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Duarte Inn
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5 reviews for Duarte Inn
Reviews for the Indonesian outdoor BBQ are here: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
They have re-opened. Very much to my relief.
Indonesian food is rare in SoCal since there isn't a large Indonesian community in the LA area. So the last place one would expect to find authentic Indonesian food would be in the parking lot of the Duarte Inn of all places. However, that's exactly the place to go, because every Saturday, the Inn graciously hosts a small food fair, officially called Pondok Kaki Lima, that offers a tantalizing variety of food for everyone interested in such cuisine.
I heard about this food fair from fellow Yelper Abby, who happens to live in Duarte. The Indonesian Food Fair got its start because the owners of the Inn are Indonesian and they happened to know friends that at one point or another ran an Indonesian restaurant. For one reason or another, they no longer have their own restaurants but they spirit of their establishments live on through the food stalls that they run.
When I arrived a few weeks ago, it was one of those rare, cold, gloomy and slightly rainy days in SoCal, and yet the moment I stepped into the parking lot, you could feel the spirit and energy that comes with a food fair. It wasn't large - there were only 4 or 5 food stalls, but that was more than enough food to sample.
Seating was a little more tight, but some in my group arrived earlier and managed to save a table with a tent to shelter us from the rain. I inspected every stall to see what dishes they offered. I am not familiar at all with Indonesian food, but I noticed that it had many similarities to both Thai and Filipino cuisines. Which makes sense since geographically, Indonesia is between both countries.
It was great trying out the fair for the first time as part of a group, because we were able to sample a wide variety of dishes. I couldn't even begin to remember what the various names of the dishes were, but luckily I didn't have to since one person in our group was of Indonesian descent and she was gracious enough to name the dishes and let us know what the basic ingredients for each dish we ate were. I posted several pics of the dishes along with their names.
The water spinach dish was okay. It wasn't much different compared to how they prepare it at Chinese restaurants - a little over cooked and stringy in texture. The caramelized tempeh - interesting crunchy texture, but the flavor just didn't do anything for me. There was also a dish that was fish covered in sticky rice and wrapped in banana leaves like a tamale. It didn't do anything for me.
I really enjoyed the chicken barbecue. Its very similar to Filipino barbecue in preparation, but you dip it in a peanut sauce like the Thais do. Most of the fritters and empanada like dishes were also good. They even had their own version of lumpia which wasn't that much different from the Filipino version.
My favorite dishes had to be the desserts. They had a jello pandan drink that again reminded me of a Filipino dessert. Then there was this cupcake that was flavored with pandan and rose water. It is a little similar to a Filipino dessert but the Indonesian version was much better. the texture was soft, moist and fluffy. There was another dessert that contained coconut and molasses wrapped in a green sponge like dough that I enjoyed. I liked how the sponginess of the dough contrasted with the crunchiness of the toasted coconut. There were several other desserts I had and most of them I enjoyed enough that I bought more to take back home to share with my family.
There were several more food items that I tried, but this being my first time sampling all those dishes, its become sort of a blur. I'll need to more visits to better familiarize myself with the names and ingredients of the dishes. Overall, I liked the quality of the food and the prices were very reasonable. I had a very positive experience and plan to do future visits.
I've heard the place can get packed around noon or so, so arrive by 11 AM to get decent seating. There is parking available at the fron of the Inn. There's also a street parking available. Get there early if you want good seating.
This review is for what happens on Saturdays at this Duarte Inn. This review is not for the hotel.
So you ask what happens on Saturdays? If you're hungry and in the mood for good Indonesian food, you MUST visit Duarte Inn on Saturday. There are quite a few vendors stationed at the parking lot selling wonderful Indo food.
One vendor in particular, Kristy's Kup, which no longer has a restaurant in West Covina, still serves their famous bakmi ayam (a la bakmi gajah mada) or chicken noodles, ayam goreng kalasan (fried chicken), lontong cap go meh (rice cakes with other stuff), nasi gudeg (rice with young jackfruit) and sambal goreng kreceh (you will have to try it to find out what it is). Since they no longer have the restaurant, people have now flocked over to Duarte Inn just to get an Indo food fix satiated. For those who truly enjoy Indo food, this is the place to be. I have also heard that if you need an Indo food fix, you would have to ask Ibu Lilian for a special order during the weekdays of the above dishes.
They also have other vendors like Satay Man, who serves delicious pork kabobs with peanut dressing and others who serve wonderful tropical drinks.
I have not been there in a while due to where I live now. However, I have heard of people who have traveled from San Diego just to have a taste of the Indo food served there.
Shower curtains, big time mold on them. Bummer. Channel changer not working. Paid 60 a night. They should of paid me 60 a night for the stay. Will difinetely not stay there agin.
Indonesian food Bazzar!..All kinds of Indonesian food here and snacks and drinks. Its a one stop shop. There are many different vendors/stands as well as outdoor seating area. I always bump in to someone I know here...since Indonesians have small community in LA. I think this is the only Indonesia hang out for us.
