By Joseph S. Amster

East of Java–South of Pico

Jaded taste buds will find refuge at Indo Café

Indo Café
10428 1/2 National Blvd.,
Culver City, (310) 815-1290

Tired of Thai? Need a change from Chinese? Sick of sushi? For foodies looking for something new, Indonesian cuisine offers a fresh challenge. Indonesia is an archipelago of islands in the South China Sea, and their food takes its influences from the countries nearby—China, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines—to create a unique cuisine. Los Angeles is home to a mere four Indonesian restaurants, one of them being Indo Café in Culver City.

This small and intimate restaurant has nine tables and a relaxing atmosphere that encourages lingering over meals. There was a mix of customers, but the clientele was overwhelmingly Indonesian—usually a sign of authentic cuisine.

Begin your meal with their refreshing ginger tea, available hot or iced. This spicy and refreshing drink is an unusual break from the usual offerings at Asian restaurants. Other libations are their numerous tropical drinks made from native ingredients like toddy palm and jackfruit, but my choice was the avocado milk shake. I know this one sounds unusual, but it was rich, sweet, creamy, and cooling on this hot July night—the drizzling of chocolate syrup on the inside of the glass was a perfect complement to this singular drink.

Avoid Indo Café’s appetizers, which were uninspired and relatively tasteless, even with their sweet, chili-laced dipping sauce. We went for the mixed platter, and were disappointed with all four choices. As an alternative, I’d recommend their tamarind soup, perhaps a salad, or the always-popular satay. We had actually ordered the satay as a second course, and Indo Café’s was some of the best I’ve had; I recommend the combination plate, which offers skewers of chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp, and mussels. Indo Café’s satay cuts of meat are smaller than most, but don’t mistake that for a lack of generosity—it has a positive effect on the tenderness of the cuts. The shrimp were perfectly cooked to their succulent best, and the mussels were large, plump, and juicy. I was also impressed with the peanut sauce, which was nicely balanced in flavor, and not as thick as others I’ve had. This dish is presented with chunks of rice cake, which you’ll want to use to sop up every bit of the sauce.

Next up was their ayam bakar padang (don’t worry, they have a picture menu with descriptions of the dishes that you can simply point to). This half chicken is prepared with a spicy sauce and potatoes. The pungent sauce’s heat creeps up on your tongue and slowly moves to the back of your mouth. The heat concentrates in the potatoes, but the spiciness doesn’t overpower the flavor of the dish.

I couldn’t help but compare this meal to my last experience with Indonesian cuisine, which was in Amsterdam in 1975. I recall that meal as consisting of numerous little plates and the spiciness as overwhelming. I know that after 21 years of eating fiery cuisine, my palate has become desensitized, but I also suspect that Indo café has somewhat “Americanized” their cuisine. I’m still looking to recapture that night in Amsterdam, but it may take a trip back to accomplish my dream (not a bad thing).