The only authenticate Indonesian-Thai foods in town !

Experience the new level of South East Asian Cuisine prepared by professional Indonesian and Thai Chefs !

3.5/5 Stars

Joining Nali Patio’s microcosm of international dining, Bali Papaya adds a range of Southeast Asian cuisine to the mix, with Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian dishes cooked by an Indonesian chef. The food doesn’t particularly stand out among its Sanlitun competition, but it’s a solid bet.

With dark wicker chairs and wooden carvings, the restaurant has a unified décor and pleasant atmosphere. When we visited, the servers outnumbered the diners, so service was naturally quite efficient. The manager was also on hand to help us navigate the almost overwhelmingly long menu, with knowledgeable suggestions about ordering dishes that went well together. We thus stuck mostly to the Thai cuisine.

The Thai “spring roll salad” (¥38) was pleasantly light, with fresh basil, lettuce and imitation crab in rice wrappers, served with a sweet sauce. The tom yum king prawn (¥68), big enough for at least three to share, was spicy yet also a bit sweet. The prawns, while tasty, were difficult to peel. Our favorite dish was the chicken cashew nut (¥48), tender pieces of chicken served with a generous portion of multicolored bell peppers and cashew nuts in a sweet sauce. We also happily finished all of the Thai pineapple fried rice (¥45).

After such a sweet meal, dessert wasn’t really necessary, but we were tempted by the Thai mango sticky rice (¥20). The rice and very fresh mango hit the spot, but be warned that the dish is topped with small pieces of dried, crunchy beans that are best eaten with care to avoid any dental damage. We found the banana kolak (¥20), sliced banana served in Indonesian coconut milk, to be slightly salty, but palatable.

■ Sienna Parulis-Cook