Layang Layang @ Milpitas

A small Malaysian restaurant in Milpitas, that is packed for lunch on week days. If you don't get there by noon, be prepared to wait for god knows how long. The restaurant is in a strip mall and fairly small, with some simple Asian decor. A nice spot for a casual lunch or dinner.


Layang Layang

I feel kind of iffy dining in Malaysian restaurants where, on the menu, under Vegetarian Entrees you usually see "Okra or Asparagus with Malay special shrimp paste sauce". I always have a teeny what-if-there-is-fish-sauce-in-my-food kind of doubt lingering in my mind, and I don't enjoy the food as much. So, this time when ordering my food, I asked the waiter, "No fish sauce, shrimp paste, oyster sauce or duck sauce, right?" Have I left anything out? The waiter shook his head, "No", he said. And then, I added, "I am allergic to fish sauce...sea food, in general." He looked a little rattled and I felt a lot better. I hoped I had scared him enough, for I could then eat peacefully.

He came back with bowls of soups. He said it was vegetarian. It looked like some kind of hot and sour soup. I passed on it, while A polished my share as well.


Soup @ Layang Layang

We ordered the Roti Telur to start with. It is a multi-layered home made Indian bread stuffed with egg and is  dipped in curry sauce. It tastes very Indian and should rather be called a fusion food. The bread was shallow fried and tasted fantastic when dipped in the fragrant curry sauce.

Roti Telur @ Layang Layang

For the main course, we ordered something completely new. I don't think you get it anywhere else. It is called the Sarang Veggies - Fried taro root nest topped with vegetables, corn, snow peas, black mushrooms and cashewnut, served on a bed of rice crispies. I still can't imagine how they managed to make that nest! Absolutely fantastic. You can eat it as is or order rice on the side. The taro root was so crisp and brittle on the outside, yet soft and well cooked on the inside.


Sarang Veggies @ Layang Layang

It was delicious. Despite the crowd, the service was reasonably fast, and the entrees were reasonably priced. There may be many other Malaysian restaurants in the area, but I don't think anyone else makes the Sarang Veggies. You should go there, try that. They also have another branch in San Jose.