Address - 4F, Hashimoto Bldg., 1-6-6, Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo  160-0021 Opening hours - Every day from 17:00 to 23:00 (Weekends and holidays from 12:00 to 23:00) Map - See Yayoo site (in Japanese) Telephone - 3209-9315 Menu - In Japanese and English CC - OK

My first contact with Malay food was a fantastic Lakhsa (a kind of ramen, just much better and very hot) I had many years ago in Sydney. Later experiences in Kuala Lumpur confirmed to me that that first good experience was no fluke.
Alas, in Japan I seem to be unable, regardless of how long I look, to find real Malay food, as opposed to Chinese Malay.
Rasa Malaysia in itself is not bad, but it isn't what I am looking for either. Let's just say I won't go out of my way to eat there again.
It looks no different from countless Thai restaurants in Tokyo, and only a close look to the menu finally reveals exactly where you are.
The list of dishes is long and divided in a few broad sections: soups, meat dishes, seafood,veggies, tofu, noodles and desserts, but apart from some signature names, and nasi goreng would be one, there's little to set it apart from a regular, not even too interesting, Chinese restaurant. We had laksa ha mi (spicy noodles), nasi goreng, bakti, rojak india (a kind of salad), and sate, and spent about 3000 yen apiece.
I hope I have been both fair and clear: this isn't a bad restaurant, but it isn't new or interesting either.

November 2003