Indochili - Indonesian Restaurant Hit or Miss?
August 10, 2017
Have you ever tried Indonesian food before? Does Instant Mee Goreng counts? If the answer is no, then like you I have not really tried Indonesian cuisine before. Thus, I had this wonderful idea of bringing my friend to IndoChili to experience Indonesian cuisine. I had even checked that they have a pretty good rating. However, this quote can perfectly sum up my experience in a whole - high expectations more often than not leads to big disappointment.
To start off - just as I sat down, I can’t help but notice, at the corner of the table. They were selling prawn crackers and bottles of mineral in a basket - similar to hotel’s minibar section. I chuckled, and look at my friend which also gave a face of awe and amazement to the ridiculousness of the situation. This is not the right way to bring in more profit. And not surprisingly, we weren’t the only one that felt that way. A caucasian businessman that were dining at the same time as us had questioned the staff when he’s told to foot out the bill for the uncapped mineral water.
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| Sate Ayam Madura (SGD 9.80) Charcoal Grilled Chicken Skewer |
The dish was executed nicely. Even though the meat was lacking in flavour, the peanut sauce elevates the chicken and keep it moist and juicy. The smooth and rich dressing was both savoury and sweet. Very addicting and super delicious. It’s great with red onion and cucumber too. The grill mark adds a nice finishing touch to it.
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| Tahu Telor (SGD 8.80) Beancurd Omelette served with sweet peanut sauce |
Out of all the dishes, I like this the most. My friend said that she had tasted better. Despite her opinion, I still find that it is still a tasty dish anyway. Although the presentation of the food were not that appetizing, taste is more important than appearance. The tofu skin with egg was deep fried until the edges gotten all crisp and crunchy. It’s then drenched with this thick sweet dressing that I believe was rojak sauce. I couldn’t help but allow myself to get second and third serving!
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| Sop Buntut (SGD 14.90) Oxtail Soup |
The soup was alright, nothing too fancy. The taste pretty much resemble a ABC soup with oxtail meat in it. It has a familiar and comforting taste that I like. The oxtail meat was tender but still maintaining its bite. A bowl of oxtail soup can be shared amongst 3 person and is best accompanied with rice.
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| Conbo Bakaran (SGD 50.80) Mixed Platter - Grilled Black Pomfret, Squids, Prawns, Satay and Chicken Thigh |
If you ever visit Indochill, skip this at all cost. For a platter this size, it’s way too expensive! To be honest, I was already hesitating when it was recommended by the staff serving us. However, we still went ahead and order the mixed platter and I was utterly shocked when it arrives at our table. I am really too put off by how we were overcharged for a dish like this.
The fried and grilled pomfret was the size of my fist and it was bony and scrawny looking. The fish was drizzled with this sweet sambal sauce. Despite the size, it still taste rather fresh and tasty.
The squid ring has a nice grill flavour. However it is simply covered with a ketchup based sauce and the taste was mediocre at it’s best. The meat was very chewy, likely due to overcooking.
The chicken skewer was the exact same as the ones I had reviewed earlier. Only giving two pieces for this platter.
In this whole platter, the prawn was the worst. It has an overwhelming fishy odor, a good indicator to show that the seafood has gone bad. The meat was rubbery, probably from overcooking too. They could have definitely been more generous with the portion size.
The chicken thigh was covered in a rather strange sauce with a hint of lime and light curry taste. I liked the unique flavour however my friend was rather turned off with the strange taste and did not eat much of this chicken thigh. The meat was cooked rather well as the meat was tender and soft. However, being on a grill platter it does not have a grilled flavour which was rather strange.
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| Es Chendol (SGD 6.80) Pandan Jelly Coconut Milk with Palm Sugar |
At first glance, it was stunning. The chendol was rich in coconut cream and palm sugar which was not a surprising combination. The shaved ice was refreshing after a heavy meal like this. Red ruby and green jelly noodles adds crunch to the dish which was lovely. There was also bits of jackfruit in the whole mixture. Overall, what was lacking in flavour was compensated by excellent visual, aroma and texture.
Will I ever revisit it again? I’ll probably skip it. It was not a nice dining experience for me, starting just from the time I entered the restaurant. For the quality and overall dining experience, it is not worth the price. I guess that it is mostly caters to rich people who can afford to dine lavishly.
Expected damage per person: SGD 10 - 35
Operating hours:
Monday to Sunday: 11.30am - 9pm
7 Wallich Street
Tanjong Pagar Centre, #B1-03
Singapore 078884
Contact Number: 6386 6427
Website here
Facebook here
Here is where IndoChili (Tanjong Pagar Branch) is located:
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