Belacan Grill, Tustin

Using halal meats and Malaysian recipes, Belacan Grill presents diners with a menu populated by diverse dishes and preparations. The seafood selection includes live crab or lobsters prepared in one of five ways: Belacan-style means meat will be stir-fried and served with shrimp paste, while the curry option sweetens meat with a coconut-milk gravy. Whole fish can be steamed or deep-fried, and blanketed with brown-bean sauce or a blend of spices and fresh chilies. Like best-selling romance novels, the beef rendang is spicy and tender, making it one of Belacan’s most popular dishes, as is the mamak mee goreng, a tangle of stir-fried egg noodles, chicken, shrimp, and sprouts in tamarind sauce.