Chahaya Malaysia

Ive been coming to this restaurant for years, having grown up in the East end. The quality of the food is always impeccable and the warm ambiance lends well to an intimate dinner, or family affair. The owners are particularly friendly and welcoming, which on top of the delicious food, will leave you wanting to return for another visit! :)

Excellent food

We visit this restaurant regularly. Lovely family own it, and the food is great. Curry in particular is very good. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Wonderful food!! Spicy, aromatic, flavorful and unique. So many different flavors that it's one of those places where you need to let the bites sit in your mouth to distinguish all the tastes. The woman who owns/manages the place can offer wonderful recommendations.

Will never go here again. The "lady" (owner's...

Will never go here again. The "lady" (owner's wife/waitress) pushed one of the customers entirely without initiation. Read full details below. Today was our second trip to Chahaya Malaysia. We had my sister and her family of husband and two kids visiting us from Toronto. My sister had a craving for Asian food and so we decided to take her here. We reached the place around 8 and indeed it was pretty crowded. We were a family of 6 (4 adults, two kids) and my sister was concerned about the kids falling asleep. First we had two wait about 20 minutes at the door despite the lady knowing we were standing there, and despite there being at least two places right in front of us where we could sit. After that, another bus boy (who was just hired) came and took us right to the back of the room to this table in the far left corner that is almost hidden (you can't see or call the waiter). We then waited again, for about another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the lady came and served all the tables around us, didn't even serve us water or chips like they usually do, or even pay attention to us. In order to get a better view of the room and to see if the other waiter was less busy, I moved back in my chair, momentarily ending up on two legs of the chair. The lady came and without warning, without saying a word, pushed me in with force and went to another table. My wife and my jaws dropped! We couldn't believe what had just happened. She then came over a few seconds later while we were talking about leaving and said, "I'm not ignoring you just so you know". To which I replied, "I know you're not, but there's a way. You just pushed me! If I was in your way you could have said 'Excuse Me' and I would have moved". I was totally calm and not rude even at this point. To this she said sarcastically, "Excuse me sir!" and left. We had obviously had it at this point and got up to leave. She gave me a look when going out as if I was the one being inconsiderate to which I said, "For someone who is in the service business, you're pretty horrible!". She replied, "You were rocking my chair sir". I didn't reply and walked off. When we were leaving there was another party waiting at the door. Now I know that this restaurant has already established a name for itself and they know that no matter how they serve or treat people, people will come. So they don't care and disrespect people. If she was an employee, she would have been fired long time back. We had a bad experience the first time around as well, when she insulted my wife saying, "You're not at a chinese restaurant!", when all my wife had asked was "Do you have something with nuts?". We ignored and went back coz we thought the food was decent. But the only thing good here is the chef special chicken, and even that's not worth the bad service.

It's true, the waitress can sometimes be a bit of...

It's true, the waitress can sometimes be a bit of a crab, but the food is SOOOOOO GOOD it is totally worth it. Have never had a bad meal here despite many repeat visits. Most occasions the service is just fine, but every so often it's off. I would put up with much worse service for food this good.

Absolutely delicious - worth crossing Ottawa

I have loved this restaurant ever since it was in the Glebe. I was away from Ottawa for a number of years, and when I returned I found that it had moved to Montreal Road. I have been telling my colleagues at work about this place for some time now and yesterday they suggested we go for the lunch buffet. I had never tried the buffet before and I was somewhat apprehensive as to whether the food would be as delicous as I found it in the evenings. And of course whether those who were joining me would all find the food appealing. Everyone at my table gave "kudos" as soon as they had taken in the first morsel in their mouth. I was overjoyed by their reaction. The buffet today (August 8, 2008) consisted of Rice, variations of Beef and Chicken curries, Stir Fried Vegetables, vegetarian spring rolls, chicken soup, and Pita Bread. Superb was the verdict for every dish, and we ordered half/half of the Beef Rendang spicy/mild renditions. The beef simply melted in our mouth - it is that tender, but really the spicy (3*) version of the rendang is something that should be shared and not ordered as a main dish if you are by yourself. You don't feel the heat so much in the mouth as you do when your stomach gets a tingling of it. It is incredibly tasty but be aware of the spicyness. The dishes on the buffet ranged from mild to medium hot, and everyone was able to handle them quite comfortably. The spring rolls were regualrly replenished because as the owner explained "we want you to have them crispy and not soggy". Great taste. The Indonesian Gado Gado salad (I prefer it over the Malysisan Gado gado) has plenty of chillies and is smothered in peanut sauce with a generous helping of beans, tofu, cucumbers and sprouts. Absolutely delicous. The total bill for 4 with a couple of soft drinks came to around $70.00. The buffet is reasonably priced at $9.95 per person. I have found the owners to be welcoming and warm. I highly recommend this place for fresh and tasty food. It has plenty of free parking. From the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau to the restaurant, it was only a 15 minute drive. Don't let the fact that it is in the East end of Ottawa deter you from going to Chahaya Malaysia.

A good food restaurent in Ottawa

I have been at least five times and enjoyed it most of the time. When they say the soup is hot/spicy, it is really so. One of my colleage from Punjab boasts in having a high tolerance to hot chilli, and thus ordered the hot/spicy grade of the soup, despite my warning him and to take the milder grade. Even he found it too spicy to finish. So, you should only order the spicy range that you can tolerate. I actually found the lady waitress amicable most of the time. There were times, when she was alone by herself, and had too many people to serve, making things rush rush. But in all my five times, never got rude behaviour. I met the chef once, very friendly, and showed us the meat, which has the seal of being Halal (appropriate for muslim customers) and imported from New Zealand. Parking was always available. We had buffet once, and by order rest of the time, and the food was good.

Awesome. I wish the chef would live at my house...

Awesome. I wish the chef would live at my house and cook for me every day.

Love the way that the owner and his wife will go...

Love the way that the owner and his wife will go out of their way to ensure everything is how you want. Don't like mushrooms...no problem! Tofu is the best I've tried anywhere and impresses even meat lovers. This restauant has ruined me for anywhere else! Even my ultra picky vegan sister has been impressed.

I really enjoyed the food here. The atmosphere is...

I really enjoyed the food here. The atmosphere is very welcoming. I felt like I was in Malaysia when I visited here. The batik table cloths are beautiful, and so are many of the paintings. The exterior look of the building certainly does not reflect the taste of the food. It was very delicious, in regards to the comment below mine, I also had the teh tarek, and I don't think the owner made it "just for you," considering it is on the menu and ANYONE can order it... I have been before and I find the service very friendly each time. I have been served by both of the owners, and their children and I find them all very personable and sweet. I am of Malaysian descent and felt at home eating here. Thanks Chahaya Malaysia for bringing me home to my roots.

Eating at Chahaya Malaysia has always been a...

Eating at Chahaya Malaysia has always been a pleasant experience for us. We have enjoyed it most when we bring a group. That way we can order more of their delicious selections to share among us. The atmosphere is perfect for my style- I am comfortable there and have been made to feel right at home by the waitress. She has never led us astray. She guides us with the menu, the hot factor and has even informed us when she thought we were ordering too much food for the number of people. "I'll be glad to bring out more if you need it" she said "but start with this and see how it goes". She was right - we had plenty. We also appreciate the vegetarian component of the menu. Most often visited restaurant for our family.

So I had read all the reviews below (especially...

So I had read all the reviews below (especially those about "The Lady"), and since we were a party of mixed races and ages (26 - 63 actually) , and 2 of us have lived in Singapore for 4 years, we became curious and decided to stop over here on our trip through Ottawa ..... full of prejudice..... First impression: A big friendly welcome smile from the owners in a half-full place on a Saturday evening during "Winterlude". The decoration is unimpressive but clean, my chair wobbled badly, and the blue/white Compact Fluorescent light bulbs throughout gave the room a cold, dim, "fast-food like" athmosphere. Looking at the menu....what ... no mutton soup with roti prata?! OK, no Singapore-Indian influence....pity. The food is very tasty, no doubt there, but it lacked authenticity in some very minor detail. I blame Ottawa more than the kitchen for that, this is after all not Toronto/Markham, and the availability of ingrediences may be somewhat limited in Gloucester. But the Kwei Teow was clearly done wrong: You don't cook the noodles "al dante" for this dish, but totally soft, so we "doggy-bagged" those..... And what about "The Lady"...? Yes, she may be a bit of a Head Teacher type, but she was always friendly and patient and surely means well in her detailed elaborations, just don't interupt her when she does ;-) She knows her stuff and wants you to understand Malay food. I am sure that those "interpersonal frictions" described below are caused by both sides, not unilaterally. We don't live in Ottawa, but if we would, we'd come again. Just don't bring anybody allergic to peanuts, there's plenty in almost every dish.

This restaurant is absolutely delicious. I have...

This restaurant is absolutely delicious. I have been going since it was in the Glebe. I found that a few of the other reviewers gave the restaurant's food a great review but the service lacked ratings, and forgive me, but I do not understand why. The restaurant owners are so friendly, as well as their staff. So helpful, and kind, and very, very educated about the food. I, myself, know a lot about Malaysian cuisine, so have never really needed the help of any of the staff, but when I hear them speaking to the customers, I am amazed at how much they know. To SABADELL: FYI; you will not find help as good as this in Malaysia to describe the dishes, if you're personality is anything like it is on this site, go to Malaysia...PLEASE. I would have a stroke if I had to dine beside you, you, yourself would ruin the experience of Chahaya Malaysia! As a person who has lived to be my age, and have seen so many walks of life, I can't believe the things people write on this webpage. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, bashing people over the internet. I highly doubt you voiced your dissatisfaction at the time. And chances are judging by the types of comments you write online, you likely had whatever it was comming to you. (In regards to: Used to be a Excellent Client , Sabadell and Anonym) Majority rules in this case, and it is so true. The food here is delicious, flavourful, spicy, mild, whatever you please! I will definately keep going for many, many years to come.

We've always passed by this restaurant always...

We've always passed by this restaurant always meaning to go to eat...we ended up finally deciding to try it out for my husband's birthday. The service was amazing, the food is so flavorful and exceptional. We're definately going back to the restaurant and for my next event have them cater if they do that!

Excellent food, well prepared and presented...

Excellent food, well prepared and presented. Clean surroundings and pleasing decor. Mouth watering appetizers! Owner and wife is very knowledgeable and have excellent recommendations, however wife can be an 'acquired taste'.

We are regular customers and love the food. One...

We are regular customers and love the food. One day I arrived for lunch with my party of 3 adults and two children. I received dirty looks from the owner's wife. She told us to wait to be seated. Then she took a party of five in line BEHIND us and sat them down first. She was completely rude to us. She made us feel terrible. We really liked the food. We never went back to the restaurant again.

My husband and I have been going to Chahaya...

My husband and I have been going to Chahaya Malaysia for over ten years. The food is always excellent and as spicy as you want to make it - the hot sauce is on the table! The atmosphere is like being in Southeast Asia, and since it is family owned and operated, you get the personal touch. Some customers have complaints about the "waitress". The waitress is the cook's wife and co-owner. She is very proud of their restaurant and goes out of her way to introduce new folks to Indonesian/Malaysian culture and cuisine. She is a straight forward, direct sort of person and I guess some people find it hard to take. A note on buffet etiquette. You should always take only a little bit of the various foods to try them first. You can then go back and take more of what you want. It is very rude to the owners and fellow clients to load up your plate full of food and not eat it. It is also very wasteful. My husband and I have always been very satisfied with our dining experience at Chahaya Malaysia. We enjoy conversing with the owners. In fact, the owner went out of her way on my husband's birthday, to surprise him with a lovely Indonesian dessert that had beans, nuts, condensed milk and other interesting ingredients. It even had a candle on top and she sang "Happy Birthday" to him. In our opinion, the food, the atmosphere and the owners, make this restaurant worth many return visits.

We are regulars at this wonderful family owned...

We are regulars at this wonderful family owned restaurant. People may remember this place from when it was located in the Glebe. The spring rolls, the gado gado salad and the malaysian noodles are must haves! We have yet to have anything that we don't like over the many years that we have visited. Bali beef, chefs special tofu, javanese fried chicken, soya chicken, pepper lamb, traditional rice, the curries... The food is flavorful and can be quite spicy depending on your preferences. The staff is very helpful with suggestions as to food combinations. The sauces are all made on the premises. The food quality is top notch. The lunch time buffet is a great secret among the local crowd.

This was our first Malaysian experience and hence...

This was our first Malaysian experience and hence our first visit to the restaurant. We went because I found the restaurant online, it had great reviews and we wanted to try something new. The service was amazing. It is a family owned and run restaurant and the staff is extremely helpful in describing the menu, making suggestions, speaking to you about the HEAT of the food, how it is made and where it is from. We were very impressed with everything that we ordered. It was delicious. If you go to the restaurant, I would suggest you try a very small amount of the garlic chili/pepper sauce sitting on each of the tables...before you order. This will provide you with a good indication of the HEAT to come. If you are weary, order a mild dish and add the garlic chili/pepper sauce to your liking of heat. The person at the table next to us ordered a 3-star noodle dish (3 being the hottest it can get). Because of the noodles, the hot sauce sticks to the outside of the noodles, as opposed to being absorbed, and therefore it was intensely HOT. Just be careful and listen to the advise of the servers. They know what they are talking about when they say it is HOT. So unless you are a person who seeks out intense heat in your meals, avoid the 3-star dishes. Hot, hot, hot! We loved this restaurant. I have already decided what I would like to try the next time we go. Will definitely recommend it to others.

My family and I are vegetarians and I have to say...

My family and I are vegetarians and I have to say it is one our favourites in town. The food is always excellent and the service is very good. We are frequent visitors to this restaurants and I have not experienced any bad or discriminatory service. I am of East Indian origin and I have to say I never found anyone treating me or my family badly at the restaurent.