Friday, April 10, 1998
Add dash of tradition to authentic Asian cuisine
RESTAURANT: Ramayani gives curious diners mild sample of various
Indonesian delicacies
By Nerissa Pacio
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
They say that walking into an ethnic restaurant that has a lot
of customers of that ethnicity is a probable sign of good,
authentic food. So when Ramayani, an intimate Indonesian restaurant
in Westwood, looked empty at 6 p.m., bleak thoughts of unchartered
food territory on an empty stomach surfaced.
Upon spotting a large group of Indonesian students rushing in at
the 6:15 p.m. mark and occupying a good half of the 15-year-old
restaurant, sighs of relief quickly replaced doubt. The 11-table,
family-owned restaurant proved that while small in size and crowd
(at first), taste and variety (but not cost) are big. Though not
meant to be a daily staple food restaurant, Ramayani is a
convenient and reasonably-priced place to try Indonesian cuisine
for the first time.
Resembling a family dining room, Ramayani’s decor of large
floral paintings, mini vases on tables, Indonesian crafts, and
personal snapshots of the owner’s friends and family posted near
the doorway create a relaxed setting. Perhaps as an educational
corner to first-time visitors, a glass cabinet holds traditional
clothing and jewelry, next to which hangs a map of the
13,600-island Southeast Asian archipelago.
Though the only servers were an older, friendly Indonesian
couple who were busily rolling wonton wrappers at the back table to
the sounds of Indonesian music quietly playing above, service still
remained at an average speed.
The menu spans from vegetable, poultry, beef, lamb and pork
dishes to noodle and rice entrees, all between a reasonable $5.50
and $7.95. Appetizers, at a slightly cheaper range of $2.25 to
$5.50, generally fall within two categories: fried, eggroll-type
delicacies stuffed with a variety of ingredients from chicken to
bamboo shoots and fried or stuffed fish cakes topped with
dressings. Both the Lumpia, a light, crispy fried shell stuffed
with chicken, egg, cabbage, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots, and the
Resaules, a smooth, sweet and creamy chicken paste also stuffed
inside a wonton-like fried wrapper come with a light, sweet and
sour dipping sauce ($2.25 each).
Both long, pocket-shaped appetizers are satisfying and
interesting twists on the all-too-familiar standard eggroll fare
without the weight of grease. However, the bright yellow Soto Ayam
soup of chicken, bean sprouts and rice noodles in coconut milk,
lemon grass and orange leaves, though also a good way to whet the
appetite, did not satisfy due to its chalky consistency and pungent
herb seasonings ($6.25 for two).
To cleanse the palate, one might try the Kopi Tubruk–Indonesian
style espresso ordered filtered or unfiltered. Though not as hot as
a coffee drink should be, the luke-warm mug of dark, roasted
espresso was expectedly bitter and strong ($1.50).
For the main course, the indecisive should order the Nasi Rames,
a platter consisting of small samples of various foods: one chicken
curry breast, a few bites of beef with chili sauce, one chilled,
spiced pickled egg, a few pieces of sauteed tofu, sauteed string
beans and pink, crispy fried shrimp chips encircling a large heap
of steamed rice sprinkled with chopped peanuts ($7.50).
Seafood dishes, as at most restaurants, are pricier at a range
of $7.95 to $9.95 for shrimp and up to $12.00 depending on the type
of fish. The Tumis Udang dan Pete, mildly spicy shrimp sauteed with
pete, onions, shrimp paste, tomatoes and chili sauce, tasted
distinguishably flavorful and zesty. Only mildly spicy,, the
tomatoes and onions contributed to the unique Italian-Asian
cross-cultural flavors atop the large, juicy prawns ($9.95). Enough
for two, the dish goes well with steamed or fried rice.
Principle ingredients of most of Ramayani’s dishes represent the
tastes of a country where coconuts, peanuts, spices and rice
dominate agricultural production. Using coconut milk, peanut
dressings, orange leaves, lemon grass and red peppers for most base
sauces and seasonings, Ramayani remains conservative for those
whose tastes do not venture outside the In-N-Out realm. Ramayani
might be a good place to start since they use spices with
discretion, serving mild versions of potentially heartier
Indonesian food fare.