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Categories: Singaporean, Malaysian
1137 Chestnut StJoin us on Facebook to enjoy special offers!
Announced 1 week agoMon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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if we could come here every week, we would!! dennis and team are so gracious, flexible, helpful and pleasant! a recent night found us with a 9pm reservation for a group of 7. although the restaurant was full with several other parties, the service never waivered and although they take their last reservation at 9:30, they let all of the parties linger and enjoy themselves till after 11.
our favorites are, of course, the roti, the laksa, the prawns & i am kinda addicted to the char kway teow...
plus,my parents come alot on their own and are treated like revered elders and loving family.......thank you!!
we love this place! come here as often as possible when we are in menlo park. always start with an… Read more »
this is a pretty good restaurant w/ nice people. singaporean food is kinda heavy, but the portions here are on the smaller side, so it's just the right amount.
i liked the roti paratta here, b/c it reminded me of the chinese jua bing w/ a side of curry dipping sauce. also good was the nasi goreng. the sangria was also tasty. we also got the sambal green beans, coconut rice, and veggie samosas. the samosas were ok and was wrapped in like a wonton wrapper rather than a doughy wrapper.
for dessert, we got the chocolate wontons which tasted like a fried wonton wrapper around a hershey kiss. yum.
People thought this was:
Pretty good food, especially given the http://restaurant.com coupon.
We started with the crispy tofu with mushrooms, carrots, green onions shredded on top and a black sauce. very tasty!
For dinner we tried their cereal shrimp (not sure of the proper name)
These were yummy, and the crunchies were like candy! Nice big shrimp too.
Also, we had the char... noodle dish. Although we ordered vegetarian, they did not have intention to add vegetables to it, other than the bean sprouts already there. :(
Dessert was good, the crepe filled with coconut ice cream was a big portion.
My friend got coffee which she said tasted like instant, but on the plus side they served condensed milk on the side that we ate with a spoon mmmmm.
Did you know that Singaporeans like to drink plain hot water before they drink their coffee???
People thought this was:
3.5 stars.
Came here with real Singaporans K&K! We sat in elegant booths. Yann Y. and I let K&K do the ordering because we did not know Singaporan food.
My favorite dish was the Roti Prata, this crispy yet chewy bread-stuff that you tear apart and dip in warm curry. Delicious.
We also some kind of beef I didn't like, because it tasted like Chinese style beef jerky--complete with a hard texture and a very strong, salty taste. Then we had a yummy, leafy green vegetable and two noodle dishes.
I could definitely taste the quality in the ingredients here, but I found that the flavor didn't really fit my taste. They were on the creamy side...and somehow creamy and savory doesn't work for me when it comes to Asian food.
In the end we decided to try the unique desserts offered at Shiok, including the Chocolate Wonton which sounded disgusting to 3/4 of us, but was actually pretty delicious, served up with green tea ice cream. We also had the Prata Sundae, which was ice cream wrapped in crispy, chewy pastry and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Very rich but very yummy.
Service was great throughout the night, but I did learn that Singaporan food is not really my thing. The food was also not cheap...probably came out to $20 per person.
People thought this was:
A Singaporean friend recommended this place which was a good sign. I really enjoyed this place. Nice ambiance, cozy but tastefully done and good service.
They have tapas like small plates if you want to try a few different items which was a nice surprise. They also lunch specials where you can get an entree with rice. I liked the Roti paratha, Nasi Lemak and the chicken satay. lunch for 2 (2 small plates and a lunch special) was $21.
People thought this was:
Service was good, food lack spices and overall it was 3.5 stars. The manager listened to our feedback when we told them the food was lacking the spices we are used too in Singapore. He recommended that we tell them we want it more spicy so they can prepared it accordingly. We ordered 6 dishes and the Char Kway Teow was ok. We will come back again and try other dishes.
The decor was nice, staff friendly, food smelled pretty good but its way over rated. The place is smaller so lines form quickly giving the impression that its probably 'that good' but unfortunately ..it isn't.
The portions are small and way over priced. The taste is average, lets say...there is better Singapore cuisine in the Bay Area, really. This place is not for you if you are a Singapore Cuisine connoisseur or are seeking at least the authentic taste of Singapore cuisine. This place works for you if you have had enough of strip mall food court Chinese food.
Their Hokkien Mee was quite dry and lacked ingredients despite the high price. We had the BBQ fish for $17 and it came in a portion small enough for one.
OK to try but would definitely pass if there are other options.
had a satisfying lunch
reasonably priced lunch specials, gets busy
shared the:
*Roti prata with curry sauce -- tasted freshly made, crispy and already shredded though
*their version of hainan chicken rice -- chicken small, sauce was ok
*hokkien mee -- noodle and vermicelli stir fry with some chili sauce
*nasi lemak with fried chicken -- soft rice with an omelet, prepared well
check out http://restaurant.com for certificates for here if you go for dinner
People thought this was:
Roti prata tasted like green onion pancake dipped in curry sauce, and costs 6.50, I've had better.
We got the chili crab, which was sweeter than it was spicy, but the crab itself was pretty fresh and delicious. There was a lot of breading on the crab but it gave it a saucy texture. We also got the laksa which was not bad; I like that it wasn't a thick curry sauce, but otherwise pretty average.
We liked the service and the decor, but it's definitely not cheap. I may come back with some friends I'd order something different next time.
I'm no Singaporean, but I've lived in Singapore when I was young and know what authentic singaporean food means - and this place is none of that.
Roti Prata - fried too much, doesn't have the puffyness I expected
the tutti fruitt scallop dish - very bad, tiny scallop too much battered and fried, and it doesn't mix well with the sauce
walnut beef - horrible - more like a typical chinese dish taste - chunks of beef, some steamed broccoli on the side and the beef sauce is nothing but salty, oyster sauce.
of all the 7-8 singaporean/malaysian restaurants in the bay area I've tried so far, this is definitely the worst
Good meal but a bit heavy on the fried side. Tried the roti appetizer, fragrant chicken and some seafood noodles.
My favorite was the coconut drink that quenches your thirst and doubles as a dessert when you scoop out the flesh.
Ok. Singaporean this place is not. And I know, because I grew up in Malaysia and we went to Singapore almost every other weekend.
This place seems to be yet another Silicon Valley-hyped place.
I prefer Langkawi in San Mateo. Shiok's Nasi Lemak was awful, their Singaporean iced tea expensive ($3 for barely 6 oz) and their "samosas" were not Singaporean style at all.
Went there with a colleague for lunch, so not sure if this place is different during dinner. Service was choppy too. Overall, not worth it.
Banana Leaf or Layang Layang in Milpitas or Langkawi in San Mateo will remain my favorites.
People thought this was:
Had the Roti, garlic pepper beef, clay pot chicken and the banana dessert... sooo good! so glad there is at least one good restaurant in down town menlo park
An Indonesian friend brought us to Shiok -- she rated 6 out of 10 for 'authenticity' as this is more Singaporean, but we all agreed that the meal was wonderful.
The two drinks she recommended were the young coconut water, which comes in a coconut with an umbrella and straw (soo yummy) and a hot tea with condensed milk (teh tarik, which means "pulled tea") which was great to start and I finished for dessert.
She ordered for the five of us, which was the perfect size group to order many dishes to share with everyone getting to try a decent portion of everything. Would recommend that strategy -- great to have so many options!
Started with the Roti Prata -- I really liked this one because it is actually doughy rather than crispy. We shared two orders among five, which was perfect.
The beef curry had a deep flavor, not like Indian or Japanese curry -- our friend recommended with rice, though I liked it both ways. The coconut rice was great by itself.
The chicken rice had slices of chicken, rice that was cooked in chicken broth, then the broth and a spicy and a garlic sauce (good though I liked others).
Two kinds of noodle dishes, and again apologies that I don't know the names. One was a thicker noodle with lots of flavor, some vegetables and shrimp ('mein'). The other was a very fine white noodle (rice noodle or vermicelli maybe) and great spice.
One vegetable dish, water spinach we think. Sauteed with garlicky oyster sauce type flavor. Good complement.
The prawns were amazing, and the crispy heads were the highlight
My favorite was the Chili Crab. Hands get messy, but the meat and flavorful sauce are fantastic
Total was ~$30 per person all in.
So, my favorite Indonesian/Singaporan/Malaysian restaurant is closed, so I decided to try Shiok! as an alternative, as I'd heard positive things about it in the past. Overall, the experience was quite a disappointment.
The food here was well-prepared--though portions were very small. My dining companions pronounced most of the food exquisite, though I personally found it to be good, but not as good as some of my previous Singaporan dining experences. Considering the prices of the dishes, we were surprised to find very small portions, and the quality of food varied.
We ordered Roti prata--which was excellent; Beef Samosa (which I'm told was good), Chicken Sa-tay (which was made with very fatty piece of chicken and was a bit sweet, so it clearly Indonesian-style sa-tay, as opposed to Thai.), Sambal green beans (excellent, though a big salty), Laksa (which had very little meat and was mostly noodles in broth--big disappointment, though the curry sauce was excellent), and a dish called tutti frutti scallops or something to that effect (which was good, but that "entree" contained only 4 scallops!).
I would not recommend this place if you have any type of food allergies--not everything they serve is made from scratch, and they do not know allergen information for the things they cook with that they purchase pre-fabricated (I asked). Thus, I personally couldn't eat half of the dishes we ordered, which was rather frustrating.
However, the most frustrating part of this experience was that the service absolutely abysmal--quite possibly the second worse experience in service I've ever come across at a nice restaurant. We were seated almost immediately, but had a twenty-thirty minute interlude between the arrival of each dish we ordered! Absolutely ridiculous. They forgot two of the dishes we ordered--we had to ask assorted waiters twice if they were coming, and it took over an hour for our water glasses to be re-filled. Our appetizers, excepting the Roti prata, arrived last.
Overall: Food, pretty good, though not as good as the prices would suggest. Service: Horrible. Will most likely not be returning. This was a big disappointment, and I cannot wait for my favorite Singaporan restaurant to re-open.
A Singaporian friend introduced us to this restaurant and we have come since then quite a few times and love it. We especially love as an appetizer their roti with curry sauce and as desert their chocolate wonton! Yam! Entrees we found small but good. Service not the very fastest and don't expect to be seated right away just because you reserved a table... ;)
"A" took me here on a whim and a craving for chili crab. I had never had it, so I thought I would give it a try. We managed to get a table on a Saturday evening with no trouble. There was a large party whooping it up in the back of the restaurant. This place looks great for celebrations. I am not someone native to the region around SIngapore, so I have no idea whether anything was authentic. My motto is, "authenticity be damned so long as my belly is happy".
They took our drink orders very quickly, but got caught up with the big party in the back, so the drinks came out very late. The manager apologized as she brought them out, so all was forgiven. I am not usually a fan of syrupy sweetness, but the hot honey chrysanthemum tea was good. The Singapore iced tea was just all right.
The satay came out very quickly. The chicken was surprisingly very moist and just perfect for two to share.
We ordered both the chili crab AND the pepper crab. The manager reminded us that each of the dishes are big and meant to be shared, but we assured her that we mean business. A waiter gave us plastic bibs with a picture of a lobster. He told us the chili crab can be very dribbly. I hesitated a second before tying that baby around my neck. Like I said, I meant business and did not want anything keeping me from really getting the most out of my meal.
The pepper crab came out first and was the most perfect dish I have every experienced. It was a whole crab with this fantastic pepper sauce all up in every crevice. I dug in with my hands. the shell was soft enough (for the most part) to break apart sans crab crackers, though they did provide them, and ample moist wipes.
The chili crab was good as well, but it just didn't excite me the way the pepper crab did. I think it is a matter of personal taste, and would recommend either (or both) to anyone. The menu says these go great with their sweet buns. I couldn't get on board with that one. We got the sweet buns, but I like my bread products to be softer and spongier. The taste was all right, but nothing to write home about.
On the side, we got the coconut flavored rice. It was like the rice had an steamy affair with a coconut and the essence of the coconut remained on it's grains. I would have preferred more coconutiness, but it was not bad.
For dessert, the prata sundae and pulot hitam were pretty good (and even better the next day). Both kept their fabulous consistencies. I loved the roti they used to wrap the ice cream in the sundae. The pulot hitam could have used a smidgen more of ice cream on top and it could have been just a bit less watery. Perhaps that is how it was supposed to be, but I wanted a bit more texture. The waitress told us the dish could be served warm or cold. It was just fine cold.
We took a lot of the crab home and they both tasted great the next day. We got the nasi goreng (seafood fried rice) to go. Rice tends to turn to concrete in my fridge, but no matter how many times I microwaved this dish over the next day and a half, it was still perfectly soft and yummy.
There was plenty of parking in a lot nearby, as well as parking on the street. The place is very tucked away, so we had to turn on our tasty food radar to find it.
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I'm so happy that I found this place. Located right off the main street in Menlo Park, this little store serves fantastic cook.
I have searched the Bay area for a good Laksa and had been unable to find a good one, anywhere. I think the search continued for about a year. Sure, there were the Thai versions and Chinese versions, but I don't think that they are as good. I finally found a great, tasty Laksa here ($8.75). It's rich, creamy, with a ton of spices. My one thought would be to use less-glassy noodles, but other than that -- perfect.
The very nice waitress also recommended the calamari as an entree. The Savory Satong ($10) were fantastic. Beware that you might pick up a piece of chili, disguised as a calamari in there. Sure, it's a bit of a shock, but they aren't actually that spicy and won't kill you :)
I can't wait to come back here to eat my way through the menu! It's going to be hard to stay away from the Laksa though.
People thought this was:
This place is in Downtown Menlo Park and it's a nice small restaurant which has a different look. A bit refreshing that they don't look like other restaurants around the area. They do remind me of the Tibetan clothing store in downtown PA.
Most tables are just about right for 2 people, I saw a few groups that time so they can manage maybe a a couple of groups of 6-8 people. They even have an outside table (must be for the summer months)
I ordered a Sangria, Roti Prata (recommended from Yelp reviews), Pepper Lamb Chops, Seafood Mee Goreng and the Laksa.
The Sangria was a little off, I only saw a couple of thin slices of lemon in it. No fruits at all. Not much wine in it. I guess drinks are not their strong point here.
Roti Prata (Indian Fried Bread) with curry. This is very fried, no wonder people rave about it. It was a bit oily but I guess it was just freshly cooked.
Pepper Lamb, the marinated lamb was pretty good. It only comes in 2 lollipop-shaped pcs and it has some chopped mangoes beside it.The mango chutney was a little short though, I couldn't put enough on the lamb. But the lamb was nicely done.
Seafood Mee Goreng. Mee Goreng is usually dry noodles, their version had more sauce and it was a little spicy. I usually prefer them a little dry. This was quite tasty.
Laksa. It's coconut curry broth with vegetables, prawns and noodles. Pretty good.
Most of their desserts have some form of ice cream with them and since I'm lactose intolerant, I didn't bother getting any.
My only gripe would probably be the restroom which is deep inside the back of the kitchen. You get a view of the kitchen as you pass through.
I guess this was because of how the building was built. It looks clean and well lighted though.
I'm pretty sure you cannot compare Shiok! with Banana Leaf considering that place is a joke. Next time I will try out their Hokkien Mee which comes in 2 varieties, Malaysian and Singaporean.
People thought this was:
This place is like a best-kept secret.
If you like Malaysian-style food, their food is awesome AND a great value.
No frills and the fact that the owners are working in the business helps to keep the prices low and food quality high.
(I especially like their beef rendang and roti. )
By comparison, I think Shiok fared much better than layang layang and I will definitely go back to try out their other dishes.
Shiok is having a free roti prata promotion by becoming a fan on FB and that's what I got for appertizer. Freshly made, hot out from the kitchen, fluffy, moist, and slightly crispy on the outside, though not sure about the authenticity of the dish but it's done perfectly to my taste. Excellent!
Also ordered:
- LAKSA (rice noodles bathed in spicy coconut-curry broth topped with prawns, chicken, beansprouts and egg.) the coconut curry broth was absolutely yummy, gotta try it!
- COCONUT PRAWNS (Jumbo prawns with shell fried in butter, bird's-eye chili, special sauce, wine and coated with grated coconut.) The prawns were de-shelled and I couldn't taste much of any coconut but it's worty a try.
- SEABASS steamed in banana leaf (price is slightly on the high side for the portion so prob. will not order this again.)
For dessert, we had PULOT HITAM (Black glutinous rice sweetened with Malaccan palm sugar and topped with refreshing coconut ice-cream) and CHOTOLATE WONTON (Crispy chocolate wontons served with your choice of delicious tropical ice cream.) Both were delicious except I'd pulot hitam before so it wasn't as special.
Overall, 4-stars for good service, good food, and a lovely setting where you could enjoy the dinner and conversation with a few close friends or a date.
This is the best place in the bay area I have found for Singaporean Laksa, and I've been looking for 9 months! It has an intense richness of flavour and a little kick. For $8.75, it's a steal!
The only change I would make would be to add the fried tofu and bean sprouts just before serving (it was a little soggy) and have the option of more chicken and no shrimp (just my preference).
Banana leaf does not compare at all. While they do a good Malay style laksa with whole chopped steamed chicken, their soup base doesn't have the kick that Singaporean Laksa should have.
People thought this was:
I'm always on the lookout for good, authentic Southeast Asian fare in the Bay Area. Simply put, I've been waiting for a good alternative to Banana Leaf in Milpitas and Layang Layang in Cupertino, which, though excellent, can be a pain when it comes to waiting on a Saturday evening.
Along comes Shiok Singapore Kitchen in the sleepy Menlo Park. During our first and only visit we tried the one dish that made up our standard Malaysian-food-litmus-test, the Roti Prata. And we also ordered a dish of fried rice and, after spotting a couple of unusual items on the menu, we threw in duck garlic noddles and coconut prawns.
The roti prata was interesting - instead of the paper-thin, almost balloon-like version offered by Banana Leaf, this one lies flat on the plate, is a bit more substantial when you bite into it, and for that reason much more pleasing to eat. The curry sauce that it came with is not as watery as Banana Leaf's could sometimes be (blame in on the high throughput!).
The nasi goreng was delish - but then again, it's pretty damn hard to mess up this dish.
Consider this - I spent the first 17 years of my life not having to lift a finger when it comes to house chores: cleaning up the house, washing and ironing my clothes, AND cooking. To survive in my first 8 years of living abroad by myself, I ate out 80% of the time (20% was spent eating at various friends' places).
Only in the past few years did I learn how to cook.
Um... using those instant packet sauces.
Nasi Goreng is my forte - cold, yesterday's rice, a couple of eggs, a few slices of bacon, frozen peas and carrots, and a packet of IndoFood Oriental Fried Rice mix and all of a sudden, I am a domestic goddess a la Nigella Lawson.
So the moral of the story is, it IS pretty damn hard to mess up a simple fried rice dish.
The last two dishes were, unfortunately, a disappointment. The duck garlic noodles had a funny smell to it (and, to be honest, I don't recall ever seeing this dish in the years of living in the Southeast Asian region) and the coconut prawn was too buttery.
Yet, the service was pleasant enough, I like the ambiance of the cute restaurant, and there are a bunch of other dishes on the menu that I could try again.
As I said, I am always on the lookout for for good, authentic Southeast Asian fare in the Bay Area.
The key word being 'authentic'.
People thought this was:
Skimmed the reviews and surprised by some of the lukewarm ones - I'm not Singaporean so can't vouch for authenticity, but the food is YUM. It's perfect if you're in the mood for Indian or Thai - we left stuffed and happy.
It's actually a cute little restaurant - not crowded, nice atmosphere - and still very welcoming for our party which included our 3 year-old toddler. They gave him his own little monkey dinner tray and cup - and didn't flinch even when he dropped his spoon for the third time...He gobbled his food down! We ordered the nasi goreng (we asked for something close-ish to fried rice) for him - asked them to keep it mild - and he just wolfed it down. He loved the five-spice roll and roti appetizer too. We saw a guy picking up take-out mentioning that his sons were demanding Shiok that night - so it's definitely a good choice for kids who don't insist on only eating chicken nuggets and mac & cheese.
The noodle and rice dishes are very flavorful, not too spicy - but I'm sure they'd accomodate you if you wanted it hotter - got the duck garlic noodles and char kway teow (like chow-fun), and they ran less than $9. We also got a pepper beef dish - also very flavorful, perfect with the coconut rice. The other seafood and meat dishes run from $10-$17.
Didn't get a chance to get dessert - too stuffed, had lots of leftovers too. Best part? We busted out a http://restaurant.com gift certificate (a glorified coupon) for $25 off, and the staff didn't blink and were just lovely about it. The staff was very good - warm and sincere without being obtrusive or over the top. Chatted with the owner who thanked us and sent us on our way with free drink vouchers for next time. YES! The ice coffee and tea are delicious and perfect with the spicy food. He mentioned that there aren't too many other Singaporean places in Palo Alto/Menlo Park - though Straits Cafe used to be owned by a Singaporean. Well, we've eaten at Straits Cafe - and I could not finish my noodles, drowned in bland, overly salted gravy - I pick Shiok hands down. Good eats.
The boy and I went exploring last weekend. We ventured all the way out to downtown Menlo Park. Naturally, with me being the trusty navigator, we got lost. Everything was fine until we exited the freeway. Quick tip: if you're heading down El Camino Real and you see the Stanford Shopping Center on your right, you went too far. Stanford = Palo Alto, not Menlo Park. We turned back around and found the small street that housed Shiok Singapore Kitchen.
As I stepped into Shiok, I thought I saw someone from the cast of Lost. I thought to myself, "Sun? Is that YOU? What are you doing here in downtown Menlo Park so far away from the island of Hawaii? Are you guys done filming the next season already? Can you divulge to me the secrets of what the heck is wrong with that damn island?" More about this later..
The service at Shiok was inviting and friendly. The restaurant itself was clean and nicely decorated. It was so quiet. Like listen-in-on-conversations-three-tables-down quiet. Mm hMm.
On with the review! We ordered the prata roti to start. Yum. Next, the Singapore Butter Prawns (jumbo sized prawns stirred in crispy oatmeal, butter and eggs) and the Laksa (rice noodles bathed in spicy coconut-curry broth topped with prawns, chicken, beansprouts and egg). We also ordered a side the Fragrant Chicken, which was pretty much a side of chicken karage. Every culture borrows from other cultures- who can say for sure who created what first? I certainly wasn't there, were you?
Anthropological philosophies aside, we ended our meal with an order of banana fritters with coconut ice cream. It was scumptious and perfectly prepared fresh to order. Everything was served fresh and piping hot with great timing (as opposed to the disaster that was Namu- see my review).
So, as we left, Sun from Lost actually turned out to be a girl who works at Shiok. Dang it, looks like I'll have to follow the frustrating plot turns of Lost for yet another year. That's about as appropriate a name as you'll ever find for a series drama. LOST castaways, really LOST (and confused) viewers.
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My mother grew up in Malaysia and has had difficulty finding authentic Malaysian cuisine in this country. Although it can't compare to the food stalls she grew up with back home, Shiok does a pretty decent job at satisfying her appetite.
The flavor profile of Malaysian food is completely different from the more common Asian foods you'll find around (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai) and I recommend everyone try it at least once.
We almost always start with the popiah - spring rolls in a light pancake-like roll filled with bean sprouts, jicama, shrimp, lettuce, and carrots with a spicy fish sauce for dipping. I believe this isn't always listed on the menu but it's quite tasty and you can always ask for it.
The beef rendang is also good - beef marinated in coconut milk and spices and cooked over a long period of time. I love the spicy contrast of the beef with the pickled cucumbers, but honestly sometimes the beef isn't of the highest quality.
Kangkong is a nice side veggie people should try as it's not often seen in American grocery stores. It's prepared in a shrimp paste sauce with some spices, and we always try to order this vegetable when in season. Coconut rice on the side, and a coconut to drink (straight out of it) and you're good to go !
Oh and for dessert, I recommend the pulut hitam. It's a black glutinous rice porridge that's slightly sweet, and you can get it either hot or cold depending on the season (and with hot coconut milk or cold coconut ice cream).
Shiok is a small family-owned restaurant with decently priced yummy food that's much more authentic than the Straits Cafe.
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I have been going to dinner here about twice a month for several years. I really enjoy the mix of south asian flavors. I can taste elements of Thai, Indian and Chinese flavors in many of their dishes. My favorites are: roti prata, beef rendong, peppered prawns, and most of the noodle dishes.
This is a small family owned business with people who are really nice. The optional outdoor seating is a big plus during the warm weather months. The food is consistently good and a really good value. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys Asian food or who likes to try new dishes.
Came here for dinner a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. Unfortunately the experience has been blunted by my more recent (and tastier) visit to Kopitiam in Lafayette; in comparison Shiok felt a lot more uppity (and so you feel like you're paying a bit too much to eat hawker food in a nice restaurant) and it didn't have a friendly Singlish speaking owner to make you feel right at home. We had the following dishes:
- Roti prata: The curry was good, but the prata was probably the frozen kind (btw, is there any place here that actually makes their own prata??)
- Ngoh hiang (five spice roll): Decent, but didn't taste at all like ngoh hiang
- Mee goreng: A bit soggy but pretty authentic tasting
- Curry chicken: By far my favourite dish here! Very authentic, I only wish I'd had some baguette to go along with it...
- Hor fun: Also very authentic!
- Teochew duck: Just ok, I've had better at R&G in Chinatown
One of the better Singaporean restaurants in the area, but if you're willing to drive, just go to Lafayette instead.
People thought this was:
Shiok is a little singaporean place tucked away in downtown Menlo Park.
The food is pretty solid and authentic, I have yet to be disappointed and I've been here several times during lunch hour. The place is never too packed; I've never had to wait to get a table, even if it's smack in the middle of lunch hour.
The Roti Prada is pretty good here. It's done right - flaky, and the portion is good. However, it is a little bit oily. Having said that, I've only had it better at one other place in the bay area (Banana Leaf in Milpitas).
For $7.50, you can get a good sized lunch special, of which my go-to's is the char kway teow.
Check out their specials menu - the singaporean chicken rice have been on the specials menu for months and it is to-die-for.
Everything is pretty decent here, except you have to pay $1.50 if you want a cup of tea.
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I came back for my birthday and I'll keep this simple: AWESOME!! From the previous review that I wrote regarding the Prata, they nailed it this time! That sweetness of the dough is there and you can eat it on its own if you like to! And I don't know if the staff of Shiok was reading my review because they got the Laksa down too! I ordered the Sambal String Beans again and it was no disappointment! Good consistency of flavor!
Oh, and I added the Satay and Chili Crab, both are on par with the taste though I miss the rice cubes, onions and cucumbers for the Satay and the Chili Crab could use more sauce for the dipping.
I heard from a fellow Singaporean that there was a couple of decent Singaporean restaurants within… Read more »
Okay, I found this place on my Garmin GPS while attending Sharkfest 2009 at Stanford U. When I arrived and saw the "salmon curry claypot" in the menu I should've turned and left (salmon is too oily of a fish to go in a delectable oily curry). Silly me. So I sat down and ordered a Mee Siam and a Calamansi Juice figuring they couldn't possibly screw either up. Okay, even after I clarified that the Mee Siam was of the fried Malaysian variety and not the Singaporean variety with the savory fermented brown soy bean sauce, I had a modicum of expectations considering that I saw the chef walk out from the kitchen (her picture is all over the reviews in the front window). Now, I'm an expatriate Singaporean: For a plain Char Bee Hoon, it was barely acceptable. As a Mee Siam, fried Malaysian-style, it was a complete dead loss--utterly tasteless with nary a hint of the tamarind base that Mee Siam, whether fried Malaysian-style or in a soupy sauce Singaporean-style (and I've eaten quite a few). And who the Hell fries eggs into a Mee Siam, even if it's Malaysian style? Eggs are always boiled and sliced in a Mee Siam of any variety. And the Calamansi Juice? It was so watered down that the only thing about it that resembled real Calamansi Juice was the color and the slight hint of lime that you would get if somebody spritzed a lime into a water glass!!!
I haven't had any other dishes but taking a look at the photos submitted by other customers, any Singaporean can tell you that a Mee Goreng shouldn't look like that. Plus it doesn't have peas or carrots in it. And the real thing is a lot darker, has potatoes and tomato ketchup in it. The closest Singaporean dish the picture does resemble is a Hokkien Mee. But even that doesn't have peas and carrots in it. And it's missing the pork belly.
So, all I can say is: Forget this place. I don't know what people are raving about. Shiok? Ya gotta be kidding! "Shiok" is for when something (a dish, a backrub, etc.) is so good that it sends shivers up your spine and you're almost at the point of orgasm. This ain't it. Not by a long shot. Only good for faking out the "Ang Mohs" like another "fusion" restaurant which has branches in Santana Row and San Francisco.
People thought this was:
My girlfriend isn't very adventurous when it comes to eating asian food. So our trips to asian restaurants usually consist of me ordering something crazy and her sticking with sesame or general tso's chicken, then laughing at me as i discover some new incredible dish or suffer though something totally disgusting.
Enter Shiok. I don't have much (read: any) experience with Singaporean food, but given what i've heard about it being a mix of Indian, Thai, Chinese, and miscellaneous other Asian cuisine's, it sounds right up my alley. I read about Shiok a few weeks ago on yelp and moved it to the top of our 'places to go' list that seems to grow twice as fast as we can get stuff off of it.
I ordered roti prata, which came steaming hot with a really delicious curry dipping sauce. It was perfect, and she really liked it.
I also got the laksa, which is a delicious soup loaded with noodles and shrimp. I made a huge mess alternating between the spoon provided and chop sticks, but it was incredible. Talk about depth of flavor. I have got to get over to Singapore in the next few years and just eat the whole time. I could eat this stuff for weeks!
We agreed to split the walnut beef. The beef itself was really fatty and pretty tough. It came with some walnuts and some overcooked and mushy steamed broccoli. The sauce tasted really weird. It was the only really miss of the night, the only thing we didn't finish.
She also got an order of the sesame chicken. I had a bit and it was fairly tasty, but too sweet, and just kind of run of the mill sesame chicken, exactly the safe bet for unadventurous eaters that it should be.
Service was okay. Prices varied quite a bit. You can keep things pretty cheap if you pick things right, but you can also get your bill up pretty high if you like sea food.
I'll definitely be coming back to cruise through some more menu items. I'm sure Rachel will just get the sesame chicken and smile at me.
People thought this was:
Yum!
Fresh Popiah Roll - Very nice with cooked jicama. The sauce has a nice kick to it.
Roti Prata - Very nice curry sauce. I'm not sure about the $6 price, but it was delicious.
Seabass steamed in banana leaf - Very perfectly cooked and the fish was divine. Divine, I tells ya.
Claypot rice - very flavorful rice. Nice portion size.
Goreng Pisang - With lychee ice cream. It was just very needlessly carby. I'd skip this.
Overall, a delicious meal. Enjoyed the laid-back, yet pretty atmosphere.
Authentic, reliable and delicious! I love Shiok and it has become the restaurant to which we bring our visiting Singaporean friends and family. Our visitors always love it and I am glad to have such a quality Singaporean restaurant in Menlo Park. The menu has so many appetizing options and the portions are a bit small, so the tab usually racks up pretty quickly. Lunch specials are a good deal, but I am willing shell out extra to sample all of my favorite dishes at dinner. The beef rengang with coconut rice, chili prawns, char kway teow and sambal string beans are stables and not to be missed!
This is a review by a vegetarian
Like many woman I meet, I should like Shiok more than I do. It's pretty, it's interesting, lively without being raucous, and willing to accommodate some of my ... special needs. But every time I visit I feel like it was a fine impression of the real thing but not real. Shiok isn't being pretentious and , never having visited Singapore, I can't tell if it's authentic. Shiok tries to make me happy and I try to be happy. It's just not enough. I'll come back when a friend suggests the three of us get together again but Shiok isn't usually at the top of my mind.
People thought this was:
We came here on V day. We did not have reservation but was able to get in. The place is quite small but cute.
Pros: clean, good and fresh taste
Cons: the portion is relatively small; have to pay extra for a small bowl of plain rice even you ordered a main course.
I was slightly disappointed because after spending $40 there for our V day, I had to go home and eat some leftover soup to fill me in-but that is just me.
I went here tonight with my mom and my godmother. I had seen the store in passing and always wanted to go in. The decor is very serene and I love the colors they used on the walls (plum and a sage green), the bamboo plant near the register, and the pillows along the wall.
The waiter was very nice and promptly brought out water and asked what we'd like to drink. If anyone is an iced tea fanatic like me, get the Ginger Mango! It's very refreshing and has a nice flavor. Instead of sugar, they give you sugar water, which was interesting. I've never had it before, but I really enjoyed it in my beverage.
I got the Tropical Fruit Salad (it was a lot bigger than I expected and I brought it home) and the small plate Chicken Curry. The first dish was very good, very refresh, perfect for a summer evening. It has an array of fruits and vegetables including cucumber and mango in a light orange sauce. The Chicken Curry was amazing and very filling! The sauce was a little bit on the oily side, but other than that, the dish was fantastic!
For desert I got the chocolate won-tons with green tea ice cream. This desert was very rich, but so delectable!
People thought this was:
This is in that in between place for me. Better than Red Lantern, not as good as Banana Leaf. It's chichi, has a fancy pedigree with the originating chef bringing Singapore to the Bay Area.
However, I ate there early on, like, early 2000s. And it was shockingly bland. I was disappointed. I ordered the black pepper crab, waited forever, and then was devastated to discover they use a rub, it tastes nothing like black pepper crab in Singapore. I felt cheated.
I went back later. Saw our old Google all-star chef, Charlie Ayers. He seemed thrilled. I didn't want to comment.
Of course, this is one chef's interpretation of her homeland cooking, she's incorporating her own training, her family history, and reinterpreting for a new audience of foodies in here Cali.
The result ... yes the dishes have the names you'll expect. But will they always have the flavors, I dunno. Some things you can't mess up - greens, sambal, roti prata. But even the curry was meh.
It was just all around mediocre and I recognize that for the average Californian open to exotic flavors this is like, probably eye opening and thrilling.
But if you're looking for wow factor and value for your money wit the intense authentic flavors you're looking for ... I'd rather eat in Milpitas. Seriously.
Sorry Shiok!
lichee soda - yum!
fresh coconut juice - they cut off the top off a fresh coconut
I got the clay pot rice with chinese sausage and bok choy. naughty sweet sausage with health bok choy
my friend got the noodle dish - yum!!
great value for Menlo Park and some actually good asian in menlo park!!
only negative. closed on sat for lunch, and closed all day sunday!
for kids: i like the brown paper covered table so you can draw. though you gotta bring your own crayons.
Tofu appetizer is excellent, so is the Laksa. Friendly service.
Portola Valley, CA
Category: Singaporean
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Chinese
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Asian Fusion
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
Redwood City, CA
Category: Asian Fusion
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