Mr. Sate UPDATE - Los Angeles

I thought I hated sate until I tried Mr. Sate. But make no mistake, Mr. Sate didn’t make me like sate. I’ve always loved sate - I just hate bad sate. 

Up until Mr. Sate, all the sate I had was ordered by someone who didn’t know any better at restaurants that didn’t know any better, and every order inexplicably featured chunks of jerky-dry white meat in a marinade that barely scratched the surface. Dunk that in the peanut butter they called sauce, and you’ll see why I never order sate. 

But there’s that sate and then there’s Mr. Sate. They make a Chicken Sate with marinated dark meat, juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender all the way through. Topped with slices of glistening garlic and doused in a rich, nutty soy, they make the memorable sate I’ve ever seen. 

It’s rare that I would prefer chicken over beef, but the chicken is THAT good. The Beef Potato is still quite likable, though, if you’re looking for variety. Dry-marinated for a more shredded texture, this one is covered in chili sauce to add some bittersweet sting. 

Perkedel makes a greasy appetizer as it does get soggy en route. That said, what’s not to like about mashed potato patties with a hint of meat and scallion? Just try to get them fresh from the fryer. 

My favorite is the Mie Goreng, a nest of egg noodles stir-fried with medium spice. Spicy enough to tickle the tonsils, egg-citing when salty slices corned beef are thrown in with the veggies.

Soto Betawi is a rich and creamy broth of coconut milk and beef. It’s comfort food at its finest, and adding some tendon is well worth the upcharge.

All Indonesian food is an adventure, but no expedition is complete without a Nasi Bungkus. Cut the strings, unwrap the paper, and let the green-earth fragrance of a banana leaf engulf you. That aroma seeps into the rice, cohabiting with a bold turmeric chicken, sugar n’ spice shreds of beef rendang, and a slurry of veggie curry.

Finish up with some Lontong, sticky dipping-discs of rice cake that come with a thick peanut-and-oil sauce. 

I took a much deeper dive into Mr. Sate’s menu this visit, and what a journey it has been. I already liked Mr. Sate, and now I like him even more!