Peanut heaven in the shadow of transit construction

If you're like the typical Seattleite, you've downed a gallon or two of peanut sauce — the kind served with chicken satay — in your time. That's my experience, at least, and as much as I like the stuff, after a while it all starts to taste like spicy, runny peanut butter.

Not at Salima, a bright and inviting restaurant that would be somewhat more bright and inviting if it weren't located in the heart of the Sound Transit construction corridor on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Salima's peanut sauce is chunky, with fiery red oil peeking out between the morsels of peanut.

I should have asked if I could buy a pint to take home.

Salima is a strictly halal Muslim restaurant; the owners are Cham, a largely Muslim ethnic group centered in Vietnam and Cambodia but of Malaysian heritage. This means there is no pork and no alcohol at Salima. It also means that the menu is a melding of Vietnamese, Malaysian, Cambodian and even a little Thai influence.

That, in turn, means prolific use of hot chiles, in the form of fresh peppers, dried peppers and curry powder. There's plenty of coconut milk, too, and the cooks at Salima know their way around a deep-fryer.

But you can also get the kind of refreshing cold noodle plates ($6.75) typical of Vietnamese restaurants — with spring rolls, or with grilled beef standing in for pork.

Service at Salima is right on target (and kid-friendly). I don't think my water glass was ever less than half-full.

The owners of Salima knew what they were getting into, since the place opened after light-rail construction had started. Still, surviving there can't be easy. Show the place some love, and you will be rewarded with peanut heaven.

Check please:

Roti Canai: The tricky thing about roti canai, flaky pancakes with curry dipping sauce, is determining how many to order. One isn't enough. Two is a good start. Would four be gluttonous?

Satay Chicken: Aside from nicely cooked chicken and the best peanut sauce in town, you get pressed cubes of rice, perfect for dipping in any leftover, well, you know.

Fish Lemak in Coconut Chili: The star of this soupy curry isn't the tasty bone-in whitefish. It's the rich, smooth broth, yellow from turmeric-laden curry powder, spicy and sweet.

Coconut Rice: A pile of coconut rice is surrounded by more than half a dozen nibbles, including Salima's addictive, crunchy boneless fried chicken, beef rendang,fried peanuts and dried fish (very good together), and seafood sambal.

Singapore Fried Noodle: It's more like Americanized pad Thai, with a spicy tomato-based sauce and slivers of bell pepper. Not bad, but not as compelling as some of Salima's other offerings.

Itemized bill, meal for two

Roti Canai $2.95

Satay Chicken $5.95

Fish Lemak in Coconut Chili $7.55

Coconut Rice $6.95

Singapore Fried Noodle $6.75

Tax $2.80

Total $32.95

Matthew Amster-Burton: matthew.reviews@gmail.com