Exotic Eats

There is a reason NYC is known as a global gateway city: Just take a look at our eateries.

- Naomi Serviss

IF YOUR PALATE is ready for the flavors of America’s melting pot, you’re in the right city. Name a cuisine, and you’ll find an outpost here. From Malaysian street food to Icelandic cod, we have it all. For a small, around-the-world sampling, here are eight restaurants that you won’t soon forget.

Union Square’s Laut (Malay for “sea”) is a cheerfully decorated go-to place for a taste of Southeast Asia. A mural painted over an exposed brick wall depicts a brightly colored sea serpent, birds and flowers. Street-food signs hang from the ceiling, giving the ample space a fun atmosphere. Street food here, though, includes such delicacies as a rice crepe with shrimp, crunchy onion, chopped peanuts, plum and soy sauce. Long green beans can arrive in a miniature wheelbarrow. Singaporean and Thai-inspired dishes make for a packed menu that incorporates seasonal ingredients.Chicken satay is tender and spicy. Nasi lemak, the national Malaysian dish, combines coconut and chicken in a kicky, chilies-based sambal sauce. Coconut rice is sweetly addictive, and the coconut pudding is served in a coconut.