Serai
Serai
3 pieces. Chef's all time favorite. Dark meat skewers marinated with lemongrass and served in peanut sauce.
3 pieces. Szechuan style BBQ lamb skewers topped with cumin.
Indonesian style salad with bean sprouts, jicama, cucumber, tofu, boiled egg, warm spicy lemongrass peanut sauce and a side of shrimp cracker.
Fried golden crispy squids with bell peppers, onion, spices and hot sauce.
Fried flour-based pancake that is cooked over a flat grill and served with chicken curry.
Deep-fried tofu stuffed with bean sprouts, cucumber and spicy peanut sauce. Vegetarian.
2 pieces. Homemade spring rolls. Vegetarian.
3 pieces. Deep-fried dumpling with wonton wrappers. Stuffed with cream cheese.
4 pieces. Homemade pork wonton with spicy sauce.
3 pieces. Homemade steamed pork stickers.
3 pieces. Homemade pan-fried pork stickers.
2 pieces. Deep-fried breaded crab claw.
2 pieces. Deep-fried shrimp wrapped in bacon.
Indonesian favorite. Beef soup with bean sprout and boiled eggs.
Shrimp, squids, tomatoes, corn, mushroom and onion in spicy lemongrass tamarind soup.
Traditional thick, spicy and sour chicken broth with shredded BBQ pork, bean curd, bamboo shoots, eggs and black fungus.
Shrimp, squids and seaweed in clear broth with a touch of egg white.
A rich and spicy curry coconut milk soup based noodles with BBQ pork, chicken, shrimp, fish ball, egg and tofu puff.
Mixed vegetables, shrimp, squid and rice vermicelli with lemongrass and tamarind spicy broth.
Thin egg noodles served in a warm chicken broth, garnished with BBQ pork, pork wonton dumplings and choy sum.
Malaysia signature flat noodles stir-fried over very high heat with light and dark soy sauce, chili, shrimps, squids, bean sprouts, chopped Chinese chives and Chinese pork sausage.
Stir-fried noodles in an authentic Indian style with shrimp, tofu, potatoes, peanut and bean sprouts.
Adapted from the Fujian province, this dish of thick yellow noodles braised in thick dark soy sauce with chicken, shrimp, squid and vegetable
Special egg noodles with BBQ pork and wonton simmered in special soy sauce. Served with a bowl of chicken broth.
Thai style fried flat noodles with chicken, basil, carrot, string bean and peanut.
Hong Kong style stir-fried flat noodles with beef, onion and bean sprouts.
Stir-fried rice vermicelli seasoned with curry powder, bean sprouts, bok choy and soy sauce with small slices of choice of protein.
Thai style fried noodles with choice of protein.
Home made coconut rice served with anchovies and onions, pickled salad - achar and fried egg with choices of proteins
Malaysian spicy shrimp paste fried rice.
Non-spicy chicken and shrimp fried rice with diced mango wrapped with egg omelette.
Indonesian ginger fried rice served with fried chicken.
Coconut flavored rice stir-fried with chicken, shrimp and shredded coconut.
Pineapple chunk fried rice with chicken and shrimp in spicy flavor.
Mixed mince vegetable fried rice with basil and egg.
Stir-fried chicken breast chunk with jalapeno, dry chili and black pepper with spicy sauce.
All time chef's favorite chicken dish stir-fried with bell peppers, onion and fresh mango in sweet and spicy sauce.
Originated from the Hainan province in southern China, and has become a culinary staple in South East Asian culture
Authentic Malaysian lemongrass curry simmered with eggplant, green bean and onion.
Served with green bean, eggplant and baby corn in mild Thai panang curry.
Fried chicken breast in chunks stir-fried with dry chili, ginger and garlic.
Served with green bean, eggplant, broccoli, onion, baby corn and a green coconut broth.
Stir-fried pepper, onion and mushroom in black pepper sauce.
A Malaysian chicken curry, the amalgamation of the diverse array of Malay, Chinese and Indian eating culture.
Chunky piece of beef seasoned in brown onion chili, lemongrass and coconut.
Deep-fried and stir-fried with dried chili, ginger, onion and garlic in Szechuan style.
Eggplant, string beans and onion cooked with thick coconut panang curry.
Lamb shank braised with chef's special sauce over time for tender texture, served bone-in.
Lamb chunk slow cooked in coconut gravy in chef's special spices.
Stir-fried sliced lamb with jalapeno, garlic, ginger, onion, cumin and chili oil.
Shrimp cooked in traditional chef's homemade spicy Sambal sauce. Goes well with rice.
Shrimp cooked in lemongrass and coconut curry with eggplant, green bean and onion.
Deep-fried fish fillet with jalapeno and black pepper.
Deep-fried fish fillet with dried chili, garlic and ginger.
A must try with stir-fried onion, bell pepper and fresh mango in sweet and spicy sauce.
Chef's special egg tofu with shrimp, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and eggs.
Chef's signature vegetarian dish. Broccoli, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, string bean, eggplant and tofu puff.
Fresh eggplant cooked in traditional spicy Sambal sauce.
Stir-fried water spinach seasoned with spicy shrimp paste.
Stir-fried string beans seasoned with spicy shrimp paste.
Homemade egg tofu with mixed vegetable in brown sauce served in a hot clay pot.
Mixed greens in brown sauce.
Szechuan chili bean sauce cooked with soft tofu.
This old fashioned Homemade Coconut Pudding is the perfect dessert, made with coconut water and coconut milk
Sweet dessert made from black glutinous rice porridge with coconut milk and sugar.
Must be 21 to purchase.
Must be 21 to purchase.
Must be 21 to purchase.
Profile
Char Koay Teow
Roti
Satay tofu Deep fried tofu stuffed with beansprout, cucumber and peanut sauce
Beef Rendang Beef
Rendang Shrimp Shrimp cooked in lemongrass, coconut curry with eggplant, green bean and onion
Curry Vegetables Chef's signature vegetarian dish, broccoli, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, string bean, eggplant and tofu puff
Pulut Hitam (Served Warm) Sweet dessert made from black glutinous rice porridge with coconut milk and sugar.
Fried Calamari & Gado-gado (Salad)
Coconut Pudding (Served Chilled) Homemade Coconut Pudding is the perfect dessert, made with coconut water and coconut milk
Hainanese chicken (half chicken)
a bowl of soup and a plate of food
Fried Calamari
Nasi Goreng
food
Kang Kung Belacan
curry, food
outdoor seating
food
Hainanese chicken (half chicken), Rendang Lamb, Nasi Lemak
Coconut pudding with Malaysian iced coffee.
Mee Goreng
Michelle G.
Apr 16, 2024
Chicago needs way more Malaysian restaurants, but I'm glad at least we have this one. I would say my review is really a 4.5, but tipped to 5 because of the following 5 star dishes: coconut pudding for dessert (so yummy), deep fried crab claws, and the roti paratha. I loved the roti paratha and deep fried crab claws - both were so good and I would come back and order just that as a little treat.For mains, we got the ayam merah nasi lemak (I love the kropek/shrimp chip that comes with it) and the char kway teoh. Both were good but more 4 stars / I won't be thinking about these food items the way I would for the others. Overall, great meal and I would come back.
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Zoe D.
Aug 4, 2024
Food: you will love it if a bit sweet flavor is your love, i personally love the fried calamari, not too much bread, the squid is very chewy and flavored. Service: the staffs are very caring, keep checking us on anything we need, friend bring a little poppy, they even offer the poppy bowl to drink water~ love their serviceAmbiance: the interior is classic, and not too much changes from years ago.Price: around $140/5
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Ojus P.
Jun 22, 2024
Got delivery after having a positive experience 5 years ago. Sadly, the result was my wife saying "You are not allowed to order from here again."Char Koay Teow - 3.5/5. Lots of heat. Decent flavors. Couldn't get through the squid. Spring roll - 3/5. Fine but not particularly notable.Pad Thai - 2/5. This may sound harsh, but the dish was boring. Solid pasta but the sauce was lacking.
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Sandya K.
May 2, 2024
I have ordered from here a few times, and the food is definitely best in person. Mee Goreng is my go to! Roti pratha (request no meat) is also great too, but it appears quite oily. Still tasty though! Service is fabulous, and in the summer time, you can eat in the back patio!! Avoid takeout unless you are really in a pinch because your food sweat and it just doesn't smack as hard in my opinion haha.
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Benjamin J.
Apr 15, 2024
came here with some friends as this is their go to spot for malaysian/thai food. unbelievable suggestion and we really went in with no expectations but i'm so glad they exceeded all of my taste buds and more.the staff and owner was very nice and very attentive in their work. always asking how we were doing and making sure we were taken care of. the vibe of the restaurant was also great. cozy and not too loud. all a simple ambience focused on delivering great foodthe picture below is our feast we had and we went with 5 different dishes. I may butcher some of the names.1. Nasi Goreng with Shrimp2. Chicken Curry3. Three Chili Chicken4. Beef Chow fun5. szechuan chili fish filletwithout a doubt some of the best tasting food i've had i in a minute. each dish was presented well, flavors were on point and i loved how everything wasn't super heavylots of flavor but didn't weigh us down with oils and grease. just delicious food that i recommend all 5 of these dishes.for how good these were, im sure the rest of the menu slapsthank you Serai and ill be coming back soon
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Amanda C.
Aug 9, 2023
Came back to Serai but got take out this time. We got the beef rendang, chicken panang curry, mee goreng, and pulut hitam. Everything was delicious! The panang curry was nuttier than I expected but still good. The beef rendang had a strong lime leaf flavor along with other spices which we enjoyed. Most pieces of beef were tender and soft but a little bit dry. These two dishes went great with white rice. The mee goreng was strong in flavor and almost a bit too salty. Noodles were nice and thick. The dessert was also delicious, black sticky rice with some savory coconut milk - a little salty and a little sweet!I do wish they had another staff as we saw our takeout order on the table but there was no one to ask for utensils, we had to wait a bit with no staff in sight.
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Tom Z.
Aug 26, 2023
Quite enjoyed lunch here! Malaysian food options in the city are very limited sadly, but this does a pretty great job of satisfying this space. The service was good, though we were the only ones around I think at the time we went. The space is fine, but I don't think you come here for the ambiance, you come here for the food! Looking forward to coming back and trying more options!Highlights were the nasi lemak and roti paratha. Both the beef rendang and the ayam merah were delicious for the nasi lemak. The roti paratha is buttery and wonderful and the chicken curry it comes with was rich and flavorful--we really really liked that. I would probably go with the ayam merah or the chicken curry with my nasi lemak next time, both were delicious. The beef rendang is also a solid option for those who prefer beef. Be aware it is a little fatty. Cumin lamb skewers were good but pretty straightforward in flavor. Also a small serving.We enjoyed both the dessert options, but they weren't exceptional. Pulut hitam is on the watery end of a rice pudding type of dish, but with a deeper rounder sweetness than a typical rice pudding. I had never had something like this before and glad I tried it. The coconut pudding had a lighter and sweet flavor, with a delicate consistency served inside a coconut. I'd recommend both, but if you're in the mood for a more robust dessert option these may not fully satisfy.
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Mike W.
Sep 22, 2023
It was our first time trying Maylasian food and Serai did not disappoint. The exterior of the restaurant is unassuming but once inside it is a beautiful space. Very comfortable and welcoming. The service was friendly and attentive and the food cake out in a timely manner. Onto the food. We started with the roti pratha which was awesome. I'm not a huge curry fan but I could've eaten two orders of this by myself. We also got the shrimp puffs which are basically shrimp wrapped in bacon and deep fried. How could that not be good, right. They were awesome. For our mains I got the Three Chili Chicken which was outstanding. Spicy without being overwhelming with just a hint of sweetness. So delicious. My wife got the Char Koay Teow. Hers came out first so she graciously shared. Very delicious noodle dish with a little spice. We ended with coconut pudding which was nice and refreshing and was nice to cool down my mouth after the Three Chili Chicken. Overall, I won't hesitate to say that this is one of the best meals I've had in a while. Can't wait to try other dishes.
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Priya M.
Jul 13, 2024
Serai has been our go to for takeout awhile. The chilli chicken is fantastic! We also like the roti with chicken curry.
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Sara J.
Jul 13, 2024
Even though we don't live near here, we make the trek quite regularly to have a special dinner. Food is consistently delicious, drinks are strong. Their roti canai, drunken noodles, and curry dishes are the best.
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