If you’ve always been unsure about what to order at an Indonesian restaurant, Indo Rasa is the perfect place to start figuring it out. The pictorial menu – that’s 61 shots spread over 11 pages – makes order-by-pointing a much more accurate exercise.
In the uni student/cheap eats haven that is Kingsford, Indo Rasa is one of the fancier-looking restaurants on the strip. And by that we mean there are waitstaff here who will cheerfully take down your order. At most other Indonesian joints in the area, you’ll have to write out your own. (Seriously.)
More importantly, the place is always full, reassuringly jumping with Indonesian families, friends and couples no matter what time you pass by.
Eating on your own? The nasi one-meal rice plates run a wallet-friendly gamut of $9 to $12.50. They come with all kinds of components including fried chicken, salted fish and nasi gudeg, a green jackfruit and coconut milk curry. The nasi kuning komplit ($11) is a winner based on the mound of tumeric rice alone – the bright yellow grains are incredibly fragranced with coconut milk.
You’re better off bringing all your mates for an all-in share feast, though. That way you can order sate chicken, lamb or beef at $8 for four skewers. And they do up to five kinds of chicken Maryland including the classic grilled ayam bakar ($6) and the fried ayam goreng ($6), blanketed with flakes of deep fried batter called kremes (it means crunchy in Indonesian).
Terik daging ($16) might look ominous, as it's coated liberally with a bright red chilli sauce. But the slices of fried, marinated beef underneath are impressively tender. Plow through the buntut bakar ($9), hunks of marinated oxtail grilled so they take on a smoky sweetness. Or try the terang balado ($10), fat slices of eggplant stir-fried until soft and sticky and smothered in a spicy tomato sauce.
You can even get into the deep fried tripe ($2.50 per piece) if you’re game. And there’s always room for rendang, especially when the beef is this tender and only $4 per scoop. Drinks double as dessert. Go all out and get the durian blended ice ($6) or the avocado juice ($5.50) with chocolate syrup. Do it.