Nestled in the heart of downtown Mason, in what used to be the old municipal building, sits a unique Malaysian restaurant.

Since opening its doors in September, Straits of Malacca – named after a famous ocean waterway - has introduced patrons to its unique, Eastern-Western fusion cuisine.

“It’s hard to describe Malaysian cuisine because it’s a blend of so many different influences,” said Alvin Liew, who owns the restaurant with his siblings, Mary, Susan, and twin brother Paul, who is the accomplished chef and creative culinary mind behind the menu. “Chinese, Indian, Malay, Dutch, Portuguese – it’s truly fusion with a very unique taste.”

The restaurant has three distinct dining areas. The Tioman Café is the fast, casual dine in/take out area of the restaurant that is open Monday through Saturday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Orders are taken at a counter and then the food is brought to your table.

The Blue Intan is the jazz and tapas bar section of the restaurant where adults can relax, have a drink and ease into the menu by ordering small bites (tapas) of the food.

The Langkawi Spice is the more formal, gourmet dining room for enjoying a full, traditional meal.

Since many are unfamiliar with Malaysian cuisine, Liew offers some recommendations. For lunch, he recommends the Char Kueh Teow – fried rice noodles with bean sprouts, green onion, large shrimp and dark soy sauce for $7.99.

For dinner, he recommends the Sultan’s Scallops – pan-seared scallops with candied ginger crust, shrimp and taro risotto, fried eggplant, bok choy and cayenne cheese crisp for $18. Or if seafood isn’t your thing, he recommends trying the Lamb Biryani – braised lamb shank in oriental spices served with biryani rice, seasonal root vegetable, button mushrooms and fried cipollini onions for $26.

“These selections are mild, yet still tasty – a great introduction to our cuisine,” said Liew.