Overview & visitor information
Rasa takes its name from chef Tommy Lai’s hometown north of Kuala Lumpur and from the Malay word for taste. Tommy and Camie Lai built the 52-seat Greenwich Village restaurant around family recipes, Malaysian street food and choo char, the communal comfort-food style of small restaurants.
Roti canai arrives with chicken-and-potato curry for dipping, and satay brings marinated chicken together with peanut sauce. Beef rendang cooks spices, lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut milk down around the meat, while Hainanese chicken pairs poached poultry with seasoned rice and sharp sauces.
The noodle section shows Malaysia’s plural food culture: curry laksa, char kueh teow, mee goreng and Hokkien mee use different noodles, gravies and chile pastes. House-made cincaluk, a fermented shrimp condiment, adds a particularly personal detail from the family’s Malaysian kitchen.
