Straight from the Archipelago
For such a respectable restaurant, it's surprising that we were its lone patrons for the entire duration of our dinner. Perhaps newcomer Rijsttafel is feeling Hongmei Lu's intense competition. Nonetheless, this place--and its Indonesian chef--deserves credit for quality authentic fare, courteous waitstaff and a smart modern décor tastefully adorned with tokens of the archipelago's culture. Our Gado Gado (￥38)--a refreshing, traditional salad of cucumbers, tofu, cabbage, boiled potatoes and eggs, dressed with a thick peanut sauce and crisp prawn crackers--was well-presented and is an ideal introduction for first-timers. The Rendang Sapi (￥68), beef braised in coconut milk, lemongrass and just enough chili, was tender and lusciously spiced. The vegetable curry Sayur Lodeh (￥38) was gratifying despite its subtle flavor and complemented the flavorsome rendang nicely. Disappointingly, the anticipated Nasi Kuning yellow rice was not on the menu, and the Sambal Goreng Ikan (￥58)--grilled fish in tomato sauce--that we ordered, never appeared. But fortunately the slip-up meant we still had room for the unforgettable green mung bean and black glutinous rice pudding (￥22) and its sweet, cinnamon zing. Rijsttafel is a pleasant stop on the Hongmei Lu strip and is an exotic Asian alternative to your standard, and sometimes monotonous, mix of Chinese and Japanese staple restaurants.

Cynthia Cross

Add: No. 34, Lane 3338 Hongmei Lu 虹梅路3338弄34号
Tel: 6465-9880