Saté Kampar brings Malaysian fare to East Passyunk
A native wanted the food from her homeland.
East Passyunk's impressive mixture of culinary styles is getting a dose of Malaysia.
Feb. 10 is opening day of Saté Kampar (1837 E. Passyunk Ave.), a BYOB from Angelina Branca and her husband, John.
Ange Branca, a strategist for large corporations such as Deloitte, Fujitsu, and IBM, named the restaurant after her home town, north of Kuala Lumpur. She emigrated to the United States in 2000, finding her way to Philadelphia, where she met John - he owned Philadelphia Rock Gym with his brother - while wrestling with homesickness for the food she grew up with.
"Though I grew up among great cooks in an amazing culinary family, my initial career path was quite different," she said. "John and I have always talked about doing this when we retire. We decided to retire a little earlier than planned to start this restaurant."
There's a bar - not for alcohol but for coffee and tea drinks, some made with condensed milk and evaporated milk, as well as for more refreshing drinks such as Malayan coconut (sourced to Florida), Ribena black-current syrup (a mixer that works beautifully with vodka), the chocolate malt drink known as Milo, and Teh-O-Ais-Limau (iced lime tea).
They've installed grills that cook the sates the old-fashioned way, over coconut shell briquettes. Tofu and fish are options, in addition to chicken, beef, and mutton.
The menu lays it all out, offering clear translations and explanation. Saté fans will find two kinds - saté kajang (the classic spicy peanut sauce) and saté melaka (the milder peanut sauce with pineapple).
There's nasi lemak, essentially a tamale-like packet of a banana leaf filled with coconut-cream-soaked rice topped with the hot-pepper sauce known as sambal, roasted peanuts, fried anchovies, and hard-boiled egg. There's also the herbed-rice-and-fish salad called nasi ulam, and (on the vegetarian side) mee hoon goreng bungkus, a stir-fried rice vermicelli.
These dishes can be eaten with more substantial protein-based dishes (lauk), such as rendang daging, a slow-cooked beef stew. The Brancas explained how to best eat this: Unwrap a nasi lemak. Use your fork to push rendang daging into the nasi lemak (or vice-versa), and eat the meat and rice combo with a spoon held in your dominant hand.
It will be open for dinner only, Tuesday to Sunday, credit cards accepted.