INDONESIA: Satay Sarinah

We visited Satay Sarinah, an Indonesian restaurant nestled in the Van Dorn neighborhood of Alexandria at the end of a strip mall. We came here for a drink and snack, but were really impressed by the large menu with a large variety of items, as well as the pleasing ambiance (lots of carved wood). This restaurant is also family-owned, so it has a laid back family feel. We really enjoyed the typical satay (skewered meat), but plan on going back for a larger meal. They offer a great deal for customers who want to try a large variety of food at an affordable price ($25). Labeled on the menu as Rijstaffel, this option is a traditional combination platter with wide array of entrees and is a five course meal includes soup, appetizer salad and dessert.

What we thought was most interesting (since we had limited time) were the interesting drinks on the menu. We ordered Happy Soda, a sweet soda similar in some ways to an egg cream. We later read that Happy Soda is the translation of Es Soda Gembira and is sweetened condensed milk and soda water (although ours was pink, so they must do something else to it). We also read on Papayas and Dog Vegetables that the soda originates in Bahasa Indonesia and is a very popular on the Island of Java. The blog states taht “most would agree that the drink originated from Surabaya – the island’s second largest city.”

Another interesting beverage the brave can get here for $10 a cup is Kopi Luwak, or the infamous civet coffee! The coffee is a lot milder and less harsh than normal coffee, it turns out.

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