HOME ABOUT US ADD AN EVENT POSTING A JOB LISTING A RENTAL MEMBER SIGNUP Asian in NYRSS
Rasa
Back to Category Print this page

25 West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011
Tel: (212) 254 1888

Website: http://rasanyc.com/aboutus.html

Chef Tommy Lai and Camie Lai who are both siblings, grew up in a small village called “Rasa” just an hour north from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. “Rasa” in Malay means taste, it also means feeling.

Although the Lais grew-up in an impoverished environment, they were showered with love and affection from their parents and developed their culinary skills alongside their mother. Both Tommy and Camie absorbed their mother’s recipes of Malaysia’s legendary street food as well as also “choo char” cooking techniques – a style of comfort food cooking unique to Malaysia – and have lovingly recreated it at this 52-seater restaurant in the heart of Greenwich Village.

About Chef Tommy Lai, Head Chef and Co-Owner, Rasa:
Chef Tommy Lai was born and raised in a small town north of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur called Rasa (which translates to ‘taste’ in Malay). He moved to New York with his family in the 1990’s after graduating from high school.

Lai apprenticed at a few different restaurants in the early years in New York including “Penang” which was then one of the first of Malaysian restaurants to take Manhattan by storm. During his formative years in New York, Lai showcased his flair for cooking Malaysian home-cooked dishes and street food , which he and his sister learned from their mother.

In 2011, he was hired by Laut, a Malaysian restaurant in Union Square to lead the kitchen. Under his stewardship, the restaurant earned a Michelin star. In December 2013, Lai opened Rasa alongside his sister, Camie Lai who is an excellent chef in her own right. The siblings intend to raise the profile of Malaysian cuisine at Rasa by introducing dishes from their homeland that are rarely seen or offered in New York.

About Camie Lai, Co-Owner, Rasa:
Camie Lai is the co-owner of Rasa alongside her brother Chef Tommy Lai. She has decades of experience as a home-schooled chef and learning from their mother, picking-up recipes for famed Malaysian street food dishes as well as Malay, Indian and Peranakan cooking.

Prior to opening Rasa, Camie had managed Malaysian restaurants in New York from the 1990s till present day. Together with her brother, Camie has created the menu for Rasa which features traditional fare such as Kampung Fried Rice, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Penang Assam Laksa. Camie also makes her very own Cincaluk, which is featured on the menu at the restaurant.

Events Calendar

Agenda
May 2022

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • March 2008
M T W T F S S
« Apr    
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
GOING GREEN PRIVACY POLICY TERMS & CONDITIONS ADVERTISING WITH US FAQ CONTACT US
© 2008 ASIANinNY.com All rights reserved