Watch out for the steps!
(Apple iPhone 3GS)
The moment I stepped into the restaurant, two things did not rub me the right way: there were just too many tables and chairs; and the smell that permeated the room. While the former did not bother me that much although I might have a different take if it was a full house, the smell somehow was a bit offensive. It did not hit me straight away but I found it invading my nostrils more forcefully at the corner where we were seated. Think chicken coop for you to understand my agony. I did not have the heart to question the polite waitstaff. What's stranger was that, I was the only one suffering, the other TPH occupants seemed to have their gas masks on. They swore they didn't see any flightless birds scrounging on the ground. The smell must have been an imagination.
We took some time to decipher the menu as it was presented in Bahasa Indonesia (very, very different than Bahasa Malaysia mind you) with English translation. Finally, we settled on Talapia Mango, Rendang Daging, Paru Tusuk, Tempe Mendoan, Sayur Asem and Gulai Daun Singkong. And some coloured liquids to ease the food down the throat. I will pick in random the delicacies and what I think of them as we go along.
The Talapia Mango was deep fried fish served with mango sauce. I mean, really deep fried, the bones and head all crunchy and yummy. I remember watching Rick Stein bemused on his visit to Cambodia when he was served with a deep fried fish but can't tell whether he cleaned up his dish as the show cut to other scenes. My problem though lay in the sauce. It was hot! I half expected the sweet and sour taste of the fruit but the chillies were just too overbearing. Since you could eat the whole fish on its own anyway I will give the Talapia Mango a score of nine, on the scale of 10.
You may substitute the mango with another fruit...
(Apple iPhone 3GS)
Thinly sliced tempe, coated with flour, that's how Tempe Mendoan was described in the menu. I felt the chef or probably the kitchen hand did not do justice to the thickness of the soybean cake. For me, fried tempe of any kind must be really thinly sliced. Even the menu said so. This version did not make that cracking sound when I bit into it and I ended up with more flesh in my mouth than I had liked because it was as thick as a Mars bar. Nice aroma though so I'll award the tempe with a score of six.
For the next menu item, I'll go straight to my score which is 10 out of 10! It's the Rendang Daging which had the tenderest and moistest meat on the fourth floor of Suria KLCC. Enough spices, delicate balance in taste, the right colour. Hey, everything was perfect. When it arrived, I thought the beef chunks were a tad too big and immediately assumed they going to be as chewy as chewing gum but I was just blown away by the accuracy of the pressure cooking.
What what's left of the Rendang Daging!
(Apple iPhone 3GS)
When I have rice, I always make sure that there is at least one green dish to go with the meat. So for tonight's eat-out, we ordered the Sayur Asem and Gulai Daun Singkong. Sayur Asem was a classic Sundanese dish, comprising several types of veggies cooked in a clear sour soup. The types of vegetables depend on who's cooking I guess but that night, the person was on a roll so this good chef put in chopped corn, melinjo leaves, long beans, peanuts and green pumpkin. But you know what, I think these are the standard ingredients. Anyway, let's cut to the chase. I found the broth to be a little too sweet I was thinking of changing the name to Sayur Manis. The peanuts were boiled somewhere in between raw and overly cooked, which means they were excellent. The corn kernels showed signs of tiredness, I suspect they were not fresh but my tongue did not know better. Heard of pucuk ubi masak lemak, well, Gulai Daun Singkong is the Indonesian version of that. Apart from the name, everything else was the same. It was tasty the one rendered by Bumbu Desa's kitchen but I regretted ordering it as another food item could have made it to the table. Collectively, the greens scored a respectable seven.
The bill came up to about RM136 which was quite reasonable if you discounted the drinks which were priced at RM8 each. I wanted to order the famously Indonesian Teh Sosro but somehow forgot to do it. It sold at RM5.90 per 290 ml bottle. We will definitely come back to Bumbu Desa, surely next time round different dishes would be put to the test. Would I vouch for the restaurant? Absolutely, just avoid the left wing of the restaurant unless you like funny smells!
The bill came up to about RM136 which was quite reasonable if you discounted the drinks which were priced at RM8 each. I wanted to order the famously Indonesian Teh Sosro but somehow forgot to do it. It sold at RM5.90 per 290 ml bottle. We will definitely come back to Bumbu Desa, surely next time round different dishes would be put to the test. Would I vouch for the restaurant? Absolutely, just avoid the left wing of the restaurant unless you like funny smells!
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