Someone wrote: : Wrong block mentioned in previous posts. Indonesia Restaurant is at : 1029 Race St., 215-829-1400. Ok, I've now been there twice - here are some brief impressions: My experience with Indonesian food is limited to Indonesian restaurants in Australia and the Netherlands, along with a few dishes that seem to have made it into Dutch home cooking (Nasi Goereng for example). So take my comments on authenticity with a bit of whatever seems appropriate. Overall, the food was excellent - there were a few dishes that I didn't like, but I think that is more due to my lack of familiarity with the cuisine rather than any fault of preparation. Some highlights: Tahu Goreng Indonesia - fried tofu served with what the menu describes as a "sweet sauce", but I'd put this down as more of a spicy/tangy sauce, apparently some sort of chile pepper puree. Everyone at the table liked this one. Satay - all of them were great - Satay Ayam Madura (Chicken) and Sate Babi (pork) were delicious. Nicely marinaded grilled meat on skewers, which was so tasty that you didn't need the sauce that comes with it. These are also served with a spicy chile pepper paste called Sambal Oolek (at least thats what the Dutch call it). There are also mutton, shrimp and even oyster and beef liver satays on the menu, so I'm looking forward to trying the others. Nasi Goreng Ayam (chicken) or Babi (pork) : This was the first Indonesian dish I ever had - fried rice with meat, scallions, fried egg and some garlic. There are a mixture of spices that are mixed into the oil that the rice is fried in, so the flavor is quite different than the fried rice you get in Chinese restaurants. Bakmie Goreng is basically Nasi Goreng but with noodles instead of rice. Non threatening and delicious. Gado Gado - this is a salad made with prawn crackers, cabbage, tofu, sprouts and peanut sauce. Very tasty. Tahu Tek - this is like Gado Gado with only fired tofu, bean sprouts and prawn crackers. Rujak Kemantin - this is listed as a salad, but it comes in a bowl like some sort of sweet soup with mango slices, shredded cucumber and peanuts in a dressing that is similar to the sweet vinegary flavor of a Thai cucumber salad. This looked odd but was absolutely delicious. Lumpia - big tasty spring rolls with chicken, carrot and other veggies. Deep fried and delicious - these are very filling. Ayam Asam Manis - I was just reading about this dish in an article on Maylasian cuisine, but it was much sweeter than I expected - this is similar to Sweet&Sour Chicken etc from Chinese cuisine, albeit with cauliflower and carrots stewed along with the chicken. Interesting, but too sweet for me. Ayam Kare - this is pieces of stewed chicken (still with skin and bones attached) with a curry sauce. The chicken pieces were a little hard to eat without making a mess, but the curry sauce was fantastic. Service is nice, but a bit inexperienced. I liked that the dishes came out of the kitchen as they were prepared, rather than in any sort of appetizer/entree order. This seemed to be very much a family operation. - I think they're from Eastern Java. The menu was considerably streamlined (say 30-40 dishes rather than 90+) on a Friday visit, and when I asked the waitress, she said that this was their weekend menu. So if you're seeking the real exotic menu, try visiting on a weeknight. Definitely a positive addition to the philly food scene, and I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu.
Philadelphia, PA
New Indonesian restaurant in Chinatown?
NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 07:46:58 PDT Organization: Excite@Home - The Leader in Broadband http://home.com/faster Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu phl.food:6025 Thanks you for the info Kevin. I catered an Indonesian meal with a friend of mine who is Dutch Indonesian a few years ago when I was the sous at the General Warren Inne in Malvern and had to learn the food for that particular party. My friends books were in Dutch which made it particularly difficult but it was a nice learning experience. It was called a ricetoffle (sp?) and had 14 dishes to the party. It is nice to see some of the familiar names printed here. When I have more time I will do some reading of old notes and check out some books I have and maybe add more pertinent info if this post is still here. Thanks again for the input, I will put this restaurant on my list of ones to check out. John Kevin M. wrote: > Someone wrote: > > : Wrong block mentioned in previous posts. Indonesia Restaurant is at > : 1029 Race St., 215-829-1400. > > Ok, I've now been there twice - here are some brief impressions: > > My experience with Indonesian food is limited to Indonesian restaurants > in Australia and the Netherlands, along with a few dishes that seem to > have made it into Dutch home cooking (Nasi Goereng for example). So take > my comments on authenticity with a bit of whatever seems appropriate. > > Overall, the food was excellent - there were a few dishes that I didn't > like, but I think that is more due to my lack of familiarity with the > cuisine rather than any fault of preparation. > > Some highlights: > > Tahu Goreng Indonesia - fried tofu served with what the menu describes as > a "sweet sauce", but I'd put this down as more of a spicy/tangy sauce, > apparently some sort of chile pepper puree. Everyone at the table liked > this one. > > Satay - all of them were great - Satay Ayam Madura (Chicken) and Sate Babi > (pork) were delicious. Nicely marinaded grilled meat on skewers, which > was so tasty that you didn't need the sauce that comes with it. These are > also served with a spicy chile pepper paste called Sambal Oolek (at least > thats what the Dutch call it). There are also mutton, shrimp and even > oyster and beef liver satays on the menu, so I'm looking forward to > trying the others. > > Nasi Goreng Ayam (chicken) or Babi (pork) : This was the first Indonesian > dish I ever had - fried rice with meat, scallions, fried egg and some > garlic. There are a mixture of spices that are mixed into the oil that > the rice is fried in, so the flavor is quite different than the fried > rice you get in Chinese restaurants. > > Bakmie Goreng is basically Nasi Goreng but with noodles instead of rice. > Non threatening and delicious. > > Gado Gado - this is a salad made with prawn crackers, cabbage, tofu, > sprouts and peanut sauce. Very tasty. > > Tahu Tek - this is like Gado Gado with only fired tofu, bean sprouts and > prawn crackers. > > Rujak Kemantin - this is listed as a salad, but it comes in a bowl like > some sort of sweet soup with mango slices, shredded cucumber and peanuts > in a dressing that is similar to the sweet vinegary flavor of a Thai > cucumber salad. This looked odd but was absolutely delicious. > > Lumpia - big tasty spring rolls with chicken, carrot and other veggies. > Deep fried and delicious - these are very filling. > > Ayam Asam Manis - I was just reading about this dish in an article on > Maylasian cuisine, but it was much sweeter than I expected - this is > similar to Sweet&Sour Chicken etc from Chinese cuisine, albeit with > cauliflower and carrots stewed along with the chicken. Interesting, but > too sweet for me. > > Ayam Kare - this is pieces of stewed chicken (still with skin and bones > attached) with a curry sauce. The chicken pieces were a little hard to > eat without making a mess, but the curry sauce was fantastic. > > Service is nice, but a bit inexperienced. I liked that the dishes came > out of the kitchen as they were prepared, rather than in any sort of > appetizer/entree order. This seemed to be very much a family operation. > - I think they're from Eastern Java. > > The menu was considerably streamlined (say 30-40 dishes rather than 90+) > on a Friday visit, and when I asked the waitress, she said that this was > their weekend menu. So if you're seeking the real exotic menu, try > visiting on a weeknight. > > Definitely a positive addition to the philly food scene, and I'm looking > forward to exploring the rest of the menu. > > -- > Kevin McGuire University of Pennsylvania > Spelling tip: I win, you _lose_. You are the _loser_ of the game. > This XXL shirt is really _loose_. I can't see how it could > be _looser_. >