Indonesian Kitchen

According to Kartini Chastam, owner of Indonesian Kitchen, every visit to her restaurant is like a special occasion. Most of the items on the menu, such as the rendang and udang mantega are traditional festive dishes in Indonesia. “When they have weddings or special guests visiting, we serve the rendang because it takes so long to make it, maybe four or five hours,” Kartini reminisces of her native Bandung on the island of Java. “Historically, some people may just have it once a year.”

Thankfully, her customers don’t have to wait that long if they order the rendang, a slightly spicy beef stew flavoured with coconut. The udang mantega features jumbo prawns cooked in a rich tomato and garlic sauce. Appropriately, the first half of its name rhymes with tang.