By
Affad Shaikh I admit, this intrepid food reviewer has a palate yearning for the “exotic” and on my most recent trip I went to another uncharted cuisine. You might have read about Sri Lankan curries, or Thai pannang in my previous restaurant reviews. This time we head further South East to visit Toko Rame Halal restaurant in Bellflower to get a taste of the far off Spice Islands of Indonesia.
Toko is fairly small, and the compact size makes it difficult to take large groups. More of a family environment you are greeted by a warm and smiling woman wearing the Hijab and service is prompt and courteous. Beware; they take cash and only cash, however, twenty bucks can feed four people easily. The food list is extensive- vegetarian choices are numerous- but spicy means spicy. Hours are short; the kitchen closes 15 minutes before closing.
Speaking of kitchens, the Indonesian kitchen is one of the first to use spices like cloves, nutmeg and mace. Indonesia's indigenous techniques and ingredients are influenced by and have influenced cuisine in India, the Middle East, China and Europe. Its 190 million people comprise some 50 large ethnic groups and 18,000 islands make up Indonesia. That makes for one busy kitchen at Toko Rame Halal, where you can find selections from across the Indonesian islands- I ate food from Java, Sumatra and Bali.
I began with an appetizer- Lumpia, a fried egg roll. Like egg rolls found at Chinese or Thai restaurants, Lumpia was served with a chili paste sauce that was slightly sweet very spicy, and I found some portion of beef scattered inside the rolls. I quickly moved on to my Lunch special which was Nasi Rendang Padang.
For 6 dollars you get a serving of rice, beef curry, potato cake and a vegetable curry along with some brightly colored rice chips. The serving is great for the price. Padang cuisine, anything with that word, is ubiquitous to spicy, fiery-hot West Sumatran food from the Minangkabau people. These people were most influenced by the Indian and Arab traders and quickly adopted their versions of stews, curries and kebabs into their diets. The beef was prepared in a dry curry, with strong tastes of coriander and cumin, and it lacked the “kick” that most Indian spices have. The vegetable curry was sweet in taste, while the potato cake was dry and bland a perfect match for the stronger tasting beef and vegetable curry.
My next meal, Curry Noodles- was a mountain of surprise- reflected the Chinese and Indian food that is found in Jakarta where meals are lighter in spices, and lean on the sweeter side using sweet soy sauce or palm sugar in the main dish. The curry was very light and aromatic, nothing like Indian or coconut curries I have eaten. It had a very light taste that was punctuated by the strong ginger, garlic and basil found in the meal. Served with angel hair pasta, the curry was a mouth watering delight; however, there are cut chilis, surprise pineapple pieces as well as cabbage and bean sprouts. The meal could feed two people, and was under $7, I was very pleased with this choice.
My final dish was a Bali favorite and those Bali cooks add hot chills with complete abandon because this food reviewer found himself panting and gasping for breath and water after eating the Ayam Bumbu Bali. I take Bumbu here meant, super spicy knock your shocks off sort, because I started off sensing this very distinct sweet taste and found the chicken to be very flavorful, but then this train of hot chili blasts into my mouth. Bali Chicken perked my taste buds and played around with my senses, sweet yet distinctly spicy I recommend only to those who can handle spicy.
Indonesian spices long fought over by the world, can now truly be enjoyed in the mix of cuisine that is Toko Rame Halal. A rare and exotic treasure trove of various foods and possibilities to choose from are near endless, and very inexpensive, this food reviewer highly recommends trying Toko Rame Halal.
