At Bentara, our waiter tells us, is the Malaysian word for the title bestowed on a king's servant. "He takes care of the king's needs," we are told. But does he cook, too? No, the waiter replies, shaking his head.
Well, then the Malaysian word for the royal chef, whatever that is, would be a better name for this exalted East Haven restaurant. Especially since chef Hasni Ghazali's Malaysian cooking is exquisite, even rgal. This is food truly fir for a king.
Billed as the state only Malaysian restaurant, Bentara is hardly a palace. A few travel posters serve as abrupt decoration for the bare-bones structure (a former barbecue joint) that seats fewer than 40 people, No tablecloth, Paper napkins. A wine list composed on a legal pad.
Four Star review
Bentara places all its efforts in the kithen, where Ghazali plays fairy godmother with lowly roots and simple herbs. The Cinderella story each dish tells is poetry for the sences. Flavors freewheel aqcross the tongue, scents spiral up the nose. The eyes lock on vivid colors. Textures collide: hot spells cool, silk meets snap.
Malaysian cuisine is a dove breathing fire. Its composition is unexpected, startling. Several rich culinary traditions influence the cooking of the Malay
Peninsula: Noodles and stir-frys from China; curries, chilies and herbs from Southern India; and pungent roots (galangal, lemon grass, ginger), shrimp paste and tamarind from Thailand. Together, they are mesmerizing harmony.
No other satay can hold a bamboo stick to Ghazali's rods of grilled chicken or beef marinated burnished with brown sugar and tumeric. The peanut sauce served is not the cloying nutty slather you may know, but a balanced stew of peanut and coconut milk. Indian influences color two other appetizers, the roti chanai, a thick, flat unleavened bread (served with a fiery curry sauce), and karipap, crisp, scallop-edged pastries concealing a mixture of potatoes and meat bound in curry paste.
The kitchen's noodle dishes and entre-size soups enchant. Our curried egg noodles were heavenly, a coconut perfume laced with tumeric, coriander, ginger, cloves and fennel. The vibrant peanut-based broth of mee soup istimewa, beef and noodle soup, has a pungent sweetness that soon gives way to a burst of hotness courtesy of ground white pepper.
We're impressed by the care and labor that must go into the nearly-dry sauce that clings to the bits of chicken in a dish called rendang ayam. The flavor of lemon grass is detectable through the reduced coconut milk spiked with hot chilies in this fascinating sauce. Kerutuk daning features cubes of beef and potatoes cooked with coconut milk infused with fennel, cardamom and cinnamon. It, to, is divine. The house's version of barbecue chicken is a wonderful thing; two plump grilled breasts slathered in a nutty coconut sauce bolstered by tangy lime and the pleasantly bitter bite of tumeric (which also provides a golden glow).
Tonight the chef's special is calamari, tender ringlets in a vivid red curry loaded with crispy haricots verts. It is an amazing dish. But the majority of our moans of ecstassy go to a dish called nasi lemak: spicy stir-fried beef and chopped peanuts ladled over coconut milk-fattened rice. Crunchy strips of deep-fried anchovies that have been coated with ground chilies, ginger and garlic are scattered atop the dish. Rich, hot and crunchy with each forkful, this is a breathtaking concoction.
The kitchen has a dessert guaranteed to make diners smile if not chuckle. Air batu campur is a lovable oddity not to be missed; a surreal Himalaya of crushed ice over which red cane sugar syrup and evaporated milk are poured like lava. Hiding below the mountain is a bed of sweetened red beans, kerneled corn and a variety of flavored jellies. In his homeland, Ghazali says, the sweet ice is often eaten before or with meals to cut the spiciness of Malaysian dishes. Here, it is part of the dessert menu. But save room for it - it is unbelievable.
Bentara's service is sweet andgood-natured, though not formal. In fact, the restaurant's charm is derived from the fact that such elegant food is served in such a hoe-down surroundings. But make no mistake about it, Bentara, with its rich cuisine, is not to be missed. This is extraordinary dining.
