Happy Malaysia Canteen

I was walking around Chinatown when I stumbled upon this restaurant. I wasn't looking for much but had been intrigued by the menu board outside mentioning vegan dumplings. When I walked in it was really empty and the woman inside motioned to a ordering pad and I took a look. There were signs all around that there was a $20 minimum to use a card or pay with cash at the register, which was a bit higher than I wanted to spend because I wasn't too hungry and wanted a snack. I chose vegan crispy chicken item and a soda which came to $20 before tax or tip and set in my order. Later I started to wonder if using the kiosk I utilized (powered by Chowfood or something) may have actually negated this but too late now. When my order went in through the kiosk it seemed like the kitchen came alive and cooking began. It seems like everything is cooked to order, pretty close to from scratch, so if you are pretty hungry you may get sour. My dish that nice, hot, a nicely flavored, and I was offered more sauce if needed. It was a nice dish but I do think over priced a bit. I may try them again if on that side of town on my next visit and bring more cash than I had

Cute little hidden spot in Chinatown. Great food with a lot of care. Tastes were great and fresh, and prices are very fair. Highly recommended for a quick lunch or dinner. Very vegan friendly!

I did like the food but there were definitely improvements in service I believe could help. It was an order on touch screen kind of place and there was a $20 min purchase which made things more difficult than needed to start. The dish is $13, but then you need to find various small items to put yourself above 20. I’m fine to try it all for the experience, but ideally I would have liked to just order the meal and drink. Maybe this place wasn’t intended for the solo eater. As for the service itself, my dish was served without the chicken. It seemed I needed to ask about it for it to be served, but it may have just needed time to be ready. Ideally, the prepared dish would be served together to avoid confusion. No water was served nor was there a water dispenser or cups. The good was that I quite enjoyed the assortment of unique (and new to me) flavors in the Chicken Rendang dish. The con of the food was that the value wasn’t there, even with the assortment. For a meal of required value $20 and higher, I would expect at least more than one chicken drumstick’s worth of chicken.

Hidden gem in China Town. Fried chicken was delicious. Seafood dumpling was flavorful with a hint of spice.

Unfortunately, a few of my food items were spoiled. I ordered the Kaya Toast and tea. Upon opening the cup, the milk in my tea was curdled and sour and completely undrinkable. And the kaya toast was stale. The rice in my Nasi Lemak also tasted a little bit off. I really wanted to like this place but it just seems like items have been left out for too long. The woman working there was really nice though.

I stopped by recently and while getting my food, met the really lovely family who has established Happy Malaysia, which used to be Happy Veggie and managed by another family. Happy Veggie was entirely vegetarian, but from what I understand, Happy Malaysia differs in that it has some of the same vegetarian options, but ALSO has some new *halal meat* options and other distinct menu items, alhamdullilah! The food is still delicious, the restaurant is as clean and cozy as ever, and I’m excited to try the kuih (?) in particular that are stocked in the fridge, in sha Allah. They are just too cute :)

Nasi lemak without any meat starts off at $10. Add two pieces of fried chicken it jumps to $15. Tip and tax it jumps to $18.58. The rice was soggy. No menus, order at the kiosk or scan the QR code to pay by credit card or cash at the counter. Clean bathroom, but hand dryer doesn’t work. Quiet place on a Wednesday night.

The spam masubi was good. I liked the sweet and sour too was tasty, enough to share. For the amount you get and the quality of food is the price is fair. Clean and casual spot. The staff was friendly and attentive. The food was quick and came hot. I took a non vegan friend and liked the food. I will be coming back to try other things on the menu. There’s plenty of things to try on the menu, one of the better Asian vegan spots to go to. Definitely recommend.

A new Malaysian spot on Mott at Canal, located on the basement level down a flight of stairs. The menu features your typical nasi lemak, nasi goreng, mee goreng, char kuey teow, etc. but also some dishes that aren't found at the other Malaysian restaurants in the area or anywhere in at least Manhattan to my knowledge. They offer, for example, ayam goreng berempah and ayam goreng mamak, the latter of which (Mamak fried chicken, originating from the confluences of Indian-Muslim-Malay culture), is a uniquely delicious dish that I've been searching for in NYC for some time without much luck. The combo plates are a good deal and the owners/staff are very friendly. $20 credit card minimum to order at the Chowbus-powered tablet by the front, or you can pay by cash at the front counter.