Rasarumah
Asian restaurant · Westlake ·
Malaysian dishes, sake, beer, and wine in a lively eatery
Malaysian dishes, sake, beer, and wine in a lively eatery
"A modern Malaysian jewel in Historic Filipinotown, this latest restaurant from Pearl River Deli chef Johnny Lee (with Last Word Hospitality) delivers punchy, sour, and peppery flavors in a midcentury modern–meets–Art Deco space with muted colors and orb lights. Make a reservation and expect attentive service, a small but mighty wine list, and snacky starters like shrimp chips and ayam berempah (Malaysian-style fried chicken wings swathed in a sweet chile sauce); for fried chicken fanatics, the chile-spiked wings are the star—crispy, spicy, tangy, and sour from dried chiles, tamarind, sesame, ginger, and pickled serranos. Mix and match tangy solo skewers of chicken, pork jowl, and red radish, with a $30 sampler (two of each) that makes sharing easier, then finish with the shrimp-chip-pocked gado gado and whatever fried fish graces the menu (previously whole fried snapper, now you might find a fried yellowtail collar). The menu also includes banana leaf–steamed black cod with sambal, herbs, jasmine rice, and crispy shallots; chicken and pork jowl satay; and wagyu beef cheek rendang with roti bread. The small bar works for pairs, while larger groups should try for the cavelike banquettes to the right when you walk in, and a custom backlit sign changes its message regularly; street parking can be tight, but after 5 p.m. the small lot next door is fair game." - Nicole Fellah
"Described as Malaysian-inspired and another recent hit from Last Word Hospitality, Rasarumah contributed to the group's streak of well-received openings." - ByKate Kassin
"Offers modern Chinese–Malaysian cooking from former Pearl River Deli chef Johnny Lee, with dishes that include beef rendang, char kway teow, and a classic gado gado salad, blending Southeast Asian flavors with contemporary techniques." - Rebecca Roland
"“Hold On To Yer Butts.” “You Can Tell Everybody This is Your Sambal.” These are a few of the messages we’ve read on Rasarumah’s giant back-lit letterboard. They’re also silly tone-setters for a buzzy meal at this Malaysian spot in Historic Filipinotown. You’ll share plates of butter-rich beef cheek rendang and sweet-tangy mango salad, clink glasses of barley shochu, and smear hot red sambal on every dish like you’re at one of those paint-and-sip classes. Rasarumah is a sexy, well-oiled dinner machine, the kind you’d expect from the team behind Found Oyster. Leaving your burnt orange banquette at the end of the night won’t be easy. Get the pandan sundae for dessert to buy some extra time." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"I was greeted with an array of sambals and Malaysian classics on Chef Johnny Lee's Chinese-Malaysian menu, where large plates are designed for sharing and the slightly higher price point is balanced by generous portions. Starters like pork jowl or chicken satay skewers, ulam bendi with charred okra, and steamed eggplant with sambal and dried shrimp lead into mains such as beef rendang in a rich, creamy curry with buttery roti, and the cendol sundae—coconut and pandan ice cream with pandan jelly noodles, red bean, gula melaka syrup, and toasted buckwheat—makes for a memorable finish." - The MICHELIN Guide US Editorial Team
