“10 Things I Hate About You” is THE movie for teens of my generation, and Bianca Stratford said it best: “I like my Skechers but I LOVE my Prada backpack.”
I like Mr. Sate but I LOVE Simpang. Simpang is LA’s Prada backpack of Indonesian food, and now thanks to lockdown, they deliver AND they deliver.
Start with some Chicken Sate because you simply have to. The chicken is juicy and the peanut sauce is right on.
Tahu Tempeh Goreng is wedges of sauce-soaking fried tofu interspersed with bean-textured nuggets of firmly earthy tempeh. Very different and equally good.
Never skip the Roti Paratha, and order two per person if you can. The bread is a shroud of a thousand fluffy layers, soft and chew inside to counter a crispy crust. Dunk in a drinkable dip of curry for maximum addictive effect.
The Laksa features a sweet yellow curry, more soupy than dippy, with ropy yellow noodles. Seafood speaks through a surplus of calamari, fish balls, and shrimp, and the result tastes like a swim through the sea.
Char Kway Teow may have been my other, other, other favorite because everything here is my favorite. The wide wok noodles are perfect, and they are simultaneously sweet and savory with slightly surprising notes of fish balls and shrimp.
You haven’t had nasi bungkus until you’ve had this Nasi Bungkus. They must have cooked it extra long because banana leaves infuse their aroma into every tiny grain of rice. The curried chicken melts into the rice beneath and fuses with a bolder beef rendang. A fried egg adds to the experience, and the veggie curry is runny and rich.
A colorful menu at Simpang, as sweet and savory yellows blend with earthy browns to brighten up the beiges of the concrete that comprises yet another subtle strip mall. This part of LA may not look exciting but don’t judge a city by it’s concrete. In the case of Simpang, that concrete conceals some of the best food in the city.
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