Healthy NYC Restaurant Reviews- Nyonya

We are going Malaysian with this week’s installment of the Healthy NYC Restaurant Reviews- a weekly blog post where we explore ways to eat healthy without while eating out. This week we we will take a look at NYONYA a Malaysian restaurant located at 194 GRAND STREET, MANHATTAN 10013. Note that when I last ate at Nyona, their health inspection rating was 10 (industry average is 14 and anything over 28 points requires serious work on the part of the establishment), however in doing this review, their last inspection left them with 34 violation points.

From the NYC Departement of Health Inspections:

Violations were cited in the following area(s) and those requiring immediate action were addressed.
Sanitary Violations
1.) Thawing procedures improper.
2.) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.

Let us hope that they quickly remedy this situation as the food there is pretty good and worthy of a high recommendation. Remember to always look up a restaurants inspection report before eating there, it is just a good practice.

The first thing that strikes you on a Malaysian menu is the abundance of peanut and curry sauces, (both are fine in moderation) as well as an abundance of seafood and healthy protein dishes. Looking at the menu at Nyonya, the appetizer section is filled with many wholesome choices for anyone trying to keep their eating patterns on the straight and narrow path. As always, don’t have appetizers if you are eating later in the day or are not going to be terribly active after your meal, (see my article- Managing Your Carbohydrates  for more information about food timing). Always try to veer towards the protein selections for an appetizer, like the Nyonya Satay Chicken Beef,  marinated chicken or beef on skewers or something more veggie based like the Achat, pickeled vegetables.The Roti Canai is really good, I will be honest with you, a light crispy wrap that is eaten with a curry dipping sauce, very much like the roti that I grew up with in Trinidad, but crispier. It is great, but with this dish, moderation is the key. If you do get it, make sure you share it with a friend and don’t get seconds (which isn’t as easy as you would think).

On to the Entree selections there are a host of great plates, try to stay away from the fried foods as always, and remember that crispy tends to mean fried! The seafood at Nyonya has a range of everything from Red Snapper, Tilapia, Striped Bass & Chilean Seabass in addition to crab and shrimp. There often seems to be some confusion as to whether shrimp is considered healthy food, and my response is that as long as it is not fried or pasted in butter, it really isn’t any different from any other protein source and has all the healthy fats you need as well. A lot of the dishes come with sauces, which for good measure you should ask for on the side and use sparingly. The Steamed Fish in Ginger Paste and the Curry Red Snapper with okra are great, and if you really are on a strict diet, you can even ask them to steam the fish for you without any sauce added. The Crabs In Special Aromatic Flavor works as well as does the Sauteed Frog with Ginger and Scallion for the more daring diners! (They even have a little warning that you ask the waiter about it before you order it, just so you understand what you are getting.)

Nyonya also has great casseroles, Chicken in Claypot and rice dishes, Duck with Ginger and Scallion over rice being a good one. They also serve a mean Curried Chicken with Rice for those that like a little spic in their rice. There are many steamed chicken dishes to choose from, Mainanese Chicken, Spicy Thai Chickenand some great vegetable dishes as well. All in all Nyonya is a great place and I do believe that in my travels you can go into a Malaysian Restaurant and eat well. Thanks for tuning in and I will see you next week!

Overview:

Nyonya-194 GRAND STREET, MANHATTAN 10013
Food Type: Malaysian
Price: On the cheap side
Quality Rating: I give the food 3 and stars out of 5 and the décor and ambiance 3 stars.
Diet Friendly Rating: 3.5 stars. There are a adequate selections that you can order here and stay on point!
Health Rating: A passing not so great recent grade from the NYC Department of Health  with some violations listed.

Malaysian Cuisine Rules For Staying In Shape

1.  Ask for sauces on the side, have appetizers only if you are going to be active later or if it is earlier in the day.
2. Choose protein foods as appetizers, and go easy on the roti.
3. Have water as your main drink- you’ll save a lot of calories that way and skip the sake!
4. Don’t overdo it. Think in terms of having a quality dining experience and not paying to fill your stomach to the point of bursting.
5. Learn to do without dessert. Like anything else, the taste for sweets is learned and anything learned can be unlearned with time. (Read my article here about controlling your eating habits)
6. Enjoy yourself!

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