Try unusual Indonesian dishes like 'soto betawi' and 'sate taichan' at PJ Kota Damansara's Waroeng Batavia

PETALING JAYA, May 23 — I've seen Waroeng Batavia a few times when I visited The Strand but never got to visit it before.

It popped up one day when I was googling Indonesian food and that is how I ended up here for lunch. While the food may not be the prettiest, it was incredibly tasty. And since I am not so familiar with some of the dishes, it became a food adventure of sorts.

When you sit down at the table, you're given a slip of paper with your table number and QR code. Just scan the code to place your order.

A word of warning though, there are no pictures on the menu except the ayam tumbuk. I had to keep flipping over to Google reviews to look at pictures of the dishes before ordering. There's an online menu with English descriptions but it's outdated though.

I was curious about the soto betawi (RM18). This version was served just with the soup but they do ask if you prefer to add some nasi impit to the soup.

Since I was planning to order their nasi goreng, I opted just for the soup. They have also recently added a new version of the soto which is called soto betawi oseng. This is served with stir fried beef on the side.

Sample the unusual Indonesian street food known as 'sate taichan' where chicken is grilled and served with chilli sauce and lime.

The creamy coconut milk soup with its mild herbs was so incredibly tasty that I couldn't stop drinking it. It has beef shin cut in slices that were tender but with not much flavour. Instead, the flavour is in the beef based broth.

It is served with crispy crackers. If you wish for it to remain crunchy, quickly fish out those crackers as they place it inside the soup.

The other item that grabbed my attention was the sate taichan (RM16). I've not come across this particular dish at all in the Klang Valley.

Apparently this type of satay originates from Semarang. It may look unappealing with its pale colour as the chicken is lightly marinated with salt and lime. If you hate chicken fat, this is the satay for you as only lean meat is used.

Dip it in the chilli sauce with a squeeze of lime juice and you may end up fighting for the last stick of satay. The chilli sauce is very mild but it pairs well with the meat to give it an appetising taste.

The most popular item (as it was on every table) is their nasi goreng. For their nasi goreng gila (RM14), you can select the level of spiciness from one to five depending on your tolerance level.

The crowd favourite here is the 'nasi goreng' as it's well prepared with fragrant rice and served in a huge portion.

I've heard that even level one is already mind blowing spicy. The nasi goreng gila is served with fried sausage, fishballs and scrambled egg.

Since I'm a chilli coward, I ordered their nasi goreng Batavia (RM14) with zero level of spiciness. I can understand why this was a crowd favourite as the fried rice was fragrant and well prepared. It came with two sticks of satay, a fried egg with an oozy centre, crackers and vegetables. Definitely a great way to fill the stomach too.

There's also nasi goreng mercon (RM13), which is spicy rice served with just a sunny side up egg and crackers.

If you prefer noodles, they offer Indomie here. You can opt for a super spicy version known as Indomie goreng pedas mampus or Indomie geprek keju which is served with smashed fried chicken topped with mozzarella cheese.

Don't forget to also order their martabak, if you have the stomach space. The flavours are mind boggling with interesting combinations like cheese with various items such as Nestum, Nutella or even Oreo.

Similar to our apam balik, there's two types sold here. One is the fluffy bigger version while another type known as tipker which has a crispier thinner bite.

End your meal here with their 'martabak manis' like this version served with chocolate sprinkles and bananas.

I tried a small portion of martabak choco and banana (RM9) and it was nice albeit very sweet for me since they topped it with chocolate sprinkles and mashed bananas. Maybe next time, I'll try the sweet and savoury cheese combination flavours that would balance out the sweetness a bit.

One can definitely return for more items as the menu is extensive. I'm keen to try their batagor which is deep fried dumplings stuffed with chicken and tofu, bakso for beef meatballs, ayam geprek for fried chicken, and ayam penyet.

They also offer interesting snacks known as pempek which are traditional fish cakes from Palembang.

You can also find them on Grab and Food Panda delivery apps, if you prefer to get a takeaway.

Waroeng Batavia, 11, Jalan PJU 5/20A, The Strand, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Open: 12pm to 10pm. Closed on Tuesday. Tel:+603-74902003. Facebook: @waroengbataviamy Instagram: @waroengbataviamy