Definitely not a 4 star by any means - don't let the reviews fool you as this was completely inauthentic and just a super-touristy spot (important to note and I DO know better! : when traveling, any restaurants located on a main strip or near a tourist attraction always serve bad tourist food, are overpriced, and won't be the real deal - there's a reason we ended up here!! - read below). I've had indonesian food many, many times, and it has always been far more delicious and authentic. The location is prime, and I do have to remark that the owner/manager is very, very welcoming and friendly. Those are the only positives I would mention.
For those saying it was their first time having Indonesian and loved it - chalk it up to that and that alone! If you've had Indonesian prior, you will see that this is not authentic by any means, and there is far, FAR better out there. Food was completely disappointing, although we should have known what to expect based on the sheer location.
So the reason we ended up here: We were heading to a highly recommended restaurant, however the GPS tripped and led us in the wrong direction. Instead of heading 10 minutes back (it was getting late and we were hungry) and instead of listening to our guts and going down the strip we had walked that afternoon with Indonesian restaurants a-plenty, we decided to fore go, go against our guts, and enjoy a prime location with beautiful scenery and great people watching. Well, we should have known better! Live and learn: ALWAYS listen to your gut. Go off the beaten path, a few streets/blocks away from a main attraction, and you will always get better food and experience food as the locals do. There are so many better restaurants a few blocks away.
I wish I could say the same for the food as to the atmosphere and the owner. We ordered the Rijstaffle, with the yellow rice (which we were told was their "specialty" and SO delicious - apparently we were told this is something they always prepare for special occasions - weddings, celebrations, etc) as well as the bami goreng (noodles). Sadly, nothing was good and it was overpriced at $30 euro's per serving (I don't mind paying in the slightest for good food, but this was completely subpar). Fortunately we went with the beef/chicken options, even though the owner tried to steer us in the direction of a vegetarian option. Now I understand why - the vegetables used were SO very cheap - a bunch of frozen carrots, peas and frozen green beans that were grey in colour, tossed with lots of cheap cabbage - great profit margin for them. The satay was not satay. I eat satay a lot and this was one of the worst "sauces" used in satay, ever. The meats all seemed very similar in flavour (not authentic, and very oily). The cuts of meat were also super cheap cuts - you could tell it wasn't quality, and just ridiculously overpriced for what it was. The rice was bland, as were the noodles.
The kicker was they also do not serve "tap water", forcing you into ordering a bottle of water for 6.50 euros - ridic! We barely touched the vegetables as they were terrible. The owner came to our table remarking on how we hadn't eaten the vegetables, and was "shocked" as they were so delicious and her absolute favourite.. she kept saying "mmm.. they are just soooo good". Gordon Ramsey would have been appalled with those veg! ;) Totally cheap and totally frozen and totally flavourless.
So all in all, I give it a 2 star. Location 4 star, owner 4 star, food 1 star. read more