More than a Meal

Sitting at a small table in Kirkland’s Reunion Malaysian Cafe + Kitchen, Robert Tju reflects on the meaning of his restaurant’s name.

“Reunion is essentially a gathering for everyone,” he said. “Have great food and have great conversation — you know, that’s what Reunion is all about.”

Tju and his wife, Grace Ting, co-own the cozy Malaysian restaurant, and they make sure their guests feel welcome and nourished. One patron said just that: she doesn’t feel like a customer; she feels like family.

Another customer said she eats there almost every day.

“Every time I come here, I say, ‘Boss! I’m hungry!’” she said, laughing. “He just makes my food.”

“I love the people who work here,” said another diner enjoying a steaming bowl of curry. “If you’re looking to just try Malaysian food, this is the place to come to. I haven't tried everything on the menu quite yet, but I'll get there.”

Tju said Malaysian cuisine represents a fusion of influences, including Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other indigenous groups, and that’s what makes the food so special.

“People came from many regions in the world to Malaysia,” he said. “So with the spice route, you get all the spices, and you get the blend of locals mixing their own concoction of spices, and there you go — you’ve got Malaysian cuisine.”

The restaurant relies heavily on Washington-grown produce, he said, including cherries and berries in the summer, and apples, pears, shallots, onions, and potatoes in the fall.

“We use a lot of Washington produce and foods throughout the year,” Tju said. “It’s good for all our dishes.”

One afternoon, Tju cooked up a batch of Malaysian vegetable potato curry made with Washington-grown russet potatoes. It’s his favorite kind of potato for this dish, he said, because “it’s creamy, it’s great, and it’s got a very good texture to it.”

The curry features a heap of spices — toasted cumin, cardamom, cloves, coriander, bay leaves, curry powder, ginger powder, salt, turmeric, and cayenne powder — alongside the restaurant’s signature curry paste, which Tju said is their secret ingredient. This is all cooked in vegetable broth with Washington-grown shallots, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, then finished off with coconut milk. The beautiful, creamy dish is a staple in Malaysian homes, Tju said.

“It’s your everyday go-to Malaysian meal,” he said, “breakfast, lunch, and dinner!”

One customer eating at the restaurant said he refers all his clients to Reunion.

“They’re always like, ‘Hey, what’s that? What’s Malaysian?’” he said. “Everyone that has come here and tried it, they are big fans of the place.”

Tju loves sharing Malaysian food with the community because it reflects the cultural heritage and diversity of the country itself.

“Come try it,” he said. “You’ll like it!”