There are a few nasi Padang places going around but Sari Ratu has been going strong for a number of years now. Curious to see if they can keep up the good food, we puttered over for a nice helping of ayam pop, rendang minang and sambal hijau, washed down with a cool bowl of es teler.
This week we took a peek at one of the more frequently visited Nasi Padang restaurants. With a few branches to its name and fame, Restoran Sari Ratu definitely has quite a following. Traditionally, waiters at Nasi Padang restaurants bring piles of dishes to your table for you to choose. Here, we suggest you pre-order at the counter as you enter the restaurant to ensure quick and easy service.
Though most of the items stated on the board will confuse you at first, (though we speak the same tongue, Indonesian can be a little confusing) there is always a friendly waitress here to help you order up a sumptuous feast! What they have is a wide variety of veggies, chicken, beef and appetisers like emping (bitter Melinjo nut crackers)- heavenly when dipped in their Sambal Hijau (Green Chilli Sambal).
Dig a little deeper at the menu and you will start to understand it. For instance, Balado sounds pretty much like Berlada (spicy in Malay) if you put a Minangkabau accent to it, and that is exactly what it is. The stir-fried brinjals are cooked in a spicy red chilli paste. This dish is delicious. Brinjals here have rich deep purple skins and tender cool meat that absorbs the spiciness of the chillies and helps to tone down the spiciness, giving it subtle heat. To turn the heat up again you can eat this with a dollop of Sambal Hijau.
The Sambal Hijau is not really just green chillies, there is more here than meets the eye. They are pounded green chillies with hints of garlic, onion and ikan bilis (anchovies) stir-fried lightly so all the flavours are well married and later served cold as an accompaniment. Everything here has a subtle difference from our dishes. For example the Rendang Minang (dry stew beef) at first taste present similar characteristics to ours but immediately after the saltiness of the Rendang states that it is uniquely Padang.
"The Es Teler comes topped with red sago"
But an item that everyone must have a go at is their Ayam Pop, or in local-speak fried chicken (usually Ayam Kampung or Free-range chicken). It was superb! I am one of those who never really thought much about Ayam Kampung as their meat is often tougher and hard to come by nowadays. Our fine-feathered friend is firstly prepared in a secret marinade. After bathing in the marinade, a short trip to the fryer will turn it golden on the outside and still juicy on the inside.
It is then served with a saucer of sambal made from kicap manis (sweet soy sauce) and chillies. There is speculation that the kicap itself might be of the famed kicap ABC that is oh so popular in Indonesia & Sumatera. As it is, the kicap is light with a very rich and creamy taste that uncovers a mellow sweetness. The Ayam Pop and sauce definitely belong with each other, as it enhances each other’s attributes perfectly.
On top of that, there are still other dishes to sample such as their Belut Balado, Gulai Kikil or Tunjang (Tendon in coconut base gravy) and even a Kerepek made from the layer between the cow skin and meat. Besides savoury, they also do sweet. Such as the Jus Alpokat, which is ice-blended Avocado with chocolate syrup. But I am quite a fan of the Es Teler (Ice Teler) here as it is not so sweet compared to some places.
Es Teler can be compared to the likes of our own local ABC, but it is less fussy with more natural fruits. With ice and light coconut juice as its base, the version they serve here has the signature young coconut meat, whole avocados, nangka (jackfruit) and a chewy fruit common in ice drinks. It also has a generous topping of buah sagu (Red Sago) on top. This concoction is just so delicious that you will not hesitate to have seconds. Which pretty much deems Sari Ratu good for more than one visit.
More Photos To Drool On
Slightly more salty than our rendang
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Foodster's Verdict
Sari Ratu
Taste
Service
Ambiance
Address:
No. 26 GF Ampang Water Front,
Taman Kosas,
68000 Ampang
Tel: 03 4280 8841
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