is more than a menu makeover - Review - New York - The Infatuation

"The folks behind Kancil, who also own popular Southeast Asian spot Laut, know when it’s time to move on. First, they closed their Union Square Singaporean restaurant Kebaya, turning it into coastal Indian Kanyakumari. Then they shut down Singapura in Gramercy. And now Wau, their Southeast Asian spot on the UWS, is the more exciting Kancil. photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Alex Staniloff The makeover is mostly menu-related, but it’s a meaningful one. There's a new chef and a tighter Malaysian focus. While Wau did a great beef rendang and good enough roti canai, Kancil serves stuffed squid in a pool of anise-flavored ink with pickled persimmons, and little round “abacus bead” dumplings made of taro and pumpkin. Even the sides are memorable: red rice with taro and five-spice, and mustard greens swimming in savory bone broth, or sweet potato greens with dried shrimp-coconut sambal. It’s all satisfying, with just enough creativity sprinkled in. photo credit: Alex Staniloff photo credit: Alex Staniloff photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Sonal Shah photo credit: Sonal Shah The next time you draw a blank when someone wants to get dinner on the Upper West Side, Kancil is a reliably exciting choice. The food comes out efficiently fast, the cocktails are solid, and the blue-patterned wallpaper and ornate bar make dining here not totally unlike a pleasant rummage through an antique shop. Bring a date and try not to stare at your fuzzy reflection in the patinated mirrors. Or show up with a group—Kancil’s big portions and mezzanine booths are just as useful for a family of six. Wau was always a good back-pocket spot in the area, but we’ll be putting this place into our regular rotation. Food Rundown photo credit: Sonal Shah Pulut Panggang Unrolling these banana leaf parcels is such a fun way to start a meal. Inside is a sticky present of rice infused with dry shrimp funkiness. Cucur Udang Fried jicama makes for a novel wrapper for each individual shrimp in this starter. The contrasting textures taste great, too. photo credit: Sonal Shah Thunder Tea Salad Get this refreshing salad to offset the heavier dishes. A swirl of mizuna, tatsoi, and chrysanthemum greens, with little bits of crisp water chestnut nestled inside. There’s some crunch as well from what looks like tiny puffed grains. photo credit: Sonal Shah Crispy Tofu Essential, especially if you’re starting with a round of drinks. A thin fried shell holds meltingly hot, almost liquid-soft tofu inside. You’ll want to keep spooning up the sour, peanut-y dipping sauce and pickled turnips even after the tofu is gone. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Block Island Squid These squid are stuffed full of minced veggies and float like inflatables on a pool of black squid ink. Swipe up all the anise-soy ink, and those delicious little cubes of pickled persimmon. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Abacus Beads If you’re just eating one noodle dish, make it this one. Your server will drizzle some oil from a Malaysian jungle fruit into the bowl, but the taro root and pumpkin dough dumplings are impressive enough on their own. They have almost the same squeaky-chewy texture of the mushrooms they’re served with. photo credit: Sonal Shah Sung Har Yee Meen At Wau, a version of this dish came with a stiff curtain of crispy noodles rising up from the bowl—seemingly held up by magically suspended chopsticks. This version is less attention-grabbing, but tastes even better, with big, fried wild prawns and fried noodles that slowly soften into a pool of gingery sauce." - Sonal Shah