Bali Indonesia Restaurant

UPDATE:  November 2005
Bali Indonesia Restaurant has closed.
Kapiolani Asian Cuisine now occupies this space.

Over the weekend not too long ago, I went to have lunch at Bali Indonesia Restaurant.

I previously had dinner here, and it was OK, with some dishes being much better than others.  Not the best Indonesian food that I've had, but since this is the only game in town, it was good enough to satisfy a need.  Besides, with the price of an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at US$6.95, how could I resist.

On display outside the restaurant are two becaks (bicycle "rickshaws" which I believe are still banned in Indonesia).  I'll be needing someone to give me a ride in one of them after I finish eating.

Once inside, you're greeted ever so graciously by a wooden statuette.

Since it's quite empty, I think there were a couple of Indian men sitting at one table in back, I pretty much have a run of the place.

The interior is plain and dimly lit.  The tables and chairs are teak and are covered with white tablecloths and plastic sheets.

There were a number of items available on the buffet.  In addition to nasi putih (steamed rice), there are about 10 items offered, which change on a daily basis. 

To keep prices low, food is served on styrofoam plates and in styrofoam bowls.  Your utensils?  Plastic forks and knives, and wooden chopsticks.  Today, some of the menu items included sayur asam (hot and sour soup), nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), gado gado (Indonesian mixed salad), ayam goreng kuning (Indonesian style fried chicken) and beef rendang (spicy beef with coconut).  The beef rendang was possibly the best item on today's buffet.

The beef was very lean and tender.  It was only mildly spicy and had the faintest hint of coconut.  I actually would have liked this to be a lot spicier.  There was also a bit more gravy than I was used to.  Most times when I've had beef rendang, it's been much drier, but all in all, this was a fairly authentic rendition of a classic Indonesian dish.

Here's the plate of food that I started with (clockwise from top left):  bakmi goreng (Indonesian fried egg noodle with meat and vegetables), fried eggplant, deep fried fish cake(?), nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) and beef rendang.

Dessert was young coconut and jackfruit in iced coconut milk (es teler).

It was a wonderfully refreshing end to a decent meal.  If you've never had Indonesian food before, this is a great place to start.  For those of you who have had Indonesian food before, you may find this to be somewhat of a disappointment.

Bali Indonesia Restaurant
1901 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 110
Telephone:  808.949.2254

Comments

[FatMan Seoul]

If only we had this in Korea, I'd be all over it in a minute. If only .....

That's good value, even if the quality may be less than stellar. But when you're starved for non-Korean food like me, that looks too awesome. At those prices, and with my apetite, they may have to re-think their strategy. If only ....

Quick Bahasa Indonesia lesson for your readers:
nasi = rice
putih = white (but means plain when used in nasi putih)
sayur = vegetables
asam = tamarind
goreng = deep fried
ayam = chicken
kuning = yellow

Hope someone finds that useful.

[Jo]

Thanks FatMan! I find it helpful. I won't remember it for more than 30 minutes, but having heard it once, I might remember it a whole hour then next time! ;o) Ah the wonders of maturation!

Reid, you say the becaks are banned? I'm not sure I understand why they would be used as a decoration? Nor do I understand why they would be banned? I must confess that my knowledge of Indonesia is severly lacking. I don't think I've ever had Indonesian food. Anyone know of a place around the Bay Area that would be a decent indoctrination?

There are lots of different types of pieroshki Reid. My personal favorites are the fried ones, filled with meat and mushrooms. I once had homemade that were baked (glossy golden pillows of perfection they were!) and stuffed with chopped boiled eggs! I was SO surprised! They were so gone so fast! Like magic! But I was still taken aback because I never even imagined have them stuffed with boiled eggs. I just love your blog and I really need to go back to visit your beautiful home. I'm craving the pineapple whip. The stuff they serve at the plantation, not the stuff at the Ala Moana kiosk. The plantation version is creamier, the kiosk is more sorbetish. I wonder how they managed that?

[shir]

hello, greeting from indonesia :)

happened to chance upon ur blog.

just some teeny weeny info, becaks are not banned in indo; they're ubiquitous (at least in surabaya, where i'm from).

they are however forbidden to grace through main roads (of course highways included). they can jam up roads!!

yupp...an interesting article you wrote.

cheers!
~shir

p.s. to fatman seoul: are you indonesian?? :)

[Jonny]

This restaurant serves great food but don't go for dinner. They will automatically charge you 10% tip on your bill as a way to get extra money for themselves. I was so disgusted by this pratice that I only went once. However, the food is excellent -- you choose!

[Mik]

the food looks great but I really hate to eat from styrofoam bowls/plates and using plastic cutlery..Mik

[Jo]

I have to agree with Mik. The plastic is a bit of a put off. I can understand the need to keep prices down, but that's a bit of a stretch. Do they also serve a regular menu on real serviceware?

Another thing, as you may recall, I recently returned from my very first visit to Hawaii. Oahu to be precise. I've always heard that things were extrememly expensive there compared to the mainland, but I beg to differ. At least compared to the San Francisco Bay Area, the prices were comprable. We paid about the same for meal there as here, the gas was the same (the cheapest we found being in the little town just before the Dole Plantation). We didn't try to go to anything fancy because we didn't have the money so we ate at the sorts of places we would here at home, Rainbow Drive Inn, McCully's, L&L, Zippy's, LEONARDS! (didn't eat there enough), Waiola Store II, and the like. I think we got a good feel for island food and cooking. If we get to go again I'm desperate to try the seafood and maybe 1 "fancy" place. But from what I saw, we would spend as much here as there. By the way, your way with SPAM is wonderful. My kids got to try it, I grew up with it, but my hubby hates it. Now that the kids know what it is and like it, he's out voted! Try it Korean style, dip in flour, egg, fry. Do some zucchini the same way with a little shoya, sugar, garlic, sesame oil dipping sauce and steamed rice (ok, mainland style with butter). YUMMO!

[Reid]

Hi FatMan,

Well, they definitely have to rethink their pricing strategy because if I sat there and ate plate after plate of their rendang (which I did not), they wouldn't have made any money off of me either.

BTW...thanks for your quick lesson in Indonesian. I think the readers will benefit from it!

Hi Jo,

A while back, I was told that becaks weren't allowed around certain parts of Indonesia because the government was try to move into the industrial age. Therefore, people powered ones were not allowed, although those that were motor powered were.

Hi Shir,

Thanks for dropping by the blog and thank you for that information. According to a friend of mine who's from Jakarta, I was advised that they were not allowed in the city. I guess they are slowly finding their way back. It's been a while since I've been to Indonesia, and I'm thinking that I want to go back, if only to eat! Hope to see you around again.

Hi Jonny,

It was not my experience to have an extra 10% added to my bill. Did you go with a large party? The food here is, at times, fairly authentic, but at times it seems to be a more "Western" interpretation. In any case, since there are no other Indonesian restaurants in the state, the choice is whether to try it or not, right?

Hi mik,

I didn't care to dine on plastics/styrofoam either, but since it was a casual lunch buffet, I didn't mind as much. Besides, many of the take out lunch spots offer food served on styrofoam/paper plates anyway. It's way too common here to make a difference. When I've been here for dinner, they used regular dishes.

I've heard recently that they have converted this place to an all buffet style restaurant, and have done away with the standard menu. So, I'm not sure if they also use styrofoam at dinner now as well.

[fish fish]

Do they modify the original Indonesian taste to fit the Hawaiian? It is a common practice in Japan that non-Japanese food taste Japanese sometimes. :P

[Reid]

Hi fish fish,

I think they do modify the taste a little, although I don't think it's modified to suit the "Hawaiian" palate. The food is not as spicy or as sour as it should be, which I think suits the "American" palate a bit more.

[Jo]

Hey fish fish! My daughter was stationed in Okinawa for a year right before the war started. It was her first time being overseas and she was most fascinated by the differences in cuisine. Her favorite over there (just like here) was spaghetti. She couldn't get over the fact that it was done with cheese. Actually she said "Mom, it's like cheese that isn't really cheese." Of course I have no clue what that really means but I sure would like to find out!

[MrsTweety]

Looks yummy..!! I could eat it anytime.. if we have some indonesian food here.. :) Maybe not as good as i would like it.. but .. beggars can't be choosers right..?? Cheers..!

[Reid]

Mrs. Tweety,

I have to agree with you...beggars can't be choosers. =) That's why I eat here. Although not the best Indonesian food, it's good enough for me...at times.

[Min]

oishisou<---- had to use japanese hee:p

I agree with Tweety..i really wldn't mind having that.

[Reid]

Hi Min,

Nice to see you again! All ready to go back to Singapore? When you get back, you'll get to have the real stuff! I'm so jealous! =P

[Min]

No not ready yet!:(:( I need to do a lot of packing and i barely started so i will probably stay up tonight.

Awww don't be:)You can research authentic indonesian recipes over the net and prepare it yourself.

[tilr]

Looks Gross Must taste good!:)