Reviews

Chef Auria delivered above and beyond. Her food was excellent, she was done and ready for my guests with 10 minutes to spare and she left everything cleaner than she found it. The two people she brought to help were total pros. In addition to providing an amazing spread for 75 out of our modest kitchen, she brought a warmth and artistry to the evening that really impressed me and all my guests. I'm so grateful I connected with her and I look forward to having her come cook again! - Bridget B.

I don't even know where to begin, to thank you for dinner on Friday night. The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE. I'm not just saying this - you are incredibly, incredibly talented. Every person in my family was blown away by pretty much every single dish- and we are all really big eaters and not easily blown away. Even my mom called me the next morning, and started asking me twenty questions about your recipes. She was asking what was in the mango habenero sauce, how you fried the chick pea fritters, etc etc- I've really only heard her ask these types of questions before maybe two or three times in my whole life. And the leftovers were so incredible, because M and I were so full at the dinner that it was a completely new opportunity to experience how good the shrimp were, and the bok choy and the beef. All three of which were amazing. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get idea -you blew us all away with your hospitality, and your amazing food. Every single dish. Thank you SO MUCH! Can I be annoying and ask you two recipe questions? - Gandhar S.

I booked Auria as a surprise first wedding anniversary gift for my husband. She was absolutely wonderful!! She was so easy to work with and we had the most amazing Malaysian meal. It was as if we were eating in someone's home in Kaula Lumpur. It's difficult to find such authentic Malaysian cuisine. I'm pretty sure our neighbors were wondering what the wonderful aromas coming from our kitchen were :-) Highly recommended. We most recently attended her valentine's day supper club dinner event. Another great choice - it was 9 courses of the most incredible food. Just when I thought she couldn't outdo herself, she did just that - each dish was better than the next. I wish I could have worn something more forgiving, so that I could fit more food in my stomach! It started with Malaysian chicken satay and went on to rendang-style langoustines, Malaysian seafood chowder, Malaysian roti jala (net crepe with chicken/potato curry, silken tofu with duck egg yolk, salmon with sambal (for us), slow-cooked sambal style short ribs (for everyone else), chili chocolate mousse with dulce de leche and Malaysian chai. She made mango jalapeño martinis as well. I can't wait to attend another event of hers. What she does with Malaysian food is pure magic! - Saba R.

I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful dinner you prepared for myself and friends this past Saturday night. The experience was amazing and we all enjoyed every bite of your perfectly cooked food. I can't decide which was my favorite dish... maybe the Po Piah or the Chicken Satay or the Spinach & chick pea fritters or the shrimp with your famous Sambal .... I can't decide. But I do know I could eat your rice every day of the week! Thank you for your hospitality and for welcoming all of us into your home. I hope to do it again real soon. This is an experience you must have! Fabulous food, amazing chef and wonderful host! - Leslie G.

Well, I have never said this before but Auria cooks even better than my mother! It was a fantastic experience - everything she prepared was absolutely delicious from the curry laksa broth to the accompanying sambal belachan condiment - wonderful and it lasted for several more meals! My guests were absolutely blown away and were so impressed by what she prepared and laid out allowing me to focus on the guest of honor - my baby who turned one. Laksa is my all time favorite dish and I felt so proud to be able to serve my guests a dish so close to my heart but incredibly prepared and displayed. On all levels, from communication to preparation and her detailed instructions of how to serve the laksa for the party without curdling the broth, I was impressed by Auria's warm and professionalism. I also have to note that this was a meal that was incredible value as it served 6 adults and 6 very hungry children and it fed us again at least two more meals. Way better than getting pizza for adults at a party - when you can have a unique, global experience which creates memories FOREVER. I look forward to working with Auria again - especially because I am ADDICTED to her sambal - it is like CRACK! So so so so delicious! Nothing short of delighted. I loved working with Auria - she is able to break down Malaysian food and communicate it easily. There is no one doing that about Malaysian food in the US - she is the Ian Kitichai/Kylie Kwong/ new Charmaine Solomon of Malaysian cooking. Contemporary! New York needs to know about this woman.- Sharon N.

Auria cooking Laksa was our first experience with Kitchensurfing and it definitely made us want to try it again. We enjoyed a superbly flavoured and beautifully presented meal that tasted great. My husband and mother-in-law are Laksa lovers, and they adored Auria's version of it (we learned that there are many different versions of Laksa, depending where in Malaysia it is from). Besides the wonderful meal, we also had a great evening with Auria, talking easily about many things from child rearing to travel, work, New York neighbourhoods, etc. She was a real pleasure to be with, and we look forward to seeing her again soon. Many thanks for cooking for us, Auria! - Verena L.

I booked a cooking class party at Auria's home for my birthday with ten girlfriends (I had seen her at the Atlantic Antic and tasted her brilliant beef sliders there). Hands down the best birthday party I have ever had - she is such a gracious host, and we couldn't believe her gorgeous home. It was worth the trek through the ice and snow. A couple of us are avid homecooks and she quickly sussed out our level of skill in the kitchen, roped in the heavy-hitters and let the rest of us hang back and get minimally involved while chatting, laughing and being wowed by the magic that was unfolding before our eyes! You've never seen such amazing, interesting ingredients. I picked the Curry Laksa class since it's my favorite dish when I go to Malaysian restaurants. Nevermind the amazingly delicious food, Auria is as entertaining as they come. We enjoyed every second of our three hour class and at the end of the time, we couldn't bear to leave. I think I may have to plan another "no special occasion" get-together since I simply cannot wait for my birthday next year! - Sandra F.

Auria was AMAZING; I hired her to do a private cooking lesson as a birthday surprise for a friend. She was an excellent teacher, came completely prepared, managed my tiny kitchen with panache, and left us with a great dinner. Plus Auria gave us not only recipes but also "sourcing" suggestions for the less common ingredients. I still use her recipes ... turns out I am a fan of Malaysian food :-) - Brenna S.

Auria is tops as a teacher and a host. While months have passed since a group of friends made a dinner with Auria, the quality of her teaching and recipes has kept the memory very fresh. Auria masterfully combines practical kitchen skill instruction with entertaining background on Malaysian food culture. As a result, every member of our group came away satisfied: with new cooking ideas, some basic prep skills, thoughts on using new ingredients and, among all, a determination to go home and start cooking Malaysian style. Thank you Auria--the class lives on in our minds! - Greg C.

If there were ten stars, I'd give Auria's gorgeous Malaysian dishes that many, because the food she creates is really that incredible. From the way each dish makes one's taste buds come to life, to the presentation, to the ambience/atmosphere...everything she does is sophisticated, yet accessible. I first hired Auria as a surprise first anniversary gift for my husband. What a perfect choice this was. She taught us how to make a wonderful Malaysian meal from start to finish. And of course, the eating was the best part. She was so easy to work with - good teacher, warm and funny. The menu she came up with was exactly what we wanted - po piah, salmon with sambal baked in a banana leaf and banana-coconut parcels for dessert. - Saba R.

Hi Auria, The dinner we cooked together last night, with all your knowledge and your recipes, was absolutely delicious. I learned so much! My husband said the laksa was like he remembered it was supposed to be. The fish recipe was not like any other we'd tried and it was a wonderful surprise. It is definitely a great dish that I'll make again, as well as the laksa, and now I'll actually know how to make them. Tumis, tumis, tumis.... Thank you soooo much! Learning to cook real Malaysian with Auria was great. She doesn't measure every ingredient but that's because she knows what everything should look and taste like. She does provide clear recipes and sources for the ingredients. The recipes are authentic (I spent time in KL and Jakarta) but really do-able in NYC. Can't wait to cook the recipes again. - Nancy H.