Peninsula

2608 Nicollet Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-871-8282
http://peninsulamalaysiancuisine.com/

Category: Malaysian/Pan-Asian

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: 7
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Very good. This Eat street eatery serves delicious authentic Malaysian dishes incorporating the best aspects of Indian, Chinese, and Thai cooking.

We have the Twin Cities Malaysian community to thank for this authentic Malaysian eatery that serves up the best Malay food we’ve tried in the area. Peninsula was originally located in Eau Claire, WI until the Malaysian community convinced the owners to move the location to Minneapolis. The restaurant itself is simple yet a huge step above its neighbors on Eat Street. There is an open kitchen in the back when you can watch the chefs in action. Peninsula serves up unique cuisine that is native to the Southeast Asia region and incorporates flavors and spices from Indian, Chinese, Thai cuisines. It has a diverse and unique menu that has many Southeast Asia favorites such as Hot and Spicy Crab, Pineapple Seafood Fried Rice (served in a pineapple shell), and Udang Mee (Penang style noodles served in shrimp broth with shrimp, pork, & bean sprouts).

All the dishes we tried were part of the chef’s recommendations and we couldn’t have been more satisfied with our experience. We started out by getting the Roti Canai, which is an Indian bread (fluffy on the inside, crispy and flaky on the outside cooked with oil on a skillet). Being from India, we love this bread and can simply eat it by itself. We ordered the Curried Potato and Chicken dipping sauce to accompany the Roti. If you’ve tried Indian Chicken curry, this dipping sauce has similar flavors. Their Chicken Satay is also delicious (perfectly marinated and served with a peanut sauce). For the main course, we had the Beef Rendang (slow cooked beef with lemongrass, chili paste, coconut milk, ginger, cinnamon, & cloves finished in a rich red curry). Absolutely to die for! Another dish we had was the Fried Fish in Spicy Thai sauce. While we don’t typically care for fried fish, this one was truly outstanding. The flavors of the spices were fantastic. We didn’t care for the Sambal Udang (sautéed shrimp with onions in a spicy Malaysian shrimp paste) as much. The paste had a very overpowering fishy taste. They have an interesting non-alcoholic drinks menu with various types of shaved iced drinks, teas, and coffees. We tried the Red Bean Freeze, which consisted of red beans, shaved iced, and milk. We couldn’t take more than 2 sips, the drink was awful – very milky with hints of red bean and hardly any shaved ice.

$$