Malaysian, Japanese, Spore or Myanmar Dish? Try Innlay Asia @ JLT

there are a few good restaurants around dubai offering delicious malaysian dishes and singaporean food; ‘noodle bowl’ in satwa, ‘singapore deli’ in karama or  – the closest would be ‘noodle factory’ in JBR.

so we were so glad to find out that there’s another restaurant nearby our place offering malaysian taste and from all over south east asia – the ‘innlay asia’ restaurant at JLT (jumeirah lake towers).

 

the ‘innlay asia’ restaurant is set in JLT (jumeirah lake towers) at HDS Tower, cluster F. if you see green-black 'K Pop Chicken' korean restaurant from the main road, you're in the right place. just ask the guard at the parking lot about ‘a thai restaurant’ nearby and he’d know it.

 

the restaurant is in a row facing the man-made JLT lake. you can also opt to eat outside with the nice view of the lake. however, it is already hot summer in dubai and it’s only sensible to eat indoors with the air-cond on full blast!

 

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the menu consist of many delicacies from all over south east asia – there’s the ‘crabstick VIETNAMESE spring rolls’, crispy duck with hoisin sauce, pad THAI noodle, SINGAPORE noodle, MALAYSIAN curry chicken, BALI chicken, JAPANESE udon, kyar zan chet MYANMAR and many more chicken, beef, noodle and vegetable dishes.

 

our appetizer was this special myanmar dish - 'deep fried homemade tofu', made at the restaurant. sedap! freshly fried, with moist texture like fried potatoes. love it. but a bit pricey for such a simple dish.

 

this is khaleef's. he wanted something with noodle, and something NOT spicy. this dish fits the bill – 'japanese udon noodle with seafood', but he asked for chicken instead. delicious! kids-friendly dish that's not spicy, and without much frills. simple and straightforward.

 

khairul the adventurous foodie tried 'mandalay chicken noodle' for the first time, which is a myanmar dish. the noodle is first boiled in chicken broth, then set aside. the chicken is sautéed separately. then noodle and chicken are put together, with the hot chicken broth served in a bowl separately. another straightforward dish that is both tasty and filling!

 

char kuey teow : one of my favorite malaysian dishes!

 

knowing that I can get malaysian food here, I jumped at ordering char kuey teow, without thinking twice. I LOVE char kuey teow! this one in ‘innlay asia’ is a seafood char kuey teow but as usual (even in malaysia) I would ask to change to chicken instead.

this char kuey teow at ‘innlay asia’ is yummy to my standard – not too spicy, the flat noodles were soft and taste delicious of prawn broth. most importantly not too much beansprout!

 

 

a typical malaysian char kuey teow should be darker and more charred, slightly watery, served with seafood, and with much more beansprouts and eggs. still, this plate of char kuew teow at ‘innlay asia’ is satisfying enough for me!

 

 

there are a few south east asia dessert offered in the menu : most of them I can just make at home, haha – like this one dessert was disguised as ‘green pancake with coconut caramel’! hihi. padehal kuih ketayap je sebenarnya! they also have fried banana!

well, those are really delicious desserts from malaysia so foreigners do try them if you have the chance!

we malaysians in dubai would rather try something different – so we tried this ‘chilled sago with honey melon’ – simply chilled, sweetened coconut milk with sago and cut up honey melon. sweet and cooling.

while the main dishes at ‘innlay asia’ are reasonably priced, this dessert however, is a bit pricey for such a simple dish with simple ingredients.

 

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the ‘innlay asia’ is comfortable and clean, a nice family-friendly place. the setting is minimal, with framed scenic pictures of rivers and village on the wall, including one with what I assume are the dewa-dewi of myanmar folklore.

 

 

the service is A-plus; friendly, polite and personalized. the staff suggested different dishes for us to pick, as well as describing how certain dishes are prepared, and their ingredients. a knowledgeable staff like that is a gem in any restaurant as it makes it easier for patrons to decide on their order.

not all restaurant staff make it a point to approach customers to ask ‘how’s your food?’ but here at ‘innlay asia’ they do. kudos!

 

nice table mat, hard and I can imagine easy to wipe clean! (haha, thoughts that only mothers can have!) the glass-ducky chopstick rest is cute

 

this is the view that greets you right outside ‘innlay asia restaurant’. nice and calming.

 

the next time you’re around JLT (jumeirah lake towers) area and have a hankering for delicious asian delights from malaysia, singapore, japan and especially myanmar – head on to ‘innlay asia’!

I will definitely be back just for the char kuey teow!