New Malaysian restaurant in Cupertino
Nathan Lau
food in Cupertino called Sochi. Sochi used to be a Russian food
restaurant, but they recently hired a couple of Malaysian cooks.
A friend introduced us a couple weeks back. We had the Roti Prata,
Special Squid, Kankung Belacan, and Ipoh Chicken Rice. The Roti wasn't
the best, but chalk it up to inexperience by the roti maker. The rest
of the food was wonderful! Service was very friendly and attentive.
Prices were reasonable.
We took a bunch of friends there last Friday and they all loved it. We
ordered Lohbak, Hokkien Mee, Kankung Belacan, Ipoh Chicken Rice, Seafood
in Taro Basket, Asian Spareribs, Beef Rendang, Brunei Mango Chicken,
Pineapple Fried Rice, Assam Laksa, and a few other dishes I can't
remember. The Seafood in Taro Basket was just perfectly done. Asian
Spareribs and Brunei Mango Chicken were a bit sweet. The Assam Laksa
was so tasty, we couldn't stop eating it! Dessert is free and varies
daily.
A couple of my friends went back the next night with their parents.
Others are talking about going back.
I highly recommend Sochi's for great, authentic Malaysian food. The
address is 20956 Homestead Rd. From I-280, take the De Anza exit. Head
North on De Anza. Turn left at Homestead and keep going West until you
see Homestead Center on the left. Turn in to the Center. Sochi's is
next to the bowling alley facing Stelling.
Aloha,
Nathan Lau
San Jose, CA
Asya Kamsky
Nathan Lau <lau...@usdotibm.com> wrote:
>Thought I'd let you know about a great place for authentic Malaysian
>food in Cupertino called Sochi. Sochi used to be a Russian food
>restaurant, but they recently hired a couple of Malaysian cooks.
And they didn't change their name???
That's almost as absurd as when Volga went from being Russian to
being Persian food... At least geographically they are a lot
closer than Sochi is to Malaysia...
--
Asya Kamsky
I will complete a marathon and raise $5000 for the SF AIDS Foundation,
Dec 9, 2001, Honolulu, Hawaii. Sponsor me!
For more information see http://www.things.org/~asya/why.html
Peter L
> In article <3BC2490B...@usdotibm.com>,
> Nathan Lau <lau...@usdotibm.com> wrote:
> >Thought I'd let you know about a great place for authentic Malaysian
> >food in Cupertino called Sochi. Sochi used to be a Russian food
> >restaurant, but they recently hired a couple of Malaysian cooks.
>
> And they didn't change their name???
>
> That's almost as absurd as when Volga went from being Russian to
> being Persian food... At least geographically they are a lot
> closer than Sochi is to Malaysia...
That brings up my fav restaurant names. DC used to (still do?) have a
Thai restaurant named the Three Vikings.
Roberta L. Millstein
> Thought I'd let you know about a great place for authentic Malaysian
> food in Cupertino called Sochi. Sochi used to be a Russian food
> restaurant, but they recently hired a couple of Malaysian cooks.
Are you sure you've gotten that right? Last I checked, the Russian
restaurant was still there, but there was a new Malaysian restaurant
called the Coconut Rose, formerly a Chinese restaurant called China
Rose. Maybe you went into Coconut Rose, thinking you were going into
Sochi?
--
Roberta L. Millstein
rlmil...@spamaway.rlm.net
Remove "spamaway" to reply
Geoff Miller
Nathan Lau <lau...@usdotibm.com> writes:
> Thought I'd let you know about a great place for authentic
> Malaysian food in Cupertino called Sochi.
I had lunch there today. Not bad! I don't remember the name
of what I ordered, since all of the menu was unfamiliar, but
it (the first item listed on the Lunch Specials menu) was a
combination plate of sorts. There was a bit of squid, some
beef and chicken, spicy noodles, and peanuts, all encircling
a mound of coconut rice. The beverage I chose was listed on
the meu as a "coconut drink," which turned out to be an
actual coconut with a straw in it. The milk was diluted a
bit with water to increase its volume. It came with a
long-handled spoon for scraping out the meat as a sort of
inclusive dessert. The lunch specials include an actual
dessert, a warm, reddish, tapioca-like dish that was quite
tasty. The service was indeed friendly and attentive.
What I don't get is the Russian angle. All the food on the
menu looked and sounded a lot more Southeast Asian that
Russian. There were two tables of people who were obviously
Russian, though, and one of them was served a kebab dish
that I didn't remember seeing on the menu. Maybe there's
a separate menu for Russian food that you have to ask for.
In any event, I liked the place and definitely plan to go
back. Thanks for the write-up, Nathan.
Interestingly, this was the second day in a row when I went
somewhere at lunchtime and found myself seated near a middle-
aged Caucasian man who was holding forth at length in a loud,
baritone voice. Imagine Benjamin Netanyahu talking too loud
because of a plugged-up ear, and you'll have the picture.
We're talking three testicles and no volume knob.
These guys seem to be multiplying; they've become a definite
restaurant archetype in my experience. They wouldn't be all
that noteworthy of it weren't for the way that they always
seem to be domninating the conversation at their respective
tables; I wouldn't notice them nearly as much if the other
people in their groups did a greater percentage of the talking.
You know how Area 51 is guarded by Camo Dudes? Well, I've come
to think of these people as the Baritone Guys.
Geoff
--
"Any Afghani restaurants in the area that have a decent lunch
buffet...someplace that you can get the calories to fight a
jihad, at a reasonable price?" -- John S. Watson
Nina S. Hevern
Geoff Miller wrote:
> What I don't get is the Russian angle. All the food on the
> menu looked and sounded a lot more Southeast Asian that
> Russian. There were two tables of people who were obviously
> Russian, though, and one of them was served a kebab dish
> that I didn't remember seeing on the menu. Maybe there's
> a separate menu for Russian food that you have to ask for.
> In any event, I liked the place and definitely plan to go
> back. Thanks for the write-up, Nathan.
Haven't been on the newsgroup for quite a long time but started reading
it again recently . . .
I had lunch at Sochi yesterday and went back again today with a friend .
. . Yes! It really is THAT good!!! The owner, Roland, chatted with me
at length once he discovered I was Malaysian. I asked him about the
Russian angle (the menu for Russian food is on the back of the
multi-page menu you get). Apparently they all used to work at the
Coconut Rose next door. They got screwed and decided to start their own
restaurant. Sochi's owner agreed to co-lease and share the space with
them. They appear to co-exist well together and take orders and bus
tables for each other.
You have to try the Nyonya Fish the next time you go . . . it's
absolutely phenomenal! And Nathan, you were right about the Asam Laksa
. . . it was amazing . . . just like Mom makes it. Wish they hadn't
skimped on the pineapple and the petis though.
Cheers,
Nina
butt...@shell8.ba.best.com
Isn't it actually somewhere in NoVa? I think it's now merely a
Chinese. I can picture it, but can't quite place it -- was quite
excited when I first noticed the place, thought "All right! Real
Scandinavian!" but upon closer inspection, great disappointment.
Leng Leng Tan
restaurant right next door called Sochi. They're both still there.
Coconut Rose food is very good. Get the Roti Cenai (sp?). Rendang beef
is great. Asam Prawns is also yummy and has gotten much better over the
months and is now a tad better than Banana Leaf's.. Yum!!!
Nathan Lau
was packed out! Looks like word is getting around. They're going to have
to hire another waiter soon.
We ordered the atca (pickled cucumbers and carrots in a sweet peanut sauce)
for appetizers. It was okay, but I preferred the lobak we had last time.
We also ordered the lady fingers (okra) with belacan. Even Mr. Leung agreed
that the kankung belacan would have been better.
We also had the seafood in taro basket, the tom yam soup, the Sabah fish (a
fried, black pompano covered in a red sauce), and the "awesome" laksa.
A few of the tables there were having the Russian fare, including the
kebabs. Going to have to try those next time.
Aloha,
Nathan Lau
San Jose, CA
"Nina S. Hevern" wrote:
> Geoff Miller wrote:
> > In any event, I liked the place and definitely plan to go
> > back. Thanks for the write-up, Nathan.
>
> Haven't been on the newsgroup for quite a long time but started reading
> it again recently . . .
> I had lunch at Sochi yesterday and went back again today with a friend .
> . . Yes! It really is THAT good!!! The owner, Roland, chatted with
> <snip>
Nina S. Hevern
exception of the Kangkung Belacan, the other 2 dishes we ordered -- the
Indoh Sizzling Beef and the Sambal Prawns were just so-so. I was
especially disappointed with the Sambal Prawns as I expected it to be
super spicy, cooked in a (sambal tumis) coconut milk based sauce.
Instead I got something along the lines of Sweet and Sour Prawns. The
prawns were huge though.
They were outrageously packed though . . . the customers kept coming in
droves. They couldn't turn the tables fast enough! I think I'll stick
to lunch . . . food appears to be better when they're not rushed.
Cheers,
Nina
Michael Dix
>
> Hey . . . I was there Saturday night too! Have to say that with the
> exception of the Kangkung Belacan, the other 2 dishes we ordered -- the
> Indoh Sizzling Beef and the Sambal Prawns were just so-so.
Do they use the bland belacan like at Banana Leaf in Milpitas, or
the really stinky kind?
Nina S. Hevern
Malaysian, I'm partial to belachan and don't find it "stinky" :o)
Nevertheless, if I had to guess, I'd have to say that it's the bland one
as their sambal belachan, which I've ordered on the side every time I've
gone there, is nowhere close to the kind I'm used to making or eating --
you have to have the right mix of chilis, belachan, salt and tamarind
juice. Maybe they're just not making it right.
Cheers,
Nina
Nathan Lau
kitchen. Probably why they didn't notice we didn't have our menus until 10
minutes after we were seated. Just what I was afraid of: they'd become too busy
and then the quality would go down.
Okay everyone! Help keep the quality up! Stop crowding out Sochi's! ;-D
Aloha,
Nate
Roberta L. Millstein
Nathan Lau <lau...@usdotibm.com> wrote:
> The five of us were there from 7:30 and sat in the corner farthest from the
> kitchen. Probably why they didn't notice we didn't have our menus until 10
> minutes after we were seated. Just what I was afraid of: they'd become too
> busy
> and then the quality would go down.
> "Nina S. Hevern" wrote:
>
> > They were outrageously packed though . . . the customers kept coming in
> > droves. They couldn't turn the tables fast enough! I think I'll stick
> > to lunch . . . food appears to be better when they're not rushed.
Try a weekday night, early. We went there this evening (Tuesday),
arriving around 5:30. When we left around 6:30, there was still no one
there. They were (as you might imagine under those circumstances, but
I've seen otherwise) extremely solicitous and friendly, and the food was
delicious. We had mango chicken and vegetable curry soup, and they
comped us a yummy coconut desert. We'd had a lukewarm experience at
Coconut Rose next door and never went back, but we're definitely going
back to Sochi.
Roberta
Nathan Lau
there. One of our friends can't take spicy, so our menu was on the mild side.
We ordered the lobak, kankung belacan, ipoh chicken rice, pineapple fried rice,
bak kut teh, and a pearl noodle soup dish (can't remember the name from the
menu).
Everything was good, and I especially liked the pearl noodle soup dish. It had a
"homestyle comfort-food" kind of taste. I've had better bak kut teh, but I'm not
much of a bkt afficionado anyway. My friends had the bur bur cha cha for
dessert, but I opted for the pulut hitam.
By the time we left at 12:30 pm, the restaurant was getting crowded. So my
advice is: go early, and go often!
Aloha,
Nathan Lau
San Jose, CA
Nathan Lau
> We ordered the lobak, kankung belacan, ipoh chicken rice, pineapple fried rice,
> bak kut teh, and a pearl noodle soup dish (can't remember the name from the
> menu).
It's simply called "Clay Pot Pearl Noodle".
We went last night (Monday) at around 7:30. There was only one other couple there
besides us three. We were lucky because Mr. Leong usually closes on Monday nights.
He was just feeling bored so he decided to open up that night.
I ordered the lobak, kankung belacan, and assam laksa. Feel like I'm falling into a
rut, always getting the same things, but these are my favorite dishes now. The assam
laksa is spicier than before; Mr. Leong says people keep asking them to make it more
spicy.
My friend ordered the roti prata because he's been missing it. He should have
passed. It was flat and hard, not fluffy like we're used to. Mr. Leong says it has
something to do with the flour they get from Costco.
We also ordered the beef rendang. It's okay, but we were expecting it to be a little
drier. For dessert we got bur bur cha cha and pulut hitam.
As I said, we were lucky that Mr. Leong was open on last night, as he usually is
closed. He's planning to open 7 days a week. He's got a few lunch regulars now, but
weeknight diners are not as plentiful. Weekends are busier, but if you're planning
on going on a Saturday night, call ahead to make sure they aren't having a Russian
party.