How Many Ways Can You Serve Fried Taro?

It's been one of those months. You know the ones where you are so busy - running around, trying your best to manage your job, your relationship, your friends, your zillion activities without letting any of them down - that, before you know it, you look up and four weeks have zoomed by? Yeah, it's been one of those. So, when a few old friends from grad school e-mailed and asked to get together for dinner, I was happy to - as long as they told me exactly where and when to show up and I didn't have to do any planning. Kind friends that they are, they did just that and, earlier this week, I joined them at Aneka Rasa, a Malaysian place in Allston.

When I graduated from college and moved to Boston, my roommate and I had one major criteria for an apartment - that it be cheap. Remember being 22? Wow. We were so thrilled to find a place that we could afford, we barely noticed that we'd landed in grimy, gritty Allston-Brighton. In fact, since the area was so affordable, there were young, recent grads everywhere we looked (including many old friends from school) - we felt like we'd hardly left campus. I still remember the horrified looks on our mothers' faces the first time they saw our apartment.

Well, it's been years since we've lived there, but navigating Harvard Ave. for a parking space brought back a lot of memories. While many of the store fronts have changed over time, the types of shops and clientele are still the same. Aneka Rasa is one of the new places since I'd left the neighborhood. From first glance, it looks very promising - a big, modern space that, from the street, looks packed with patrons.

As soon as I got inside, I had to laugh. The hostess has been quite ingenious in her seating plan - all of the tables in the front window are full - giving the outside appearance of a hopping joint - but they were the only ones with diners in the whole place. Granted, it was a Tuesday night, so certainly one of the slowest nights of the week. My friends had already arrived, so I join them at their table. Since we are - of course - by the window, it was freezing in our area of the restaurant and I end up with my coat on the whole night.

The menu is an absolute tome of at least 50 or 60 possible entrees. I know very little about Malaysian food, having only tried it on two other occasions, both times at a place in Brookline that - if I am not mistaken - is no longer there. It was very good. However, that was years ago and I don't remember what I ate or what might be considered a specialty of the region. So, when faced with the number of options at Aneka Rasa, I feel a little lost. A few things on the menu that look tasty, are unfortunately crossed out (I assume, meaning not available?). Amusingly, they are clearly crossed out on the computer before the menu was reprinted - as opposed to simply deleting them!

One thing I find unusual about the menu is that quite a few dishes are served with some form of fried taro. Taro is a root vegetable, a little like potato. I didn't know that this was an ingredient frequently used in Malaysian cooking, but it appears that way. Interested by this phenomenon, we order butterflied shrimp, battered with taro and fried, as well as chicken satay, for appetizers. Service is quick and friendly, though they are a little aggressive with filling our water glasses and getting an explanation of a few items on the menu is a challenge due to a language barrier. At one point, my friend and I literally drop our forks on the floor at the same moment and our waiter is immediately to the table with two replacements, without even being asked.

Our appetizers arrive quickly and I go first for the shrimp, eager to try the taro. I should have been more patient. The taro is bland, tasting only of the oil it was fried in, and the small shrimp are mealy and lost in the mush surrounding them. The plum sauce that accompanies them is overly sweet and too thin. The satay is far better. Thin strips of juicy grilled chicken, served with an ample pot of chunky, spicy peanut sauce. I am a sucker for nuts and I love the crunch that the large pieces of peanuts give the dish.

For our main courses, one friend chooses a simple stir-fry served in - what else - a fried taro "basket." My other fellow diner selects a saucy, green curry pot and I order Rendang Beef, described on the menu as "pieces of beef simmered in coconut milk and exotic curry spices." We also ask for a side of coconut rice for the table. Despite choosing a wide variety of entrees, each dish shares one thing in common - they all lack any character or unique flavor. My beef is tough and a little stringy and barely has any punch of taste or spice. At first I worried that the coconut milk of my meal and the coconut rice might result in an overly sweet experience. I needn't have given it second thought. Neither dish has any identifiable coconut taste, which is a shame, since I love that flavor. The curry pot is equally bland and full of odd, mismatched vegetables. The stir-fry ends up being the safest choice for its simplicity and is somewhat tasty - if you avoid the taro.

I'd give Aneka Rasa at 122 Harvard Ave. in Allston, a C-. While Malaysian restaurants in Boston are in short supply, there are plenty of places turning out delicious pan-Asian fare - stick with those. And if you see taro on the menu? Skip it. Trust me.