From Farmers Market Stand to Takeout-Only Window: Capitol Hill’s Kedai Makan

What started out as a popular Columbia City farmers market stand—where last summer I happily dug into spicy Malaysian beef curries and wok-fried shrimp, market veggies and chili sauce with rice—Kedai Makan has matured into a turquoise-hued takeout-only window on Capitol Hill. Chef Kevin Burzell and his wife and business partner, Alysson Wilson, man the tiny sliver of space on Olive Way, boiling noodles to order for ngow lam fan ($8.25), a comforting rice noodle dish with meatballs, cilantro and mustard greens (use the hot chili sauce to temper the sweetness in the dish), or laying tender char siu pork belly ($9.50) over sticky jasmine rice in a sweet soy glaze. Diners are encouraged to eat at the bar Montana a few doors down; Wilson and Burzell are friends with Rachel Marshall, Montana’s owner (and brewer of Rachel’s ginger beer). I second that suggestion, as some of the dishes—especially the fried tofu tauhu sumbat—may get soggy if taken farther afield. Besides, a Moscow mule does surprising favors for the Malaysian spice. Dinner and late-night dining Wed.–Mon. Capitol Hill, 1510 E Olive Way.