There aren’t that places serving authentic Indonesian food in Singapore. But if you’re ever in the mood for some spicy and tasty dishes, here’s where to go get some.
Ayam Penyet Ria
Easy, roadside food, ayam penyet is arguably the most well-known export of Indonesian food in Singapore. The no-frills restaurant at Lucky Plaza serves up crispy chicken, which has been marinated in spices like turmeric, spicy chilli sauce, steaming hot rice and fried tofu and tempeh. If you’re not craving chicken, they’ve also got udang (prawn) penyet, empal (marinated beef) penyet and even lele (fried catfish) penyet.
Es Teler 77
The closest thing to authentic Indonesian-style chicken noodles you’ll get in Singapore, this franchise has significantly scaled down through the years. The one outlet you can easily get to still serves up delicious umami-rich egg noodles with minced chicken, dumplings and bakso, or beefballs. They also serve fried rice and fried turmeric chicken, in case you’re not in the mood for noodles. Also don’t skip the es campur, an icy dessert filled with coconut milk, avocado, jackfruit and jelly.
#B1-02 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Rd., 6736-4439.
Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant
This Indonesian restaurant has recently expanded with new outlets located at 100AM mall in Tanjong Pagar. The rustic-minimalist restaurant serves Chinese-style Indonesian food like udang mentega (prawns fried in butter), cah kangkong, rendang, ayam bali and their award-winning ikan otah kukus, fish steamed in banana leaves.
Resto Surabaya
Another reliable hole-in-the-wall serving fuss-free Indonesian food, this one takes cues from the east Javanese city. While it’s got its fair share of “penyet” dishes (including chicken, beef balls and beef short rib), their specialty lies in Eastern Javanese dishes like sop buntut, or oxtail soup; tahu telor, fried tofu with eggs; soto ayam Lamongan; a turmeric-spiced chicken soup and rawon, the famous black beef soup flavored with buah keluak.
#02-63 Lucky Plaza, 304 Orchard Rd., 6732-1803.
The Rice Table
A traditional Indonesian dining experience, rijsttafel (literally translated as rice table) is the lavish feast way of presenting Indonesian food. It’s also a great option for those who want to sample a wide variety of Indonesian food. The table is filled with a smorgasbord of meat, poultry, seafood and vegetable dishes—not forgetting the sambal. Sample at least 20 dishes like sayur lodeh, ayam kalio (spicy chicken curry) and sotong asam (squid in a sour sauce) for a flat price of $28.49.
Sari Ratu
Arguably the best Indonesian Nasi Padang restaurant in Singapore, this one’s got a die-hard following among the Indonesian community and expat wives. People come here for the extra fragrant gulai ayam, an Indonesian chicken curry; beef rendang; perkedel, potato patties, known in Singapore, as bergidil and sambal goreng udang. But, people really stay here for the chilli that comes in red and green varieties.
Tambuah Mas
For a restaurant located in a mall, this place sure serves great Padang, Sulawesi and Javanese food. For a complete taster of regional Indonesian food, get items like gado-gado, the famous Indonesian salad drenched in peanut sauce; all sorts of satay; opor ayam, a chicken curry; ikan pepes, seabass wrapped in banana leaves and the must-try yellow rice.
