At first glance, Layang Layang gives off the impression of being a small, shabby building that houses a restaurant with below-average food quality. Judging by the voluminous crowd both inside and outside the restaurant, however, the restaurant certainly exceeded my expectations.

Layang Layang has built up a reputation over the past ten years as one of the Bay Area’s best Malaysian restaurants. It definitely deserves the ⅘ star rating on Yelp due to its reasonable pricing, wide variety of dishes, and mouth-watering food.

On any given day, the small restaurant is overrun with both families and the weekday office crowd, all of whom are yearning for a bite to eat. Upon entering Layang Layang, customers are greeted with waiters dressed in traditional Malaysian clothing and, of course, the aroma of tasty Malaysian delicacies. The restaurant is decorated with traditional Malaysian artifacts which give the restaurant a delightful ambiance.

The wait time tends to be extremely long, due to the overly small size of the restaurant and its popularity. Making a reservation is the best way to guarantee being seated soon after arriving.

The service is not impeccable, as waiters take a considerable amount of time to take and process orders, and the food takes a long time to arrive.

I would say that the food quality makes up for the lack of good service. Some of my favorite dishes include the string beans and eggplant covered with black pepper sauce and the pineapple fried rice.

Black pepper sauce has always been my personal favorite, and Layang Layang does an amazing job of preparing their dishes with this tasty addition. The sauce makes the string beans and eggplant have a stronger flavor that really makes me yearn for more.

Pineapple fried rice is a popular dish served in many Asian restaurants, and Layang Layang makes its concoction delicious. The pineapple is fresh and sweet to the taste, and the rice has the perfect tangy taste that will make your mouth water. Customers are given the option of ordering the dish as mild, medium, or extremely spicy.

A popular appetizer that I particularly enjoy is the roti canai, which is similar to a thin, crispy pancake served with a delicious curry sauce. The coconut-ty curry is flavorful without being overpowering, making this dish my personal favorite. The roti canai is always the highlight of my meal, as the combination of the light flatbread with the tasty curry is absolutely amazing.

Space is definitely an issue at Layang Layang, as the tables are cramped in the tiny restaurant space.

Layang Layang is definitely an amazing restaurant with authentic, mouth-watering Malaysian cuisine, and a similar restaurant would be a tough find.