Sari Ratu (Senayan) @ Jakarta

Sari Ratu is one of my favourite Nasi Padang place in Singapore. I had a chance to try their store in Jakarta in a recent trip.

Padang food or Minang food is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known across Indonesia as Masakan Padang or simply Padang food, after the city of Padang the capital city of West Sumatra province.

This particular store is in the food court of an upmarket mall, Plaza Senayan. There are two types of serving in a Padang restaurant, the pesan (ordering) and hidang (serve) method.

Pesan is the most common way; the customer examine the window display and choose the dish they wish to consume directly to the waiter, and the dish is promptly served. But because the food are served as per your choice (the pesan method), you can be assured of a hygienic Nasi Padang.

I ordered a wonderful plate of goodness that included (clockwise from top left) their gulai tunjang (beef tendons), sambal goreng ati pete (chicken gizzards and stinky beans), gulai ayam (chicken), sayur singkong (cassava leaves), and sambal ijo (green chilli sauce) as condiments. Everything was so flavourful and yet one can taste the differences between the different meats and condiments.

I always eat pete (in Bahasa) or petai (in Melayu) as I believe it cleanses my kidney. And combined with a stir-fried chicken gizzards and spicy chillis, it was such a rice killer.

This is one of the most popular ways of cooking this vegetable and often found in any Padang restaurants. Sayur singkong (cassava leaves) is a delicious gulai (coconut curry) that has been pounded and cooked for long hours to break down the fibrous leaves.`

Gulai is a rich, spicy and succulent curry sauce and my favourite style of curry in Padang. And at the end of it all, wash everything down with Teh Botol (Tea in a bottle). This ultra-sweet jasmine tea concoction from Sosro has been my childhood favourite, not good for diets, but wonderful with the spices and rich food present.

Afterthoughts

We wanted to go a traditional hidang-style Padang restaurant but we didn’t have time. Nevertheless the food was still very good. You can get the same delicious Nasi Padang in their Singapore restaurant, or the hidang restaurant just downstairs in the same mall or Plaza Indonesia.

Sari Ratu Restaurant @ Plaza Senayan Food Court
Jl. Asia Afrika No.8, RW.3, Gelora, Kecamatan Tanah Abang, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10270

Visited in Sep 2022