IndoChili Singapore: What Does Indonesian Food Taste Like

After transferring to my new workplace, which happens to be in the same building where my wife is working, we decided to take our lunch together. We have different working hours and it is just coincidental that her morning client appointment has been canceled.

We were looking for something new and we ended stopping at Guoco Tower in Tanjong Pagar to try Indonesian cuisine.

First Impressions

IndoChili was the winner of the Food Republic Hawker King Challenge held in Singapore and when you head down to basement 1 of Guoco Tower you can spot the restaurant easily because of its unique frontage.

The Staff 

The waitress is courteous and welcoming. Although the place is very casual, meaning you can easily find an available table on your own, she still ushered us to our table and briefed us on how to make an order as first-timers.

The Service

Order taking is done on an iPad using an app customized for IndoChili. It is intuitive enough for you to browse their menu, review and send your order to their kitchen, and preview your bill.

The speed of food serving is not that fast even if the volume of customers is low at that time but I still consider it on a satisfactory level. Although I would prefer it that they serve main dishes all at once rather than one-by-one because if you have company, your food can get cold while waiting for the rest of your orders to come.

The Food

Let us begin with the starters, shall we? 

Served first is a plate of Risoles. These are croquettes rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It is filled with sweet and savory ingredients and immediately became one of my favorites. Their portion consists of three risoles served with green lettuce leaves on the side.

Risoles

If you fancy something sweet for starters then Kentang Kacang would be a good choice. It is a dish with crispy potato chips mixed with roasted peanuts and glazed in honey. It is too sweet for my taste but my wife likes its crunchiness.

Kentang Kacang

The main dishes came in and first on the table is a rice set platter called Nasi Timbel. It is a dish with steamed white rice completely wrapped in banana leaf. The fusion of the hot-cooked rice and the banana leaf produces a unique aroma the moment you open it.

Nasi Timbel is served together with a portion of deep-fried chicken topped with crunchy crumbs. Fried tofu and tempe (fermented soybean cake) completes the dish with a bowl of Sayur Ayem.

Nasi Timbel

Sayur Ayem

Sayur ayem is a mixed vegetable soup that mainly contains slices of jackfruit and corn with assorted vegetables. It has a sweet and sour taste and is very nice when served piping hot.

The fried chicken is nothing special but the crispy crumbs give a crunch to every bite. The fried tofu and tempe are a bit hard to chew and I set the rest aside not to be eaten again.

Next is the Nasi Goreng Seafood which is basically fried rice with slices of prawns and squids and topped with a fried egg.

This dish has a hint of spiciness and my wife loved this bestseller. It is served with Indonesian crackers and vegetables on the side.

Nasi Goreng Seafood

Cumi Bakar Jimbaran is squid grilled in Balinese style. I personally like this dish because the squid is nicely done and is soft and chewy. The flavorful sauce adds to the tanginess and spiciness.

Cumi Bakar Jimbaran

We finished our lunch with a couple of cold fresh Jus Alpukat which is an avocado smoothie. It is really refreshing and when mixed with swirls of chocolate syrup the taste is just heavenly. If you are a sucker for avocados then this is a must-try. 

Jus Alpukat

Our Take

Overall we are happy with the food and we will definitely visit again should we have cravings for Indonesian food. I would personally recommend the Nasi Goreng Seafood and Risoles. By the way, this restaurant is certified Halal. A piece of information for our Muslim friends.

Operations

They are open during weekdays from 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM and are closed during weekends until further notice. Major credit cards, NETS, and cash payments are accepted here.

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Speak Your Mind

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