A Culinary
Melting Pot
92 South Bay Accent
REVIEW B y S u s a n H a t h a w a y
Fusion cuisine is taken to a
higher plane in the case of
Malaysia. The gastronomy of
this Southeast Asian peninsula
with Singapore on its southern
foot reflects the country’s multiethnic
population and history as a migratory
crossroads. Dining there today means
experiencing complex, full-flavored
dishes whose origins embrace influences
of Thailand, China, India, Indonesia,
Singapore, Portugal, Britain and others
whose citizens have wandered through
over the centuries.
All these years and travelers have produced
a delicious, addictive, truly exciting
cuisine, particularly as offered at upscale
Black Pepper in Menlo Park. The restaurant
was named for the renowned
Sarawak black peppercorns from
Borneo that go into the eponymous
Malaysian sauce with its
layers of salty, sweet and lightly
spicy flavors. The restaurant’s
expansive menu utilizes herbs,
spices, flavorful sauces and fresh,
high-quality ingredients that
please everyone: spice nuts, lovers
of milder flavors, meat aficionados,
vegetarians and more.
Black Pepper opened in 2017
and is the sister restaurant of Banana
Leaf in Milpitas, which has
been thrilling guests for 20 years.
Looking nothing like an Asian
restaurant with its modern design
and cool mezzanine dining area,
Black Pepper offers many of the
popular Banana Leaf dishes plus
a few more.
It’s become a dining tradition
at Black Pepper for the table to
begin with roti prata, which is a
pile of warm, soft, fluffy, handmade
bread; guests pull off pieces with their
fingers and dip them into a divinely subtle
curry sauce. Well over a dozen other starter
items are available, such as satay chicken or
beef, which come as four skewers of juicy,
lovely grilled meat accompanied by a tasty
peanut sauce.
Salads are a glorious part of Southeast
Asia and the kitchen here executes them
well, such as green papaya and mango salad
with shrimp in which the spice level can
be dialed down to minimal or up to searing.
Salad-like are airy spring rolls with
shrimp and veggies wrapped in rice paper
that are a dieter’s delight. For a barely-Asian
choice, go for the ahi tuna salad in which
generous slices of seared fish are draped
across greens with an enjoyable dressing
T h e D i s h o n H o t L o c a l E a t e r i e s
PAULETTE PHLIPOT
Black Pepper delivers complex
Malaysian dishes.