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Category: Indonesian [Edit]
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPAMon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Yes it takes a while to get food
Yes it's $5 for Indonesian smoothies/avocado&syrup drinks etc
But yes they have Durian smoothies which are sooo good and really don't smell that bad - quite nutty, subtly flavored
Their ketoprak is sooooooo peanut-y, with gooey peanut sauce (tastes different than thai peanut sauce, it's Indonesian), vermicelli, tofu, bean sprouts and cut up Indonesian rice cake... MUST TRY
Lalap dan Sambal Terasi is a bowl of veggies..... with or without spicy shrimp chili sauce (I went without) - chopped whole tomato, asparagus, cucumber, dark green lettuce, cabbage
Es Palu Butung: IT'S %##%#%# BOILED BANANA WITH RICE FLOUR GRAVY AND FLAVORED SYRUP NOW GET YOURSELF OVER THERE AND INTO FOOD COMA YUMMMMMM :) Was so full and food coma-d on the way home I almost napped on the bus
Every part of the meal tastes strikingly different than the others - Indonesian food, like Singaporean, Malaysian, Philippino, etc, has rich variety of flavors and each part of the meal has all food groups and tastes - GREAT
Minus a star for no roti :( but dang it these folks are good!
They have garlic rice cooked in garlic with actual flakes of garlic throughout! Same w/ coconut
As we sat down right after two large parties had placed their food orders, we nearly set ourselves up for disaster. Getting our food was not fast, but we have to be fair and blame it on timing, not the establishment. (Note to self - Next time I go into a small restaurant and see a party of 6 and another party of 7 placing their food orders, either go somewhere else, or sit down and relax...I'm gonna be there awhile.)
Another thing we used to rationalize the situation is that everyone in the place was Indonesian, and dining in SE Asia isn't the quick "in and out" experience that it can be in the US. Also, if Indonesians eat here, it must be good. (My wife is Singaporean Malay, but her mom is Javanese, so she's definitely part Indonesian.)
My wife had no problem waiting for the food to come. She found a magazine rack that was filled with Indonesian-language titles, so she was happily occupied for awhile.
Let me say that I am not a fan of Borobudur because I think it is more of an overpriced tourist trap whose food isn't even that great. I love Indonesia restaurant, though I will admit that they've altered recipes a bit to appeal to a wider crowd. Nothing wrong with that, as they are still on my favorites list. But we found Bamboo Village to be the real deal all the way around. The presentation, ingredients, and flavors were totally authentic.
And yes, it was definitely worth the wait.
We started off with the Martabak Telor and Siomay Bandung. You can taste the spice in the Martabak Telor. It wasn't just egg and meat thrown together in a piece of prata. And best of all, it was barely greasy. My wife was shocked to see me eating the fish cake in the Siomay Bandung. It was so good that I just couldn't say no...
Peanut sauce is a big deal to us. I think Bamboo Village has an excellent one. It doesn't appear to be overly thick until it's in your mouth. It's got just the right amount of spice, and little chunks of peanut to add a slight crunch.
My wife had the Nasi Rames for her main course, and I had the Gado-Gado. The piece of rendang beef on her plate was the star of the entire meal.
Let me stop and say that the only way to know what rendang is supposed to taste like is to have someone's mom cook it for you at home. And once you've done that, you're ready to get out into the world and try it in a restaurant. The beef should be totally moist to the point of where it is flaky, with the flavor of coconut milk oozing out of it. Sometimes you'll even see something that looks like little fibers sticking out of the side. If your meal is anything like what I just described, it is real rendang. Believe it or not, there are some restaurants in the Bay Area that just pan fry meat in sauce and call it rendang, but it's not even close...
Back to my review, the rendang in the Nasi Rames was the most perfect piece of meat that I've seen outside of my mother-in-law's home in Singapore. We admired it. We became friends with it. And then we devoured it in record time.
My Gado-Gado was a wonderful blend of bean sprouts, tofu, cucumber, and other veggies. The inclusion of potatoes was a welcome surprise. I'd become so conditioned to having all of this stuff served on a bed of lettuce in other places that it was a treat to get the real thing here.
We were stuffed and happy. With sodas, the bill came out to $36.00. Fair enough! We'll definitely be back.
I remember a few months ago I had some Indonesian friends come up from LA. They weren't here to visit me exactly, but since they were in town we all made plans to meet up and hit a club that night. I hung out at home and waited for them to give me a call when they where ready to hit the town.
Now I've dealt with women getting ready and I expect some delay in them putting on their "war paint", so I settled into a movie and tried not to watch the clock....
8:00pm
9pm
10pm
11pm
No call or anything and I'm starting to get tired. After 12am hits, I scrubbed the whole mission and when to bed. At about 1am I hear my phone ring, check the caller ID, and see that it's my Indonesian friends FINALLY calling to meet up. I put down the phone and go back to sleep.
My friends and I tease our Indonesian friends for how tortuously late they constantly are.
Well it appears that this is a cultural thing with Indonesians and while I truly don't mind this behavior among my friends, it doesn't translate well into the service industry.
My story is typical of some of the reviews that I've already read here about this restaurant, the service is slow. If you're planning on eating dinner before catching a movie at the Bridge across the street make sure you double your allotted time.
When my GF and I walked in the restaurant, the place was empty of customers, we had over an hour before our movie started, and we were the only people there. The lady took our orders soon enough and was helpful in picking good dishes for us, since this was our first time there. After that, two more tables walked in and then a to-go order... then time stood still for us at our table.
It took at least ten minutes for her to give us our drinks (a couple of cokes) and we never got our waters. We waited and watched the clock...
We were the first table to be sat down while we watched all other orders being delivered to customers. The family of six that came in after us, the single guy sitting behind us, and the to-go order ALL got their food before our water even got to our table. Fifteen minutes before our movie was to start I asked the waitress to put the order to go because we had run out of time to actually sit and enjoy our meal in the restaurant but we're not above sneaking in our dinners to the movie theater. Then we continued to wait...
Five minutes before our movie started my gf and I had to leave. We thru down $2.00 for our cokes and started for the door. Behind our waitress I see a to-go bag and I announce to her that we HAVE to leave and cannot wait any longer. She looks upset at us and says that the rice is down and the noodle will just be a few minutes longer. Sorry honey we don't have the time! I tell her to forget it and that we have to leave and walk out the door to our movie.
(We saw Thirst btw if you're curious GREAT MOVIE!!)
So how is the food at bamboo village?
I don't know I never got the chance to try it.
How is the service?
Don't eat there if you are on a schedule or have someplace to be.
Slow! Slow! Slow!
Price?
Yeah, a little higher than I was expecting, but since I only had a coke I can't attest to the quality to judge if it's worth the price.
Bamboo Village a word to the wise...
Never! EVER! Bring out the first table's food last! It's rude and sure to piss off your hungry customers. If you have to hold an order... DO IT, but do not serve the first people last, especially when the place was empty when they (us/we) sat down.
I came here once last month, and the restaurant was EMPTY. Literally empty. It was just me and my then-boyfriend, and the owner and her kids. We sat down awkwardly and looked at the menu. We ordered Mie Tek Tek and something that was satay. The Mie Tek Tek tasted like regular chow mein. The satay was okay, but tried better also. If you want some real Indonesian food, go to Borobudor =) That place is so good.
I have to change my review now. I returned to Bamboo Village for several times after the 'coconut milk gone bad' incident and was quite satisfied.
Service is still super slow and there are still dirty tables around but that indicates that they're really cooking stuff back there instead of heating stuff from yesterday.
Absolutely love their Fried Vermicelli, Siomay, Lontong Cap Go Meh and Soto Betawi.
I do warn everyone that it's a hit and miss here, but it's definitely worth checking.
Sadly I have to give only one star, and it's for their Pempek Palembang. It was really good. Other… Read more »
Small cozy restaurant. As an Indonesian native, this is one of the BEST Indo restautant ive ever had by far. Price is fair, service is good. Highly recommended..!!
The Nasi Uduk Complit here is frickin' unbelievable. I dunno about the other dishes...haven't tried...all I gotta say is for $9 you get 4 little slices of deliciousness INCLUDING rendang.
The decor is maybe a tad cheesy...and the radio plays soft rock nonstop...but a great asset in a somewhat boring stretch of Geary.
This place is so bomb
Get the pork skewers with peanut sauce.
Pretty average Indonesian food, tastes are decent, but they could do better.
Popped in here on a Wednesday night at 7:30 - the place was empty. Still, as other reviewers have said, the waitress is never around. I'm not up for those fussy servers fishing for tips, but passing by every now and again to check on us isn't that hard. Especially when it was so empty.
Party of two, all up the bill came to about $62, which isn't bad, but if the food was better it would make it easier to stomach.
Chicken satays for starters - 5 for $9 - these were actually great, but way overpriced
Deep fried fish in banana leaf - $16 - some pretty weird tastes, could have been a lot better
Chicken goreng in butter - $9 - not what I was expecting, but great.
Rice and four Tigers round out the bill.
Minus one also for the ambiance - repeating what others have said - the music is crap, change it. The decor and information on Indonesia was cool, makes for interesting conversation.
I enjoyed my experience there very much. There was no smoke in the room. We were the only ones there tonight when we sat down and then there were two other tables filled as we began to eat.
The waitress made our main dish (noodles, with chicken) into a vegetarian meal with tofu and tempeh. I adored the red pepper sauce. I was so happy! The Gado Gado was delicious; I loved the real Indonesian potato chips and tantalizing peanut saucc. I love the atmosphere with the thatched fake window and the water fountain.
The pace was relaxed and I had much fun sitting with my date and enjoying
the her company.
Only lost a star because it wasn't as amazing as the places I visited when in Amesterdam.
The food is pretty good, but the service is eye-wateringly slow. We had over an hour before our movie started across the street so we thought we had plenty of time. We nearly missed the beginning of the film. What really got to me was the fact that a couple that was seated after us (but seemed to know the staff) had their order taken before us and were almost done with their dinner by the time our food came out. Booooo!
Afterwards I had to chase down our server to get the check so we wouldn't miss our movie.
Like I said, the food is pretty good, but not really worth the wait and being snubbed.
After a completely subpar meal at a Brasilian restaurant with particularly mediocre food and awful service (see my review at Canto do Brasil if you're interested), a friend changed the subject and started to rave about how amazing the chow mein was in an Indonesian restaurant, of all places. This managed to leave an enduring impression for me, so I sent him an email to get the deets. He sent me the info on Bamboo Village and I proceeded to do my own investigatory research on Yelp to get the real scoop!
There were definitely mixed reviews and it seemed like the overwhelming pros and cons were as follows:
PLUSSES: Awesome Mie Tek Tek, tasty BBQ chicken cooked in coconut milk on a sizzlin' platter!
CONS: Tough and chewy Beef Rendang, ridiculously & mind numbingly slow service, grating and redundant music
Despite the longer lists of cons, I decided to venture to BV on a Wednesday friend who had also done his prerequisite Yelp research. We got there relatively early, at 7 pm, and were the only ones in the restaurant. Maybe that would assure us prompt and speedy service!!
We were greeted by sweet and savory scents wafting from the kitchen so that was a good sign. We both noted the annoying music right off the bat, and worked to keep the convo flowing so we wouldn't notice it as much. That technique seemed to work. Of course, the sound of the fountain flowing at the entrance was still like Chinese water toture, but me managed to ignore that as well.
We stuck to the overwhelming favorites and ordered up the Mie Tek Tek spicy and the BBQ chicken on the sizzling platter (white meat, please). The MTT was reminiscent of the smoky flavor of Pad See Ew, one of my standbys in Thai restaurants. It was solidly good, but I would be hesitant to rave about it to others. The BBQ chicken came in a nummy-nummy slightly spicy sauce, but the meat was dry, so some more sauce would have made it more palatable.
I might consider ordering other dishes to go, but I wouldn't go back for that cheesy ambiance. By the way, the service was acceptable. Although the waitress did disappear at the end of our meal and my friend had to wander to the back of the restaurant to ask for our bill.
My experience can be summed up like this, I felt as though I was an uninvited guest in someone's kitchen. The concept of a restaurant does not apply here.
'Can we get some menus please?'
You sit down, they may come over and talk to you, they may not. Kids are coming in and out, and doing homework or something in the back of the place.
'Can we order something to drink?'
The sound of the water fountain jabbed an image in my head of someone taking a never-ending leak. Not all that pleasant when you're trying to eat.
'Excuse me, we're ready to order now.'
Flute music on endless loop. Do I need to say anything more about this?
'Oh thank God, the food is finally here. I was about to pull my hair out! I'm starving.'
On the plus side, I felt the food was very good and my stomach agreed. The spicy Mie Tek Tek and yummy BBQ chicken (white meat please) cooked in coconut milk were excellent.
Now you know what to expect. The rest is up to you!
We went to Bridge theater for a movie and spotted this restaurant right across Geary. We were a little bit skeptical of how good it could be, but took a chance. It was worth it! The Gado Gado salad, BBQ Chicken with coconut sauce and fried noodle were all good and the stuff was very friendly. It changed the opinion of my friend about Indonesian cuisine :)
I like Indonesian food, but most of Indonesian restaurants that I know are in Tenderloin...this place is much more convenience if you have a car (or you can take the Geary Bus). I will go back definitely.
An Indonesian friend introduced me to this restaurant and I'm glad she did. I love the Mie Tek Tek. and some other ones I can't remember. The avocado drink is great, but ask for it without the molasses. Too sweet.
However, they had ran out of one of their specialty dishes when we got there on Sunday night. There was also too much smoke in the room as others have commented.
nice family run restaurant. never busy but pretty good food.
Most of my friends recommend this place instead of Borobudur.
But, in my opinion, I think Borobudur is still better.
I ordered tempe something, and they gave me a wrong order.
The food quality is also below the Borobudur food.
Not too clean and a lil bit expensive.
Get the empal, that's the best/
7.04.2009:
Upgrading from 4 to 5 stars as the food is consistently authentic and good. Our server was very helpful and patient with recommending dishes and answering our questions. In Asia, unlike in U.S., servers do not come to the table to see what you want, if customers need something, they flag servers or go look for them. It's a cultural difference, not inattention. This is my favorite Indonesian restaurant in S.F. The dessert drinks with coconut and brown sugar (such as the cendol) are really good -- my friend tried some of mine and then wanted one. We liked the siomay bandung appetizer a lot too.
6.14.2008:
My parents grew up in Indonesia. I love their gado-gado and oseng oseng tahu tempe. We asked for recommendations and they were all good. One can tell by seeing that most of the people who are eating there are Indonesians that the food is authentic. I am thrilled to find a place which has options for people who don't eat spicy food (I get a sore throat) but love Indonesian food. There are many vegetarian options too. Will definitely be back there very soon, maybe next week.
My gf Priya and I met here for dinner. We were looking forward to something ghettodelicious...especially after reading the great reviews.
I was a bit disappointed--the food was decent..but the whole experience left much to be desired...
I wouldn't say that the waitress ignored us..but being the ONLY waitress in the entire restaurant..the service was painfully slow--not good for two hungry girls.
The fried fish was good but a bit difficult to eat with all the bones. The beef satay was pretty overcooked.
If you live nearby perhaps consider getting take out...but I probably won't be returning for a dining experience.
A guide to Indonesian food as experienced at Bamboo Village
Lumpia= Egg Roll
Nasi Goreng= Lackluster Shrimp Fried Rice
Beef Rendang= Stiff beef in Panang curry sauce
Mie Tek Tek= Overcooked Chicken Chow Mein.
I love trying to cuisines, but this foray into the unknown didn't do much for me.
As far as Indonesian food goes, this place is authentic. Martabak (thin deep-fried pancake stuffed with onion bits, ground meat and eggs) was awesome, and so was the grilled chicken and the garlic steamed rice (*a must try*). Beef rendang is authentic, which means, alas, stiff and dry (per Katie C.). That's the way they do it in Indonesia but, having been here for a while, I grew accustomed to the more tender Malaysian version of beef rendang. Mental note: no ordering beef rendang in the future.
Couldn't help but wonder if the grilled chicken is the staple dish - 4 out of the 6 parties that dined at the same time we were there ordered the same thing.
Not much can be said about the service, but you always take the good with the bad. I did not fret over the fact that it took 10 minutes for the water to come, and then another 15 for the appetizer (needless to say, it was worth the wait). This is no Michael Mina so do not expect a full, attentive service. Just good, reasonably priced comfort food to line your stomach with before you hit the bars in the inner Richmond.
Martabak Telor was very tasty; big curry flavor with ground beef, eggs and onions wrapped and fried in dough. Portion is enough for 4 people.
Laksa Bangka came with huge udon noodles with tough chicken, in a coconut milk soup. Udon noodles did not go well with the rich broth. I did like the bits of dried shrimp though. I like the version at Singapore Malaysian called Curry Mee.
The famed Rendang Beef was good as promised but a bit pricey for the portion.
The waitress ignored us for while and then told me that i couldn't order what i wanted because it was too traditional. Pointing to the asian woman next to me saying she likes it but I don't think you will. she then suggested something with peanut sauce. I didn't want peanut sauce. I thought it was very rude, bordering racist. Needless to say I did not eat there. I think there was some kind of miss communication.
My friend got the 4 pieces of chicken and egg rolls for $20 dollars,,,Yikes! I agree it is over priced as well. She wasn't too impressed with the food either.
I had been wanting to try this place previously. I'm glad Dandy's review told me not to fear, as a preview of the menu did look overwhelming, and NOT in my favor. The waitress turned up a number of recommendations. Accomodations can be made to make a dish veggie.
The side order of fried tempeh was a large enough portion to be its own entree. The food was an interesting mix of flavors--tangy, similar to Burmese cuisine. My only complaint was that it came out lukewarm. Service could've also been quicker, but the staff were helpful enough for me to let that slide.
Interior wise, bamboo is the theme here. Paying too much attention to the constant sound of the bamboo water fountain by the entrance can have you pissing your pants in no time. It's a small restaurant, easily missed walking past since this stretch of Geary gets more vehicular than foot traffic, so I think it would behoove them to have the trees trimmed out front for more visibility. For dinner and a movie inner Richmond style, just make a beeline across the street to the Bridge theatre for an indie flick afterwards.
DH and I went here for lunch today and it is definitely better than other Indonesian restaurants in the city.
Our stomachs were totally satisfied for $26 with tip which included a big serving of Mie Goreng with chicken, eggs and beef meatballs and sate ayam.
The sugar they put in the sweet tea was a little to flowery, I like my sweet tea with sugar cane myself.
Anyway, I can't wait to go back and try the sop and other dishes.
The closest thing to real Indonesian food in San Francisco! Just came back from 3 weeks in Bali and this place is da bomb. It was actually recommended to us by some friends from Indonesia, who come here when they get homesick.
Check it out!
Nasi Goreng and GadoGado (vegitarian) are great! My all time favorite here though is the Ikan Balado. A deep fried Pompano fish that is nicely filleted and presented flanked out and topped with some amazing sambal goreng!
The Sate Ayam, Mie Tek-Tek, and Rendang are also TDF!
I wish they had Es Champur but he sweet Es Teler is a good substitute!
I place this restaurant at #2 on my indo food destination list. Not my favorite, but not as bad as borobudur. Came here twice, but the first time was better. If you like spicy food, I recommend ayam bumbu bali and ask for really spicy. I swear it almost killed my coworker and left me with tears in my eyes.
Come with a lot of friends because indonesian cuisine is meant to be shared. Order a lot of different dishes so you can try everything. Bring an indonesian friend if you can to make ordering easier ;)
Be prepared to spend quite a bit though, because this place is not cheap for the portion size.
If it's closer to where I live, I'd come here more often. But the plus side is that parking is actually not too bad considering it's located in SF.
One of the best Indonesian restaurant in the Bay Area.
The spicy "mie tek-tek" is awesome.
Ayam pangang bumbu rujak is second to none.
I've been to this place twice since it is near by my place. The first time was so long ago I don't remember that well but it was definitely cheaper. I guess I ordered the wrong food the second time because it was way more than my last meal.
I came into this place and there was only about 2 tables taken out of approx 10. It took a long time for the waitress to take our order and for the food to arrive. The food wasn't very satisfying or were the portions enough to take home. I don't even know if I could stand waiting at this place if I was really hungry because it takes almost 20 minutes to get the food. People in the area call in to get take out and I think this is why the service is delayed.
The food itself does not have a lot of flavor and it in my opinion bland.
love the food, but the service really couldn't be any slower.
gado gado, bakmi goreng and nasi goreng (veggie for both) are all good. i think the decor and music are just fine. the only thing that keeps me from coming more often is the wait, which is pretty appalling.
If you want a very tiny snippet of Balinese food, this restaurant is just fine. This restaurant did not wow me, but it's still worth trying as some of the dishes are pretty yummy.
Some are authentic, some seem a bit fusionee with chinese elements.
Went with a group of 6 people so had a chance to try different things:
The good:
#54 Was a great coconut based soup with potatoes tofu, and beef-hit the spot
The fried turmeric chicken was very tasty
The deep fried fish was really good
The other dishes-a mixed veggie dish tasted more on the chinese side
And the shrimp and broccoli was also more on the chinese side
Prices are affordable...for about 7 people we paid 121 including tip. Nice little restaurant across the Bridge theater.
The bad:
They brought dishes out one by one...and for those who are looking forward to their own dish may have to be a little patient or nibble off their friends
You have to get up from your seat to call their attention...They're good about refilling your water.
There aren't many indonesian options in the city. hopefully there will be more.
My friend Miss P has been talking about this place for a while, so I was excited to finally try it the other night. Miss P is Singaporean and has experience with the names of Indonesian dishes, which was helpful! There are english descriptions of course, but it can be overwhelming when you don't know what the typical dishes are and you fear ordering things that are similar to each other.
With Miss P leading the way, I had a really nice first experience here. The food was really good. The highlight of our meal for both taste and presentation was the Ikan Balado, which is deep fried pompano fish with chili sauce. I was really disappointed that I didn't have my camera as it was beautifully presented - the whole fish was fried but they separated and sat the middle (bone section) upright away from the sides (filets) which layed flat on either side of the upright fish shaped bone section. We also had beef rendang (very different from the thai version but delicious!), a spinach saute dish (Kangkung Cah Terasi), and a noodle dish (Mie Tek Tek.) We asked for everything spicy and it came out delightfully so!
Good place for sure! I'm looking forward to going back.
I call this place Tek Tek. Then I order Tek Tek, spicy with tofu.
The menu does not appear to be veg friendly at first look, however they will swap in tofu or tempeh when you ask. Be sure to have them clarify if there is any other meat product - one time I got tofu in addition to the meat.
My good friend from Indonesia introduced me to this place. She know the family that runs it back from her island days. It's cool, I feel like a VIP when I dine with her.
don't worry if you don't have a friend from Indo. They are still really nice and will make you tasty food.
The Rendeng is really quite good. Make sure to try! The ginger tea is just a little to sweet for my taste, but it's good if you're in the mood.
It's location is across the street from The Bridge, great group spot before a film. Great spot.
UPDATE 3/15/2008:
I'm not always eating at the new and exciting restos....I often do return for another tasting in a year's time to see if my initial impressions were correct.
Unfortunately, for me, this go 'round, Bamboo Village failed to please. So much so that I had to drop the rating by 2 stars. Yes! I mean it, 2 star demotion.
It wasn't a fickle decision.
We arrived around 7PM. It looked rather busy, but the waitress found us a spot. Yet, when we tried to order, we were told that they had run out of all the ingredients for most of their appetizers. Therefore, there were only 3 appetizers out of the 7 that were available...
Strange, but we went with the flow....until, we both tried to order the beef rendang....and then, she suggested another dish to try....although, I know that Indonesian cuisine is her specialty...I wanted rendang...so, I was a bit put off by the insist that I try something else. Maybe, I should have followed her advice though...the Rendang was DRY and greasy. I was left with heartburn later in the evening and into the next morning.
Plus, the service was super slow...and pretty inattentive this visit. 2 stars for both the experience and the lackluster meal.
Original review - 3/31/2007
UPDATE: Why can't I ever tell if my bf is joking or being serious? Perhaps b/c his sense of humor is odd? Anyhow, he has requested that I retract the statement about his belching (even though he was belching) because he really does like this place...
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My boyfriend and I decided to partake of our late afternoon lunch at Bamboo Village this afternoon. Dining out on the weekend has become our new hobby and my boyfriend was definitely in the mood for Indonesian cuisine.
This little restaurant fit the bill. Finding parking in that area around 3PM was pretty easy. The restaurant was practically empty, except for another couple that appeared to be almost finished with their meal when we stepped in. The waitress was courteous and immediately seated us. As we pondered the menu, there were quite a few choices, including a handful of vegetarian dishes.
I ordered the Rendang, while my boyfriend ordered the Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak. We also chose to share an order of the Martabak Telor and some Nasi Uduk. It was just enough food to satisfy our hunger, without leaving us feeling bloated. The food didn't WOW me, but it really does take a lot to do so. Admittedly, the food was very well prepared, tasted very good and we were not disappointed.
All in all, my boyfriend and I were pleased. We spent about $40.00, not including tip, but it was worth the experience.
I'm in the middle of a bunch of life changes: I just got out of a five year relationship, I just moved to San Francisco, I just started eating meat after six years. Feeling overwhelmed, my good friend Sarah decided I needed a quiet dinner, something new and exciting for the both of us. She had read the previous Yelp reviews, so we headed on down.
It was an excellent idea. It was relatively early on a Wednesday evening, so the restaurant was half full and quiet. The interior was pleasant, and (this is important to me!) the bathroom was clean. The waitress had an uncanny way of knowing when we were ready for help, and when we just needed to be left alone to talk. Neither of us had eaten Indonesian food before, and unfortunately the waitress wasn't a huge help with recommendations, but we muddled through and got three dishes to share.
We started with the Gado Gado, a vegetable and tofu salad with peanut dressing. It was quite good, though I'm still not entirely sure what those fried bits on top were. Over talk of Jane Austen and the Muppets, we ate Beef Rendang (one of the best 125 dishes in San Francisco, according to their press) and Mie Tek Tek, a very traditional noodle dish. It was definitely the most I'd eaten in a few weeks (my stomach doesn't always handle stress well), and between the good food and excellent company, it was just what I needed to get me out of my funk.
I would definitely like to go back and explore the menu further!
I really like the food here but, I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm talking about. My SO is Indonesian, and he seems pleased, and I think the food tastes good, so I have no complaints. I love the Gado Gado and many other things that I've tried and don't know what they are. Sorry, I walk in with my SO and say," Get me something good." So far, they've delivered.
It takes a while to get your food, but I just consider that food made with love.
Really great little Indonesian place. Try the half-broiled chicken with spicy gravy with coconut rice on the side.Mmmmm.
Try to go with 3+ people so that you can try a variety of the excellent food here. Definitely worth a second visit!
If they did delivery, I think I know where I would be ordering from a couple times a week....
I tried this little place out in the Richmond on Tuesday and am now mulling over how soon I can go back without seeming too eager. I'm thinking I should follow the well-established 2-3 day dating rule, but am secretly dying inside of anticipation.
They serve up what can best be described as "Sauces with love" here. So much love that it's a shame the name Sauce has already been snapped up in Restaurant-land. Every delicious bite of sauteed goodness I devoured here was smothered in the tastiest topper you can imagine. I ordered a dish (from the Beef section of the menu, forget the exact name) served on a fajita-style hot plate that had broccoli, peppers, and a dark & spicy sauce with a hint of old-fashioned A1 (maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, we'll likely never know...).
Oh, and did I mention this is also one of the few places I've been that knows how to cook tempeh (or even puts tempeh on the menu)? Vegetarians will also love that just about everything on the menu here can be made veggie (never fear the hidden pork in the spring roll again!).
The decor is questionable in the typical tiny Asian restaurant way - with bamboo mat covered walls, confusingly-printed brown tablecloths, and those semi-creepy, semi-beautiful Indonesian shadow puppets. It's comfortable and clean, though, and getting a table was really easy.
I highly recommend this place whenever the "try something new and exotic" urge strikes.
In an unrelated plus, it's also next to a Shell station with a car wash for anyone like me whose vehicle has come to the point where just waiting for it to rain is no longer an option.
This was delicious! This is not specific to Bali regional food, it is more a general Indonesian cuisine. The Ayam Bakar (grilled chicken) has a sauce that reminds me of West Sumatra food in Indonesia, we also ordered the Hot Pot Kangkung (Water Spinach), was so delicious also!
The chicken satay can use a little work, the peanut sauce was served on a flat plate which does not make sense to me one bit, i would prefer a small bowl so it does not spill everywhere when you hand it to someone else.
The gado gado was also very good! Will come back for sure.
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indonesian
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indonesian
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Coffee & Tea
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