The Cupertino Courier
Dining
Photograph by Brian Connelly
Calvin Lin, owner of Layang Layang Malaysian Cuisine restaurant, takes an order for the lunch crowd on March 8.
Authentic Malaysian cuisine a hit with high-tech crowd
By ANNE GELHAUS
Two years ago, Calvin Lin realized two dreams: He got married, and he opened a Malaysian restaurant.
"My brother-in-law is a Malaysian chef," Lin says. "That's how I got started with this."
Lin's brother-in-law is one of three chefs staffing the kitchen at Layang Layang, where they've created an enterprising menu of about 100 items. Unlike other Malaysian restaurants in the Cupertino area, Lin says, his fare features the hot and spicy sauces native to that country.
"A lot of people try to change Malaysian food to fusion style," he adds. "That's not what I want for this restaurant. We're more about authentic Malaysian food."
As a nation, Malaysia has its own fusion of cultures that are reflected in its cuisine, a blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai influences. Layang Layang's menu describes the country's geography, the spices commonly used in its food and the restaurant's top 20 dishes.
Roti canai ($2.95), housemade Indian-style bread with curry dipping sauce, is the restaurant's most popular appetizer. Layang Layang's chefs also make the main ingredient in princess tofu ($8.95), which is fried with various seafoods and vegetables in oyster sauce.
Other seafood dishes include a mango shrimp salad ($5.95) and ikan bakar, seasonal fish coated in spicy lemongrass sauce and wrapped in a banana leaf.
The menu also features extensive vegetarian offerings, as well as such desserts as fresh coconut pudding, a Malaysian pancake stuffed with peanuts and sweet corn, and ice kacang, a tower of shaved ice served with red rose syrup and condensed milk.
Lin decorated the restaurant's interior himself, painting the walls of one dining room a lime green and festooning them with the Malaysian kites that are Layang Layang's namesake. He also erected a bamboo wall to separate the dining area from the kitchen.
Now that the rains have stopped, the patio is open for seating. Lin says employees of nearby Apple Computer often hold al fresco meetings there.
"We have lots of high-tech workers in the area who want to explore [local restaurants]," says Lin, who worked in high tech himself before opening his restaurant. "My customers are about 90 percent referrals."
Lin says word of mouth has helped keep business flowing at the restaurant, which is tucked behind a paint store along De Anza Boulevard near Highway 85. Before Layang Layang opened there, the building housed numerous other restaurants.
"The place has changed owners five or six times in the last 10 years," Lin acknowledges. "No one [else] was a success."
Lin is confident enough in Layang Layang's staying power that he plans to open a second location in Fremont or Milpitas by year's end.
"A lot of people are expecting us to have more restaurants in the Bay Area," Lin says.
Layang Layang, 1480 S. De Anza Blvd, San Jose, 408.777.8897. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
