Indo Kitchen

Over the years, I've definitely eaten my share of Indonesian food. While I've always enjoyed it, it wasn't until I had dinner at Indo Kitchen one night that I was really wowed. I was there to participate in a "tasting." Someone in our party was going to be hosting a holiday dinner featuring Indonesian dishes and since she didn't have much experience with that cuisine, she wanted some help choosing the right foods to serve. Suffice to say that we had quite a feast - a feast of 14 dishes, believe it or not.

Except for the Beef Rendang, which I found to be lacking in zing, the majority of the dishes were wonderful, but even then, I definitely had my favorites. Our meal started with Gado Gado which is an Indonesian salad with tofu, egg, veggies, shrimp chips topped with a peanut sauce. Whenever I've had this dish in the past, it's always been a disappointment. I think a lot of it had to do with the sauce. Either the sauce was too thick, too thin and/or just lacked punch. I've also had Gado Gado where it was made up of primarily lettuce which the sauce would make limp. Yuck!

Indo Kitchen's Gado Gado; however, was a hit with me. First, I liked the use of cabbage and other crunchy veggies like bean sprouts and green beans. The eating texture was just so much fun. The peanut sauce was also amazing. Its consistency was just right because it clung to the ingredients as opposed to being absorbed by them. Also, you can definitely tell that more than peanuts went into the sauce, evident by the various spice specks mixed into its liquid goodness, which definitely contributed to a more flavorful kick to your palate.

The other must-try is their Ayum Bumbu which is a crispy seasoned chicken. My oh my! A part of me wonders if they double fry this poultry dish because the crispiness of the skin was beyond words plus after taking your first bite, you may be an addict for life. How can you not be addicted to a food that is coated with ground spices, nuts and garlic and than deep fried? Those little crispy bits that were falling onto my plate as I bit into my chicken leg were quickly picked up with slightly oily fingertips, also to be consumed. They were just that tasty and not to be wasted.

With my Filipino palate, I always enjoy more sour and tart foods. In fact, my favorite Filipino soup is called Sinigang which usually is made up of a tamarind-based broth. At Indo Kitchen, you can order their Tamarind Soup. After doing some online research, I discovered that young tamarind tends to be more on the tart side and I can definitely say that describes Sinigang to a tee; however, ripened tamarind, while still retaining some sourness, is also sweeter. Now I know why my first spoonful of the Tamarind Soup was so surprising. Instead of the tartness, I got to enjoy a different flavor profile of the tamarind which I've never experienced before: sweet and sour.

The other dish that made my evening was the Tahu Campur, which is egg with tofu and cabbage in a peanut dressing. The Tahu Campur was actually a pretty simple dish with the egg, made into an omelet, covering the tofu and cabbage on the plate, but I liked how the omelet was browned and a little crispy at the edges. Add the crunchy cabbage, the spongy tofu plus the awesome peanut sauce, also used in the Gado Gado we had previously and what you get is an egg dish that you, more than likely, won't see in your local Denny's.

As for dessert, we three different kinds, but the Ice Cendol which includes mung bean jelly in palm sugar and coconut milk, was what put a smile on my face. I could easily see myself downing the Ice Cendol on a hot summer day, but even in what California classifies as winter, this dessert drink is still a sweet way to end your meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed Indo Kitchen and am looking forward to a return visit so that I can do even more Indonesian Cuisine exploring.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603500650396/

Indo Kitchen
5 N 4th St
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-1676

Manja Resto - CLOSED

Open only two weeks at the time, I walked into a fairly empty restaurant when I decided to have lunch at Manja Resto, a new Indonesian restaurant. Missing Paradiso, also an Indonesian restaurant, that closed and was replaced by Manja, a part of me was worried that I wouldn't get the same quality dishes that I used to get before. So with some trepidation, I took a look at the menu and placed my order.

Not wanting to stick to my usual standbys of satay, nasi goreng (fried rice) or the beef rendang, I decided to try some new dishes that I've never had before.

First up was the Telur Balado which are fried boiled eggs with spicy sauce. While I tend to be more of a soft-boiled egg person myself and found the inside of the egg a little dry (go figure, it is boiled and fried, of course, it'll be a little dry), I still really enjoyed this dish. I counter-acted the dryness of the egg by slathering it with the chili sauce and it was delicious and wonderfully spicy. As an after thought, I could easily imagine frying bacon, chopping these eggs and mixing the whole thing with rice and just eating that out of a bowl. Now that's the breakfast of champions!

The second dish was the BBQ Chicken that was marinated with sweet soy sauce and hot chili sauce. Apparently, the hotter the better is how people tend to like this dish, according to the owner, but I decided to stay with "medium heat." What I liked about this dish was the layers of sweet, salty and chili flavors. When you first take a bite of the chicken, you get the sweet first, but as you chew, you get a little bit of that salt and than finally, a bit of heat. I also liked how the chicken was soft and moist.

The last dish was the Ketoprak, a dish made up rice stick noodles, bean sprouts, fried tofu with garlic peanut sauce and crackers. The Ketoprak was a bit of a harder sell for me. I liked the flavor of the peanut sauce, but I found the sauce consistency really, really thick. The delicate rice noodles stuck together in clumps and when I took a bite, it felt like I was chewing and chewing, as if I had a clump of peanut butter in my mouth.

I actually asked the owner about it and she said that the thick consistency of that peanut sauce is a preference of the Indonesian palate. Since I've never had a dish before that is served with this peanut sauce at other Indonesian restaurants I've been to, I'll have to take her word for it.

Served with my meal was the El Teler dessert drink that I ordered that had avocado, jackfruit, coconut milk and was topped with condensed milk and syrup. Given the heat and the intense flavor of the dishes I've been eating, this dessert drink was nice and cooling. I didn't care too much for the large chunks of ice in the bowl. It just seems like there should be a better way for this to be served cold, but how can you go wrong with those sweet, refreshing ingredients.

Overall, I liked my meal at Manja Resto and am looking forward to trying even more dishes and in doing so, may even one day raise my 3-star rating to something higher.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600288647021/

Manja Resto
1206 E Huntington Dr #A
Duarte, CA 91010
(626) 359-7564