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Category: Indonesian [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, Nob HillMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I've traveled Indonesia, and this is the real deal!!
Everything is perfectly cooked. My favorite is the spicy string beans with shrimp paste (tumis buncis pedas udang kering). You can't be offended by the slightly fishy taste to LOVE this dish.
On my most recent visit, I had the bbq marinated chicken with coconut milk sauce. The meat was so tender, it just fell off the bone. The sauce isn't what you think of when you hear 'barbeque'. It's BETTER! It's spicy, with complex flavors that our American palates are not accustomed to. The roti prata is a perennial fav for an appetizer. Lunch specials (Mon to Fri) are a fantastic way to experience new dishes, especially if you round up a few people.
There can a be a little bit of wait on Fri and Sat nights, but it's worth it. This is the best stop for dinner after happy hour bar hopping in the area. Comfy booths are available for your party of 2-4.
Next visit: the rijsttafel!
F A N T A S T I C. Here's what we had:
1. Sayur Asam:
Spicy tamarind soup with shrimp paste, baby corn, cabbages, long beans, tomatoes, chayote and peanut
Verdict: THE BOMB! Delicious!
2. Combination Satay (Chicken and Beef)
Verdict: EXCELLENT
3. 53. Nasi Padang:
Combination of spicy beef, tofu, chicken and vegetables curry coconut milk sauce and served with rice
Verdict: FANTASTIC
This place is great - food is delicious and flavorful. Service is great, too.
Delicious!
With so many options in this neighborhood I went almost 5 years without trying this place. Finally one day while on a date I strolled by and decided to stop in.
This place was fantastic! I had a combination plate with some chicken, some beef, some tofu, all with different spicy sauces and curries. Everything was tasty and affordable, and the staff was very nice.
Would dine at again!
Although Borobudor's food is deserving of 4 STARS, it's being downgraded to 3 STARS because of their service.
We came to Borobudor as it came highly recommended from my co-worker and because my gf and I never had Indonesian food before. We came on Tuesday night at around 6:30 PM. There was no wait as there were only 2 other tables filled.
FOOD:
*Martabak Sapi (Ground beef with egg & onion in crispy dough): It was just meh. We expected something more of a samosa filled with stir-fried ground beef. What we got was a steamed Viet-like meatloaf wrapped in a wonton wrapper and fried. The filling itself was quite bland.
*Ayam Panggang Bumbu Rujak (B.B.Q. marinated chicken cooked with spicy coconut milk sauce): The chicken was very flavorful and was fork tender. What made the dish was the sauce. You can tell the sauce was a result of a slow reduction of the coconut milk and spices braising the chicken which produced a very flavorful and rich sauce. I love spicy foods, and this dish has the right amount of kick from the chili, ginger, and other spices.
*Rendang (Beef cooked with coconut milk in spice): The BEST dish of the night. Normally, I'm use to Rendang in a coconut curry sauce. Borobudor's Rendang is covered in a very thick coconut spicy sauce. The huge chunks of beef were SUPER tender and broke apart easily with a fork. Just like the chicken, the beef was braised slowly in the coconut milk and spice concoction which produced a very flavorful, thick, and rich sauce which glued to the beef. This with rice....*Drool*
*Mie Tek Tek (Stir-fried noodle with chicken, egg and vegetables): We ordered this dish after all the rave reviews on YELP; but I have to say it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. It was basically Pad See Ew made with chow mein noodles. Although the dish itself had great flavor from the garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and other spices; the noodles were a bit mushy and the chicken breast strips were very bland and dry.
SERVICE: Borobudor's service is slow, very very slow. We ordered at 6:45 pm and didn't get our appetizer until 7:18 pm. All this time while waiting for our appetizer, 5 parties who arrived and ordered AFTER us, all received their appetizers and main entrees before us. Ok, something is wrong with this picture!!! Needless to say, we were highly frustrated and was very close to walking out the door.
After receiving our food, they never checked on us and we had to flag them down when we needed hot sauce or more napkins.
Service can make or break your restaurant experience. Although I really enjoyed the food at Borobudor; I'm uncertain if I would return because of the very slow service. There's too many good Asian restaurants in SF with better service (i.e. FASTER) than have to deal with poor service at Borobudor.
IMHO best Indonesian restaurant in SFC. Pay more (7.5$) to get the finest roti pratha around. I'd date her but she goes around more than a revolving door boxed by Stallone's arm circa Over The Top (1987). More Indonesian desserts than elsewhere in the city; food fresh, and ambience much more in tune to a nice date than the competition is. Basically the owners (who've been at this for YEARS) bust their everythings to make you smile and crawl out of their in a food-induced coma, smile ear-to-ear . Skip the rest- go here
If this is your first foray into Indonesian cuisine, use the following as a recipe for success:
-- lumpia. A great introduction to the flavors of the meal. Any excuse to stuff our faces with fried!
-- rendang. Thick coconut curry stewed beef shank that flakes apart
-- eggplant and tofu. Fat slices of nightshade tossed in a sauce with a little bit of heat from sambal (red chili sauce)
-- water spinach sauteed with garlic. Light, yet flavorful with a satisfying crunch.
Order this for two people, and you'll even have lunch the next day. Two meals, two people, $40.
And the environment ain't bad either. Check out the unique puppets and carvings!
Definitely a fan. Was here with a four-some and it was great. Service, Food, Wine, all good.
We started with a nice mirassou Pinot Noir ($20)
1. Siomay Bandung - 7.95
Steamed chicken dumpling, fishcake, tofu potato, cabbage & egg in spicy peanut dressing. Excellent and large portion.
2. Pan fried layered bread served with curry dipping sauce
3. Veggie Sampler Platter - 7.95
Fried corn fritter, soy bean cake, & tofu (Bakwan jagung +Tahu + Tempe goreng)
Got another Bottle of the Pinot. Moved onto Main Courses.
1. Bakmi Goreng/Bihum Goreng
Stir fried (egg noodle/rice stick noodle) with egg and vegetables with
Shrimp/combination of chicken or beef and shrimp - 9.95
2. Ikan Goreng/Stripe Bass fish
Fried stripe bass fish marinated with exotic spices - 13.95
3. Ikan Bakar Samudra/Trout fish
Grilled fish with tropical spices served with Indonesian salsa - 13.50
Everything was tasty. My only complaint if any was that the restrooms didnt feel all that clean (i didnt want to touch anything), and i'm not sure how that cascades to the kitchen. I couldnt find a clean score on them, but... all in all everything was good including the experience. I will definitely make my way back.
I HATE THIS PLACE...I came to the restaurant last Friday and the place is packed. However they only have three servers....they are trying hard...but service was SLOW, they need another person to help...
Foods were okay...I am an Indonesian, so my expectation for the food is high...Their foods are too suited for the americans...need to try Bay Leaf in Sunnyvale, thats a true Indonesian restaurant. Plus, with the prices my friends and I were paying, they need to give more...
Learn not to have to drive here unless you have a pocket full of change and the endurance of a sprint runner. A trip to the laundromat down the street (with a nice yet scary owner) reconfirms this idea.
A group of us were here Saturday afternoon for an early surprise birthday lunch. Little did we know it was going to take the birthday boy an hour to get there, so we ordered without him. YAY!
The waiters were patient and brought out the food as they came (since we were starving). The roti was really, really good, and so was the mie tek tek. We also had a fish, chicken, and beef dish - see photos - since I don't really remember what we ordered.
All things considered, the meal was very reasonably priced and quite delicious. Glad to check this off my bookmarks.
I've been here three times now. Love the variety of menu items and new tastes it offers. At the advice of an Indonesian friend, I order the siomay bandung appetizer every time (an interesting mix of fish cake + tofu + egg + other things I can never remember, or even distinguish on the plate once it's delivered, yet I love it and ignorantly re-order it nonetheless!)
Service might be slow or off depending on the night (i.e. might have to flag your server down once in a while), but the food is where it's at. Really, I've liked everything I've tried here -- no dish I've tried beyond that fav appetizer is an absolute single standout -- not sure how you can go wrong.
Atmosphere is nothing fancy... but it's comfortable, location is good (and just far enough off the Union Square tourist trail) and convenient for a bar crawl afterwards. And I''ve typically liked the clientele -- sometimes to the point I've nearly befriended another table...
It's cheap, too. I paid $25 (post-tip) last night and had half an appetizer, a filling entree and a 1/2-carafe of the house chablis all to myself!
mmmmm. Solid.
In a time when Thai is the new Chinese, everyone eats sushi and most people know Korean BBQ, it is nice to find cuisine from a lesser represented Asian nation. I found the food here to be similar to Malaysian, which makes sense given the geographic and island commonalities. I'm glad my party avoided the Rijsttafel. It may be a good deal for one person, but two or more people can do better ordering more interesting items from the menu à la carte for the same or lower price.
Roti Prata: Reminds me of the Malaysian dish Roti Canai, except no chicken in the curry. Love how the Indonesian roti is so much fluffier and crispier than Indian rotis. Dipping into the curry sauce soaks up some spicy flavor without softening the yummy crunch.
Siomay Ayam Goreng: Not like the dumplings I'm familiar with from Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese/Thai/Nepalese/Burmese/ Korean cultures. More like a meatball of ground chicken and seafood sliced in half and deep fried. Tasty even without the doughy wrapper. The spicy peanut sauce was a great sauce.
Empal Goreng:"Friend honey beef" was a rather strange description so I had to give this a try. It was like Beef Rendang without the curry sauce. It was a tad dry, but extremely tender and tasty. Kind of like Indonesian-fied Yankee Pot Roast.
Ayam Bakar Cabe: Nothing fancy, just BBQ chicken with a spicy chili marinade. I will say the meat was EXTREMELY tender and juicy, oddly better in consistency than what I've had at most other places. How do they do that?
Mie Tek Tek: When at an Asian restaurant that serves rice à la carte, I'd much rather get a noodle dish for the table than have each person commit a universal faux pas to Asian parents (even if they aren't Asian themselves) by buying individual rice sides. They offered this particular noodle dish dry and stir fried, despite the online menu mentioning it only as a soup. It was like a typical lo mein dish, but slightly spicier. I liked it.
we went to this restaurant tuesday night around 7.30,
this place is amazing , we like the roti prata so delicious, this is the best roti that we ever had, and we ordered beef rendang , the beef was so good , good, good. and we order also the bbq chicken with coconut milk ..wow....this chicken so unbelievable , perfecto....
and also the service was so good, and perfect, the waiter so nice , he always check all his customer in this restaurant.
We will be back to this restaurant
My mouth water just thinking about the roti prada. What could be so great about a flaky dough-thing with a little dipping sauce? Eat it, and you will know. I live in Sebastopol, and I am about ready to drive to the city right now so I can eat here! Other food is great too - rendang, yummy; nasi goreng; wonderful; water spinach, excellent. I have been to Indonesia (as well as eaten countless rijstaffels in Holland, both good and bad), so I know what the stuff should taste like. This place has the goods!
WHy bother?
I discovered this place through my boss, who brought the staff there to celebrate my birthday and an officemate's bday as well. That was my first Indonesian culinary experience. And I immediately wondered why it took me so long to try Indonesian food.
First thing I noticed on the menu was the similarity between the Indonesian and Filipino ingredients. Being Filipino who LOVES Filipino food, I was intrigued and excited. It was like Filipino dishes with some twist.
So to make the long story short, I've been there at least 5X by now - dine-in's and take-out's. And so far, here are my recommendations:
**Nasi Goreng Borobudur - House special spicy fried rice with anchovy, egg, and onion, with shrimp and salted fish. (Note: if they ask "spicy?" and you say yes, you better be up for some really tongue-burning experience. I suggest you answer "mild", at least on your first visit, just to see how things go.)
**Nasi Goreng Terasi Pedas - Spicy shrimp paste fried rice with egg, onion with shrimp and salted fish.
**Bandeng Presto/Milk fish - Fried marinated boneless milk fish
**Roti Prata - Pan fried layered bread served with curry dipping sauce
Prices range from $5 for appetizers to $17 for a main course dish. So you could say it's not cheap. But it's worth it. Excellent service too. The servers tried to explain the Indonesian cuisine, and were prompt, especially when I asked for water over and over again to put off the fire on my tongue.
Please add more staff to the restaurant...the food is OK for an asian foods...Especially on Saturday evening, I got there around 6pm and the guy waiter was somewhat rude due to many people coming in to the restaurant.
I really wanted to like this place. It smelled like all things holy and good when Jessica P. and I walked through the front door Friday early evening.
The menu had a decent selection of vegan friendly options and we ordered the veggie sampler plate to start.
I should have known as soon as I saw the corn fritters that I was in for something sorta sad.
Nothing will ever live up to my ideal corn fritter, which is at E&O Trading Company, where you can see whole kernels of corn being held together by a thin, crispy batter. Every time I've gotten a corn fritter elsewhere I've been met by something that looks like a crab cake. Shaved corn bits and a whole lotta bready meh.
The tofu was decent but the soy nuggety things were...nuggety.
My veggie rice plate looked promising, but it was cursed with more of those corn cakes (I should have known better) and more nuggety soy product that looked stir fried with unremarkable veggies. The tofu that came with my dish was swimming in a sea of some sort of chili sauce that frightened me.
Oh, and there was also a little bowl of curried veggies. The curry was oddly soupy and the veggies were shaved carrots and zucchini. Weird.
I ate my rice and I ate the ok tofu puffs from the appetizer plate and called the rest of the meal a wash.
Two stars because our waiter was friendly, but I don't see myself coming back since there are other thai and inonesian places in this area to try.
I love this place. As I rarely eat Indonesian food, I decided to have the Rijsttafel, which was a complete 6 course dinner plus soup, an appetizer, and dessert. (Note: I am basing the dish names off the restaurant's website as I can't remember the names off hand. Apologies in advance for all incorrect statements.)
1. Soto Ayam - Lemon grass soup with bean sprouts, chicken, egg, and green onions. An excellent start to the meal. Just the perfect combination of ingredients to balance each other out.
2. Lumpia Semarang - Fried spring rolls stuffed with chicken, carrots, tofu, and bamboo shoots. Cute appetizer. I would use the peanut sauce. Otherwise, the dish is a bit bland.
3. Chicken Satay with peanut sauce - Wonderful dish. Chicken grilled to perfection. The sauce is not necessary but definitely provides a different taste experience and should be tried by all means.
4. Sambal Goreng Daging - Beef stew in a chili sauce. This goes amazingly well with steamed rice. By far, my favorite dish of the evening. The extra kick of spice puts this item over the top.
5. Bean cake with assorted vegetables - Apologies. I can't remember the name of the dish. Nevertheless, it was my least favorite dish. Let's not mention it again.
6. Ayam Bakar Cabe - BBQ Chicken in a spicy chili sauce. The chicken by itself is fabulous. Very juicy and tender. When you add the sauce, my taste buds are overwhelmed with the different flavors. I recommend putting some sauce on coconut rice. This dish is up there with the beef stew (see #4).
7. Kari Udang - Shrimp with assorted vegetables in a coconut sauce. Not too bad. Wasn't "wow'ed" by this dish as with the others but enjoyable nonetheless.
8. I can't recall this dish very well. It was nothing to memorable...no pun intended. There were fish crackers/chips (similar to those served in Chinese restaurants) that went with fried pork (i think...)
9. Vanilla ice cream - Pretty self explanatory. Ice cream was standard.
Overall, I enjoyed my time here. Dishes were pretty much a hit or miss for me, with mostly hits! For $30 (including tip & tax), I feel this is a great bargain. Service is excellent. Waiters are very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this place to everyone and will be coming back again!
was recommended by a friend who's been to this place quite a few times in the past. having been to indonesia and missing cuisine from that region, i was happy that my friend had chosen this place for lunch.
we had the otak otak for appetizer...the first and last time i had otak otak was in a hawker center in singapore...before i tried it it didn't look quite appetizing but the flavor was amazing, thus i wanted to try the ones at borobudur. my friend warned me that otak otak fr indonesia is different...and she was right. singaporean otak otak was more flakey and the ones we had here was more like fishballs and chewy. good nonetheless. then we had the Ayam Bakar Cabe, aka bbq chicken with spicy chili sauce...big YUM. the meat was VERY tender and flavorful, just the right amount of spicy, at least for me.
and of course i couldn't pass on the ginger tea :) i def want to come back again and try the other items!
AMAZING INDONESIAN COFFEE - thick, hot, robust, strong, flavorful. The best Indonesian coffee I've had. It definitely isn't even on the same level as the Thai/Vietnamese coffees offered in the neighborhoods around here.
Can't remember the name of the dish - but it's the noodle soup with chicken, vegetables, eggs, in a peanut-chicken broth. I think this is the day I came to understand the complexity of peanuts and the art of chicken stock. Let me just say that the first time I ate this dish was like a freakin revelation. I had no idea how a finely roasted and ground peanut paste can intensify and enhance without overpowering the taste of a sauce or a soup. What I tasted in this broth was a int of heat from chili, a faint sweetness from the peanut, a faint roasted/almost bitterness from the peanut, and savory salt; then there is the big, robust roasted scent and HUGE chicken flavor that was previously unrivaled by anything anywhere. Then there are the perfectly chewy wheat noodles swimming in this golden-colored broth. Perfectly cooked vegetables - peppers, onions and scrambled eggs. Juicy, poached, sliced chicken pieces, all white. AMAZING.
I've had other dishes here, too. Great lumpia, although tiny and a bit dry, if there's any flaws at all. Dessert is OK, I'd bounce over to somewhere else. Great braised dishes including my favorite - the chili braised cubes of beef. SO DAMN GOOD. Tender as can be, spicy, just a great medly of this tomato/chili/coconut/lime/green onion flavor. This place has it down.
Great waitstaff, and I am not sure why the restaurant is never full, but it's got nice lighting and is a cozy place to dine. Highly recommended (do NOT walk over to Thai Stick across the street. It's NOT WORTH IT. more on that later...)
The rendang is a must, also try the Roti Prata Manis for dessert, it will open your eyes to chocolate and cheese.
BTW, rice chocolate = chocolate sprinkles.
I came here once a while ago, very very good Indonesian food and good portions. Their satay is great and so is their roti parata. Order the hot sweet ginger tea and make sure you bring friends.
On a cold bay area night their lemongrass soup will keep all warm inside. One of the best Indonesian restaurants in California!
One word, blagh!
Of you like overcooked, dry, tasteless, over salted food, this is your place. You can have it, We'll not be returning.
No duck on the menu? This is an Indonesian restaurant?
No pork? OK, maybe they are Muslim and I'm cool with that.
They were out of things on the menu.
The service was less than stellar.
May have been an off night but .....
Yes, I am VERY familiar with Indonesian food.
This is one of my new favorite places. I've been here a few times, ordered different things every time, and have always loved what I've gotten. Not only is the food delicious, but the prices are very reasonable for how good the food is (avg entree $8-$13).
A few of my fav's so far is the Bakwan Malang (#49) soup, delicious flavor with lots of dumplings/meat/veggies/noodles; Tumis Bayam Bawang Putih (#36) They describe it was 'water spinach with garlic' but it is SO much more than that. Mouth watering, has red bell peppers, garlic, a delicious sauce - also tried a few stir fry rice dishes that are excellent...
Can't wait for my next trip there!
Very authentic, delicious indo food in a pretty setting. The gado gado, otah, and noodles with chicken were FANTASTIC. If we could have fit more in our stomach we would have. Definitely going to go back!
Haha another Anita 1st reviewed place? Wow, I should just look at all of her 1st to reviewed places and try them out. Anyhoos, I thought Borobudur was really nice and the staff was very attentive as well. My friend and I tried out all sorts of items such as a stir fried noodle dish which is similar to mee goreng. It was good and full of flavor topped with cilantro and other veggies.
We had also tried a sampler platter which consisted of bbq chicken, eggs, tofu, rice, shrimp chips and some beef. The sampler was not bad but the tofu was not good at all. It was either the sauce or the texture of it. The roti prata was a hit and did not disappoint. The cons about the place is that parking is bad in the area and you can spend countless minutes circling around to a point where you might want to go home. Overall, a pleasant experience.
I had the trout, which was pretty solid. Very juicy -- cooked very well. No brown rice available. Atmosphere not particularly impressive. I'd like to try some other dishes before I really make a judgment on this place, but that was a good start.
Excellent food!
Charming surprise here in Borobudur. We were wandering up Sutter and it felt like a 'no room at the inn' kind of night -- each of the restaurants we tried to get into were booked solid for the night, not even bar seating.
Round the corner, and came upon Borobudur, with a sign that suggested an exotic taste adventure. We were game.
It strikes me as the kind of restaurant that may not be consistent from visit to visit, as even some of the area's better restaurants can be. We were there on a weeknight, and ordered the sampler dinner (far too much food for two people!). On this particular night, they were not too busy, and they got solid 4s.
Good food, good service, good pacing, pleasant dining experience.
Wonderful. We started out with Lumpia Semarang , which is
fried spring roll stuffed with tofu, bamboo shoot, carrot & chicken , served with a peanuty spicy dipping sauce. Very good. As an entree I had Soto Ayam, which is smooth lemon grass soup with bean sprout, egg, chicken and rice stick noodle. OK. Did not like the cellophane noodles but everything else in the soup was yum. We ordered fried rice which was delicious and something else with noodles and shrimp. If I were in the mood for Indonesian food I would go back to Borobudur.
After watching an episode of Check Please where they went to Borobudur and everyone liked it on the show, my boyfriend and I had to check it out for ourselves. We were excited to try Indonesian food as we hadn't really experienced it before.
This is what we ordered based on feedback from Yelp as well as Check Please:
Roti Prata - this was excellent! It was like a fried crepe that was crispy and chewey all at the same time. This was probably the best thing we ate.
Veggie sampler plattter - Only good thing on this was the corn fritters. Skip the platter and just get the corn fritters.
Then we did the Rijsttafel to get a sampling of various items on the menu in small portions. OVerall we were disapointed here as well. There was a shrimp curry dish that was decent but everything else was not so good.
When we got the Rijsttafel the dishes were cold and we had to ask them to heat them up. The service wasn't very attentive and they forgot to bring me my wine, I had to ask for it after they brought the food. Additionally, the food left me filling rather ill for the rest of the night. The Roti prata was tasty but I doubt I'd make a trip here just for that.
Embarrassed to say that this was the first time I've ever been to an Indonesian restaurant, so I really don't have much to compare Borobudur to. I mean, I love Mayalasian-Chinese-Singaporean-Indian-Thai cuisine and I would say that this place had a good mix of the five. Is it authentic Indonesian? I'd have to plead the fifth on that one.
Regardless, for a noobie, this place was awesome. The food was all great: (1) lumpia, (2) roti prata, (3) rendang, (4) eggplant & tofu balado, and (5) mie tek ayam goreng (fried noodles). All of it was nicely spiced and had a ton of flavor. I especially liked the Roti which I thought was done really well. Had a couple bottles of Singha and our bill for 2 came out to $58 before tip. Note: we ordered way too much food for 2, so it should've been less than that.
It was all really heavy food (expect a lot of spice and sauce), so I definitely felt like I was going to pass out on the streets of the Tenderloin and have homeless people crap on my forehead. You know it's not a good sign when towards the end of your dinner, your conversation steers toward "Fuck, I really need to start eating healthier."
Service, I'd have to say, was phenomenal. The waitresses are all sweet ladies who always seemed concerned whether or not we liked the food. Luckily, we did, so we didn't have any problems there. Thinking about it in retrospect, though, it kinda scares me that maybe they knew we were eating something gross and wanted to see if we noticed. Ok not gonna think about that.
There weren't really many Indonesian patrons there, so that leads me to believe that either it's not authentic (and it's catered to the white man) or it's too expensive for Indo cuisine. Regardless, I loved it.
I've lived in Malaysia and have made trips to Indonesia on a few occasions. Definitely the best Indonesian food I have come across west of Indonesia.
Highly recommended, thank you Monkia and Amy!
Credits for this review: traveled to Indonesia, an Indo bf, I think I've got a pretty good grasp of what is good Indo food, and there is no better place to go in SF than Borobudur. Borobudur is authentic and delicious. Missing one star due to their service. Not necessarily bad service, but they only have 3 ppl working there and service can be slow when they are busy - and they are often very busy. But they remain very friendly and try their best to serve you quickly. Nice place to come with a couple of friends to enjoy the portions.
Favorites:
1. Beef Rendang (curry beef with hints of coconut)
2. Ayam Goreng Kalasan (a super tender,meat off the bones honey bbq chicken)
3. Gado Gado (salad with peanut dressing)
4. Milkfish
5. coconut rice
... there's a lot more, but these are the usual selections.
If you are new to Indonesian food and aren't sure what to get, I suggest the rice plates Nasi Rames Padang.
Damn, now I am craving for some Indo food...see you there!
Borobudur means whale's vagina in Pig Latin...
As we entered in through the borobu-DUR...
I grew up around the WestBoro-budur area in SSF...
... I can go on... but..
Basically, I was excited to try Borobudur after seeing it on Check Please Bay Area on KQED a few weeks back. So did a whole bunch of other people because this place was at capacity for a Saturday night dinner. Our waiter even said that ever since that episode aired they've doubled their business.
So in our group dinner date one of our friends, Dee, just happens to be Indonesian. So I was like cool, I'm sure she'll let us know if this place is legit. The interesting part was that she said she hadn't tried and recognized many of the dishes on their menu as they are not typical dishes her and her family would eat on a day to day. Much the same as if an Italian person went to the Olive Garden and ordered the Zucca Toscana soup or if a Chinese person went to Panda Express and ate -gasp - Kung Pao chicken.
The menu had alot of interesting items, so many that we decided to have the waiter make his recommendations on their signature items.
1. The lemongrass soup - it was ok, Mingalaba in Burlingame makes a better lemongrass soup imo.
2. Beef Rendang - the coconut adds a nice smoothness - the beef was tender - our groups consensus favorite. Move over Thai Penang curry, I have a new favorite.
3. BBQ Marinated spicy chicken in special chili sauce - Our group's # 2 favorite dish - the special chili sauce tasted like Mae Ploy. I could replicate this dish at home.
3. Bakmi Goreng aka Stir fried egg noodle dish - It was aiiight - basically chow mein
4. Ikan Bakar Samudra aka grilled trout fish - This tasted like Indonesia. I can totally picture eating something like this on the beach of one of their islands.
5. Veggie Sampler platter - this one included a soybean cake that Dee said her dad would make for all the time. It came with this spicy peanut butter sauce.
Overall - 3.5 Stars, the food was good, very similar to Thai. I'm happy that I can cross off Indonesian on my foods eaten list. With all the extra hype and customers Borobudur's been getting, I think the staff hasn't adjusted to being busy yet.
Hands down, my fav Indo restaurant in the city. The have this fried rice dish called Nasi Goreng Terasi Pedas with a fried egg on top and it is super hot and super awesome! There is this table condiment called balancha or something and that makes it ultra smoking hot.
I have a bunch of indonesian students and they always want to meet up for lunch/dinner at this place so I know it's the bomb.
Service can be slow sometimes but it's all good b/c whenever I go, it's cause I'm jones-in for their food so it's worth the wait.
I been here twice and those two times that I dined here
everything was great. I really enjoy the Teh Jahe Manis (hot sweet ginger tea) this tea is REEALY good!!
The server gave me and my girl friend a funny look when we ordered rijstafel dinner... at 11.30AM. Defiantly, I gave him the "What, you've never seen any ladies with a healthy appetite before?" look.
They have the real Indonesian chili sauce so spicy that it made my skin crawl when I tasted them for the first time - so impressed that this thing exists in the Bay Area, I took one home in a container.
Rijstaffel dinner (or to us, lunch) is a perfect introduction to Indonesian food, as it allows sampling of a variety of little (tame), more popular Indonesian dishes such as the beef rendang (spicy curry beef), gado gado (Indonesian salad with peanut dressing), chicken satay, and soto ayam (lemongrass chicken soup), among others. Otherwise, roti prata (which may be on the pricy side @ $7.50) and bakwan jagung (corn fritters) would make good appetizers, and one of the rice plates (favorite being Nasi Uduk Lengkap - coconut rice with sides) would not disappoint.
Very good dining experience!! My friend really wanted to celebrate her birthday here with a group of close friends and she chose this restaurant because she had heard a lot of good things about it. It also happens to be owned by the brother of one of our friends. My friend took over the ordering of the food and chose a great selection of food for us. My favorite was the roti prata (bread) and the crispy honey chicken which was cooked perfectly. Everybody was very nice at the restaurant and I really appreciate them putting up with our very boisterous and loud group of friends. I definitely would want to go back again : )
Indonesia holds a fond place in my heart ~ the people + culture are beautiful.
It's nice to have a place that brings back those memories without having to travel so far. The service at Borobudur is friendly. The food + presentation are lovely. My favorites are the Roti Prata, Otak Otak Panggang (fish cakes wrapped in banana leaves with a side of spicy peanut sauce) and the Fuyunghai (egg fu yung).
I've been here mid-week a couple times. The first time I went, we were lucky to get there early - it was packed! I wonder if the triple thumbs up review on PBS's 'Check Please' had something to do with it? The 2nd time, we made a reservation and it was more calm. I suggest making a reservation in case. This place is good for both special occasions and a casual night out.
Being hilly San Francisco, the restaurant itself is a bit below street level on one side. It's kinda neat to look up to people walking by - a bit like 'Laverne & Shirley' (the TV show).
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indonesian
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Indonesian
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
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