Tastes of Summer at Feast's Indonesian Food Week, Feb 29-Mar 4

As a kid growing up in Singapore we would take weekend trips to the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, only a few hours away. With these weekend trips came an appreciation for Indonesian flavors and dishes, memories of which were all brought back during my visit to Feast's recent Indonesian Food Week menu tasting.

In the true spirit of Indonesian cuisine, the menu contains no starter that isn't deep-fried. Firstly lumpiah, a traditional deep-fried spring roll that differs from other Southeast Asian spring rolls because it is eaten with vinegar. There is bakwan sayur, deep-fried vegetable fritters with a great crunch, and perkedel kentang, a potato cake which was also crunchy on the outside but with a smooth and creamy filling of potatoes, meat, and herbs.
 

The main combined various Indonesian flavors: deep-fried chicken, which remained moist on the inside, a homemade sambal using chilis and shrimp paste, and rice gently steamed using coconut milk, topped off with fried onions. The fried anchovies were also a nice touch.
 

Another main option, the beef rendang, perhaps one of the best known Indonesian dishes, was just delicious, with the smooth paste of tumeric, garlic, nuts, shallots, ginger, chilies, and coconut milk capturing the meat through two hours of cooking. Regardless of this, the meat still retained its texture and was incredibly tender. More of this, please.
 

And finally, the new Indonesian menu is rounded off with a selection of desserts, including sago, a jelly dessert made using tapioca and palm sugar, a layered cake using traditional five spices, and a beautiful crepe roll filled with peanuts and chocolate. If you haven't got your after-dinner sugar fix by then, you never will.
 

What really makes this menu different from many other Beijing cuisine-themed weeks, however, is that the recipes employed are real family recipes, and thus, you won't find a more traditional Indonesian fare anywhere else.

A two-course lunch menu costs RMB 128 (plus 15 percent service charge), a three-course lunch menu costs RMB 158 (plus 15 percent service charge), and a four-course dinner set is RMB 188 (plus 15 percent service charge). Check the event listing for the full menu.

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Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
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Photos: Margaux Schreurs