Siam Corner Cafe - Los Angeles

Service at Indo Cafe lacks sophistication and flair. They take your order and deliver your food, but often without considering traditional dining etiquette. For example, they served all our dishes at once, leaving barely any space on the table. As the meal went on, the service became absurdly slow. Long after we had finished our food, our dirty plates remained on the table, and looking at them for half an hour was quite off-putting. The restaurant was practically empty, so it wasn’t that they were overwhelmed with work; they just didn’t bother to clear the table. When they finally took the plates away, they stacked them on the table next to us instead of taking them to the kitchen. Keep in mind this is supposed to be a nicer restaurant and not a street food spot. My Filipina companion explained that, in the Philippines, service is often non-existent in similar environments. You order your food, receive it, and don’t expect much beyond that. Perhaps it helps to view Indo Cafe through a culturally sensitive lens to understand this approach. Now, onto the food itself. It was pretty good—not phenomenal—but it was served hot, well-seasoned, and quickly. We had beef skewers with a tasty sauce, Laksa goreng, and fried rice (which was a bit salty from the dried shrimp but still enjoyable). For dessert, we had something like Halo-Halo, which is shaved ice with raspberry syrup, Jell-O cubes, red beans, and so on. The only flaw in the dessert was that it wasn’t very creamy—there was little to no condensed milk—so when it began to melt, it quickly turned into an icy puddle. But it was still a tasty puddle! Considering it took me about an hour to get to Santa Monica and Indo Cafe, I wouldn't make a special trip there in the middle of the week. I might bring people back if I knew I could avoid traffic, but otherwise, there are probably better dining options out there.

I had never tried Indonesian food before, and it was delicious! The avocado milkshake, which I had heard a lot about, was surprisingly delightful. The maize fritters were crispy, savory, and full of flavor. I can't quite remember everything else we ordered, but thankfully, the menu had pictures of the dishes. Our waiter was incredibly helpful in suggesting popular items. The prices were very reasonable as well. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

I'm not sure how useful this review will be since I can't recall the names of the dishes or all the things I've tried here. However, I can say that everything was delicious! Each dish had its own distinct flavor, so there was nothing boring about the meal. We also had the oxtail soup, which I really enjoyed because I love chewing on the cartilage from the bones.