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Serai - Malaysian Cuisine in Logan Square

Serai - Malaysian Cuisine in Logan Square
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  • Post #31 - August 2nd, 2016, 12:01 pm
    Post #31 - August 2nd, 2016, 12:01 pm Post #31 - August 2nd, 2016, 12:01 pm
    I am with Paddleboard. The "american chinese" menu is LEGIT
  • Post #32 - August 2nd, 2016, 2:30 pm
    Post #32 - August 2nd, 2016, 2:30 pm Post #32 - August 2nd, 2016, 2:30 pm
    botd wrote:When I was in Chiang Mai at a Muslim restaurant they served what was essentially laksa with wheat noodles. In general I think the Muslim populations in SE Asia lean toward wheat everything even if rice products are the culinary staple of the country. Also I recall eating turmeric colored wheat noodles in a Burmese laksa, but I believe they also offered rice noodles.


    The huge pots of biryani on the streets of Yangon would disagree with you.
  • Post #33 - August 2nd, 2016, 3:27 pm
    Post #33 - August 2nd, 2016, 3:27 pm Post #33 - August 2nd, 2016, 3:27 pm
    whocanitbenow wrote:
    botd wrote:When I was in Chiang Mai at a Muslim restaurant they served what was essentially laksa with wheat noodles. In general I think the Muslim populations in SE Asia lean toward wheat everything even if rice products are the culinary staple of the country. Also I recall eating turmeric colored wheat noodles in a Burmese laksa, but I believe they also offered rice noodles.


    The huge pots of biryani on the streets of Yangon would disagree with you.


    Thread resurrection! Wheat noodles, possibly, but dehydrated package of top ramen, no way. Considering Malaysia is 61% Muslim, the generalization that they lean toward wheat everything is kinda silly. According to wikipedia, there is one type of regional laksa that uses wheat noodles, Kuala Kangsar Laksa, which is a thick handmade udon type noodle.
    Part of the secret of a success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

    -Mark Twain
  • Post #34 - August 3rd, 2016, 7:28 am
    Post #34 - August 3rd, 2016, 7:28 am Post #34 - August 3rd, 2016, 7:28 am
    No that was a stupid generalization. I just seem to find a lot of wheat based foods are of Muslim origin such as murtabak or how the Uyghurs and northern China in general seem to rely more heavily on wheat as a staple grain than the rest of the nation.

    Also I don't defend sad ramen noodles in laksa and definitely agree that the vast majority of my laksas have rice noodles. I was just mentioning that I have indeed eaten bowls of laksa that used wheat noodles.
  • Post #35 - January 29th, 2017, 6:42 pm
    Post #35 - January 29th, 2017, 6:42 pm Post #35 - January 29th, 2017, 6:42 pm
    Went to Serai on Saturday night at 6pm with some friends, one of who is very spice adverse but upon my urging that there are non-spicy dishes to try, they agreed to go.

    We dined on:

    Starters:
    Chicken Satay - easily best peanut sauce I've had in Chicago, chicken was not overcooked either
    Roti Pratha - while I personally prefer Penang's roti to Serai, this still was quite tasty

    Mains:
    Hainanese Chicken - terrific, Penang's version of this dish has slipped over the years so it was really nice to see Serai execute it well
    Mee Goreng - so so, really didn't appreciate this version, very muddled in texture/flavor
    Cumin Lamb - good, I prefer Homestyle Taste's version
    Basil fried rice - terrific

    Based on our visit, I want to return and dig into some of the more spicy offerings
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #36 - March 11th, 2017, 10:16 am
    Post #36 - March 11th, 2017, 10:16 am Post #36 - March 11th, 2017, 10:16 am
    No longer byo.

    Delivery, via Caviar, took nearly an hour longer than was promised and even then, items were missing.

    You've been warned.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #37 - March 11th, 2017, 10:55 am
    Post #37 - March 11th, 2017, 10:55 am Post #37 - March 11th, 2017, 10:55 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:No longer byo.


    I believe they got a liquor license recently.
    2019 Chicago Food Business License Issuances Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AGfUU ... sp=sharing
  • Post #38 - January 18th, 2018, 9:11 am
    Post #38 - January 18th, 2018, 9:11 am Post #38 - January 18th, 2018, 9:11 am
    Our delivery experiences with Serai have been stellar--usually 10-20 minutes earlier than quoted.

    Further, the food has been consistently outstanding. The menu offers something for everybody--Rendang, drunken noodles, roti--and executes at a high level across the board. It's become a go-to in a neighborhood with some middling to poor Asian restaurants.
  • Post #39 - February 26th, 2018, 6:29 pm
    Post #39 - February 26th, 2018, 6:29 pm Post #39 - February 26th, 2018, 6:29 pm
    After having another highly satisfying dinner from Serai last night, I am compelled to post a true highlight from their menu which I had never before tried:

    - Three Pepper Fish Fillet ($14.95)
    The menu only lists jalapeno and black pepper, so the third pepper was going to be a surprise. It ended up being dried red chilies a la LSC, but without peppercorns, so no ma la.

    The portion size was very generous and the slightly sweet sauce (not heavy, light coating) with large pieces of lightly fried white fish fillets was phenomenal.

    The Char Koay Teow was also very good, but the fish stole the show. I pick up from Serai every 6-8 weeks (12-15x's in total, likely sooner now), and this fish is the best thing I've ever had here.
  • Post #40 - April 2nd, 2018, 7:22 pm
    Post #40 - April 2nd, 2018, 7:22 pm Post #40 - April 2nd, 2018, 7:22 pm
    When God comes to cast His fiery judgment on Logan Square and texts me to consult on sparing one restaurant on Milwaukee between Western and Kedzie I'll save Serai and never lose a wink of sleep wondering if I made the right choice. Like yeah sometimes you have weird dreams about Wasabi but ultimately you know you did what had to be done
  • Post #41 - April 3rd, 2018, 10:13 am
    Post #41 - April 3rd, 2018, 10:13 am Post #41 - April 3rd, 2018, 10:13 am
    Paddleboard, very funny, and I share your fondness for Serai. Consistently excellent and varied, whether dine-in or carry out. But now I am worried about Serai being raptured away from the neighborhood (as if I did not have enough to worry about)!
  • Post #42 - April 12th, 2018, 5:00 pm
    Post #42 - April 12th, 2018, 5:00 pm Post #42 - April 12th, 2018, 5:00 pm
    paddleboard wrote: When God comes to cast His fiery judgment on Logan Square and texts me to consult on sparing one restaurant on Milwaukee between Western and Kedzie, I'll save Serai and never lose a wink of sleep wondering if I made the right choice. Like, yeah sometimes you have weird dreams about Wasabi, but ultimately you know you did what had to be done.
    Gasp! :shock:
    First of all, who is God's telecommunication company? :idea:
    Your idyllic scenario is really, really, really harsh. You|He wiped out The Rocking Horse. No more tater tots for you! Fortunately, His dictum spared The Owl, since that is not a restaurant. 8)
    Valuable links for survival, without the monetization attempt: https://pqrs-ltd.xyz/bookmark4.html
  • Post #43 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:15 am
    Post #43 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:15 am Post #43 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:15 am
    First time with Serai, a long standing Malaysian on Milwaukee Ave. I have to say I don't see the fuss, our takeout food seemed American Chinese to me. While our General Tso Chicken, Broccoli Chicken and Crab Rangoon was tasty it was not that different from the good ol' Panda.
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #44 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:40 am
    Post #44 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:40 am Post #44 - July 3rd, 2023, 8:40 am
    G Wiv wrote:I have to say I don't see the fuss

    OK Just Kidding!

    Fist time with Serai, I sure missed the boat on this restaurant.

    Takeout for four, enjoyed most everything. In particular Hainanese Chicken, Char Koay Teow and Roti Pratha.

    Pictured is a quick chili oil I made to go with our meal.

    Serai, count me a Fan!

    click to enlarge
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    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #45 - July 4th, 2023, 8:47 am
    Post #45 - July 4th, 2023, 8:47 am Post #45 - July 4th, 2023, 8:47 am
    G Wiv wrote:First time with Serai, a long standing Malaysian on Milwaukee Ave. I have to say I don't see the fuss, our takeout food seemed American Chinese to me. While our General Tso Chicken, Broccoli Chicken and Crab Rangoon was tasty it was not that different from the good ol' Panda.

    I've not been to Serai so take this as you will. It seems this order is more Panda like than Malaysian. I'm glad you tried it again and had better success.
    -Mary
  • Post #46 - July 4th, 2023, 9:11 am
    Post #46 - July 4th, 2023, 9:11 am Post #46 - July 4th, 2023, 9:11 am
    The "order" was part of the joke, and had nothing to do with the real order.

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