Joe Liao grew up on Grand and Eldridge Streets in Chinatown, and worked for 20 years at the pioneering Thai noodle spot Republic (RIP) in Union Square. Today, he lives in Bayside, Queens with his wife and kids. So why is Curry Mee, Liao's first-ever solo restaurant, located amid the retail clutter of Fifth Avenue in Park Slope? And why does it feature a mostly Malaysian menu?
It's a family thing. "My wife Sandia is from Malaysia," Liao told Hell Gate. "She insisted the city needs more good Malaysian food, and daughter goes to high school right down the block, so I've gotten to know Park Slope pretty well. The people are nice here!" There you have it.
Malaysian classics like nasi lemak are the heart of Curry Mee's menu. The version here includes a saucy chicken stew, some chewy dried anchovies (also, somewhat unusually, in a sauce), plus peanuts, cucumber, and a boiled egg, all surrounding a mound of coconut rice. It may lack the punch of some of the best versions of this dish around town—everything here feels slightly toned down for the Park Slope crowd—but the side of house-made sambal, which arrives at your table unbidden, is fiery and funky as hell. Spoon it on with abandon.
A surprise winner at Curry Mee (that I'm fairly certain I would have ignored if Chris Crowley's buddies hadn't extolled its virtues) is the "crunch okra," a dish Liao says he "invented because Park Slope people like vegetables." It's excellent fried okra: light, snappy, not slimy, and great for dipping. Definitely get this for the table.
I never ignore chow fun on any menu, so I tried Curry Mee's char kway teow, the Malaysian version of those loaded-up, wok-fried rice noodles. It had lots of shrimp, squid, and hunks of pork. It needed some perking up with the house chili sauce, but it satisfied my near-constant craving for something greasy, starchy, and rich.
It seemed ridiculous to go to a restaurant called Curry Mee and not get the curry mee (aka Malaysian noodle soup) which comes in multiple varieties: beef stew, seafood, vegetarian, and my choice, chicken. This has a nice little kick to it; the bird is tender and gamey, the egg noodles abundant and slippery. Combined with that okra and eaten out back in the yard, it makes for a fine summer supper.
There are plenty of all-purpose crowd pleasers on the menu here as well, including various kinds of satay, chicken wings, pineapple fried rice, pad Thai, crispy wontons, and Hainanese chicken with rice. Buckets of beer (five bottles, mix-and-match from the likes of Tiger, Singha, and Lucky Buddha) will cost you $20; glasses of wine are $8.
Curry Mee takes over the space on Fifth Avenue from a mildly regarded ramen spot called Menya & Izakaya, which closed in February after a two-year run. Design-wise, Liao changed little besides the exterior signage and the stickers plastered to the tables in the pretty back garden. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, for example, still roars behind the bar. One welcome improvement: There are actual chairs with backs in the dining room now, instead of those squat little stools.
Curry Mee is located 369 Fifth Avenue, between Fifth and Sixth Streets, and is currently open on Sunday through Tuesday, and Thursday, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 11:00 to 10:00. Closed Wednesday.
