Kasih (DTLA)

This new Indonesian restaurant in DTLA is quite good. I really enjoyed the tasting menu, which was priced very low (under $40 per person with a cocktail). Hopefully someone else will go and write a better review with photos and stuff.

Going to give this a shot tonight. They are getting back to me on the corkage policy. Any “must order” dishes from your perspective?

Menu looks legit. These sound promising

Lawar Ayam
Bebek Goreng
Sayor Asem / Lodeh
Rendang Sapi
Sambal Tasting + Ayam Rujak
Pepes Ikan
Babi Guling
Sambal Matah Bass
Nasi Goreng
and enquire if they offer Es Alpukat

I am going to preface this by saying we were invited for a preview of the dinner menu, although personally I have no affiliation or connection with the restaurant in any way.

That said, the Sambal tasting is very interesting and definitely worth saving room for, as is the coconut curry (forget the name) but it was meatless.

Like I said, I got the tasting menu. Really, everything was good. I was surprised by how spicy the dishes were. It tasted like legit Indonesian. We will see how long that lasts.

If I had to pick a favorite dish, oddly enough it would have been the kangkung (ong choy). I like their preparation (rich in shrimp paste) better than any of the Chinese and Thai preparations I have tried.

I thought the sambal samples were great.

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FYI, they aren’t really setup well for corkage when we went in April. They charged $35 / bottle and don’t have proper wine glasses, but in fairness, I don’t think a lot of people want to drink wine with this type of cuisine.

We did the tasting menu. My friend who is far more familiar with this type of cuisine loved the meal. I thought it was pretty good, but since almost every single dish was spicy or very spicy (authentic), after a while it became fairly one note to me and I lost interest. Maybe my taste buds just became numb that I couldn’t taste anything after a while, so it didn’t matter what was put in front of me. Willing to try it again, but this all surprised me, as it was significantly more spicy overall than most indian food (which typically has cooling elements, like riata). Could very well be that legit Indonesian food is not for me.

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Interesting.

I didn’t find the food all that spicy. Spicy? Yes. But not overly so.

Sambal sampler was fun. I particularly liked the lemongrassy one at top right and the terasi-chile one. The server warned me the pickles at top left were spicy but I couldn’t detect a hint of chile. Some of the crackers were not crunchy.

Kangkung was perfectly cooked but bland for my taste. Go to Ruen Pair.

I expected more sauce with the rendang. Once I got used to the style I liked it, but I’d still have liked more sauce to eat with rice.

Worth further research. Beer and wine lists could be improved. Service was excellent.

Hah I think I saw you there. Last night?

Yeah, after 9:00, at the bar.

Aw man! You just missed me. I was at Bavel by then for dinner #2.

Finally made it here to try the dinner. Overall food was very good! Tried the Sambal Sampler, a new curry (described as a lamb version of the vegetarian coconut curry) with the coconut turmeric rice, and the roast crackling pork belly. Also sampled a few cocktails. Overall very good food, good service, and excellent atmosphere. For sure I will be returning!

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Tried it 3X by now. Meh.

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