Oct. 22, 2008 - Issue #679: Good Enough After All
Matahari
Decisions, decisions
The other night my fickle brain failed me yet again, but my husband’s brain, always eager to assert its decision-making prowess, took over in the wake of my ambivalence. Our feet propelled us off of 124 St and into Matahari—a perfect choice for the decision-challenged amongst us. They advertise themselves as providing “a truly pan-Asian dining experience,” something I quickly learned meant that they served a wide variety of cuisines from South East Asia, or, as they put it, “an exotic culinary tour of Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal and Burma.” Wow—maybe someone else has a bit of trouble with the whole decision-making thing too.
Matahari is definitely not of the tacky-vinyl-chair-and-rickety-table-cafeteria-style atmosphere. While we waited at the multi-functional “Please wait here to be seated” counter that not only houses the menus but also doubles as a jewelry boutique, I took in the serene atmosphere. A big pond occupied the center of the room, and beside this pool of soothing water rose boxy booths galore, kind of like an inverted pyramid. The booths were all done in deep greens and oranges, there was dark wood everywhere and the dropped, muted lighting just added to the coziness factor. My husband decided the effect was one of a slightly dated steakhouse, but I had to disagree: to me it was modern but comfortable.
Until we were seated, that is. The waitress led us to one of the booths on the upper level and once we settled in I discovered it wasn’t nearly as private and comfy as it looked. Because the backs of the booths were kind of stubby, we had ample opportunity to oogle at the tables next to us, and they returned the favour. And when we spoke, even in our most quiet and respectful voices, our voices seemed to carry throughout the room, as did everyone else’s.
But we were there to eat, not for talking, which is vastly overrated anyway. Thankfully, the menu was a glossy one-page, two-sided affair—not the 152-item variety that makes life for us decision-challenged so difficult. It was no small feat considering they offered so many different varieties of cuisines. Don’t get me wrong, there was still ample selection among all the appetizers, soups, salads, noodles, curries, stews, seafood, wok and grill choices and vegetarian selections—but it was manageable, even for me.
Knowing the decisions weren’t going to be easy, we ordered the fresh mango rice paper wraps ($4.25), a Singha ($5.95), and a Tsingtao ($5.25) so we had some sustenance while debating the rest of the menu. But it didn’t take nearly as long as we thought it would, and were ready to order the rest of our meal by the time the beers made it to the table. Our decision: an order of Shaking Beef ($10.95), an order of Kurma Chicken ($10.95) and the Vegetable Medley ($9.95) without the tofu. When asked how hot we wanted everything, we promptly replied “hot.”
(I have to mention that there a bunch of celiac-friendly and vegetarian options on the menu—not that everyone will care, but it’s a very nice touch.)
The mango rolls made an appearance in short order, minimally but smartly presented on a white square plate with a little white bowl full of dipping sauce. We each immediately grabbed half a roll, dipped and bit. While it was stuffed full of a very fresh spring greens mixture and lots of juicy mango, the red bell pepper, the red onion and the coriander were much harder to find. They were good, and extremely fresh, but the spring greens dominated them a bit too much. More dipping sauce would have been nice too. But we still demolished them.
After a feeble attempt at hushed conversation, our other dishes arrived. Each one was presented as its own unique beautiful entrée, complete with a flared square timbale of perfectly steamed white rice.
I decided to start by taste-testing everything. The menu described the Shaking Beef as cubes of beef in a citrus-y, Vietnamese-style sauce with lettuce, onions and tomatoes, and it reminded me of a dark, powerful, not-so-sweet version of anything sweet-and-sour. The beef went well with the tomatoes and was so tender it was sometimes hard to tell them apart. And yes, it was hot.
The Kurma Chicken was up next. Basically, it was an extremely hot chicken curry with peas, served with a side of steamed veggies. Again, the chicken was oh-so-tender and the veggies were crisp and pleasantly naked—not soaking in sauce. My husband’s tongue quit burning after the first few bites, and he ended up loving this dish.
I, however, had moved on to the Vegetable Medley and claimed it as my own. A combination of perfectly tender yet crisp carrots, green and red peppers, baby corn, bok choy, snow peas, mushrooms and celery, each bite was different and delicious. They were stir-fried in a gingery-garlicy-soy sauce that was light but full of flavour without drowning in a thick, cloying sauce. And I could actually see flecks of crushed red pepper throughout, adding a nice bite to everything.
I finished my veggies—they were too good not to—but we did have enough leftovers to feed at least one of us the next day. And as tempted as I was by the Roti Canai—a Malaysian-Indian crepe topped with ice cream and fresh mango—I just couldn’t do it.
Matahari was a pleasant surprise. The atmosphere takes some getting used to, but the food is incredibly fresh and really, really good. And really, really hot, just like we wanted (though it doesn’t have to be). See, being decision-challenged can be an extremely good thing. V
Tue - Thu (11 am - 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm - 9 pm)
Fri (11 am - 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm-10 pm)
Sat (4:30 pm - 10 pm); Sun (4:30pm - 9 pm)
Matahari
10108B - 124 St; 780.452.8262
matahari-asiandining.com
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