Some relatives and I were visiting American University in Northwest DC. After the tour, we needed to get some lunch. Following a recommendation from our tour guide, we went to a nearby restaurant in Tenleytown. With a variety of Asian cuisines, Satay Club is superb.
Satay Club has been serving Asian cuisine in Tenleytown for quite some time. A sign outside shows a review from the Washington Post that was written in 2010. That article indicates that Satay Club is a family run restaurant, with the primary cook being Chef Tan and the front of the restaurant operated by his sisters. Another relative, Anthony Goo, works the sushi bar. Their heritage is Malaysian and the restaurant reflects that. I don’t know how long the place has been open, I guess has been about 16 or 17 years.
Menu
The menu boasts many Asian dishes from a variety of cuisines. The lunch menu is predominantly Malaysian and Japanese, but the full menu has a fair number of Thai and Chinese dishes as well .
The lunch menu is divided into starters, Entrees, bento boxes, sushi entrees, and a two roll special. Starters include Malaysian Chicken Satay, Roti Canai, and three more items that I discuss below. The entrees include Curry (Malaysian or Thai), Fried Rice, several noodle dishes, and classic Chinese-American fare (e.g. General Tso’s Chicken). The bento boxes feature teriyaki or sashimi items and are served with miso soup, salad, and California Rolls. The sushi entrees are primarily rolls, but there is a Sushi Premium option which I expect is nigiri (raw fish on rice).
As we were there for lunch, I did not look closely at the regular menu. It consists of Rice and Noodle Entrees, Grilled Entrees, Additional Entrees (classic Chinese), and Vegetarian Entrees (vegetarian versions of Chinese dishes). The cuisines are Thai, Malaysian, Cantonese, and Singapore. The grilled entrees are mostly Japanese or Thai, but there is a Grilled Lamb Chops dish that looks like a fusion of several cuisines.
Our meal
We started with three of the appetizers: Vegetable Spring Rolls, Pork Dumplings, and Crab Rangoons.
All three were excellent. They looked and tasted freshly made. The spring rolls were light and crispy. The dumplings were packed with meat and served with a flavorful, soy based dipping sauce. And the Rangoons were not the tiny little things you often get elsewhere. These were big and packed with stuffing.
For my entree, I ordered one of the Malaysian specialties: Curry Laska. This is a creamy curry coconut soup with rice and egg noodles, bean sprouts, and the protein of your choice. I chose beef. Being a soup, it was thinner than a Thai or Indian curry. It was also very mild. I wonder if it can be made spicier, as the menu indicates that it is served with a chili paste called Sambal. The Curry had a unique taste that I enjoyed, although I think chicken would go better than beef with the curry.
My companions had the Thai Curry and the sushi. Both received a positive review. I had a taste of the Thai Curry and it was a good Thai style curry. I was surprised to see how different it tasted from the Malaysian curry. All of the meals are served with a side of soup. I and one of my companions had miso soup, and the other had hot and sour. The miso soup was very good. It had a strong flavor and contained a good amount of tofu. I did not have a taste of the hot and sour, but my relative liked it.
Atmosphere
The Satay Club is tastefully decorated and has an elegant ambience. Asian pictures and calligraphy adorning the walls. It was not very crowded, but we were there in the afternoon on a weekday. There was a good amount of take-out business. I also suspect the restaurant is more crowded at night. Our waitress was prompt and courteous and our orders came out quickly. Satay Club makes for a pleasant and refined dining experience.
Jim's Dining Guides 