I was so happy that along with my fellow Filipino bloggers in Dubai, we have decided to meet up in a little Indonesian Restaurant called Betawi.
It is located along a (semi) hidden street in Karama. Just at the back of Park Regis Hotel. If you are not familiar around Karama, better get hold of a map ( yey for google map!).
I have tried Betawi once after reading a lot of great reviews about it. To be honest, the first time I tried it, it didn’t catch my taste so I was excited to give it a second go.
It is a small and humble restaurant but boasting on its reputation as one of the best South East Asian Restaurants in Dubai. In fact, it was honored last 2011 by Time Out Dubai as a “Highly Recommended South East Asian Restaurant”.
With its authentic Indonesian menu selections, it attracts not only Indonesian expats but also a lot of different nationalities (including Filipinos like us).
With my renewed hope, I asked the one million dollar question—-what is you specialty? The waitress, a Filipina, immediately recommended the Nasi Padang. A plain rice based meal topped with vegetable curry and sided with egg bolado (hard boiled egg with chilli sauce)and with your choice of either grilled chicken or beef rendang (caramelized beef curry).
Aside from this, other specialties include the famous Nasi Goreng (no brainer, we ordered this of course!) and the beautifully presented Pecel Timbel.
Nasi Padang with Beef Randang - 28 dhs
I ordered this. As mentioned, it was highly recommended by our waitress. It’s full of flavor but blended together by a strong curry taste. If you like flavors and spices, this is the dish for you.
Nasi Padang with Grilled Chicken - 28 dhs
Siomay - 25 dhs
I love siomai (dumplings) but this particular Indonesian version is very different. This tangy appetizer is a set of steamed fish dumplings topped with unsweetened peanut sauce.
Sate Ayam with Rice - 25 dhs
This is a marinated chicken satay topped with peanut sauce (the love curry and peanut sauce — don’t you think?)
Nasi Goreng - 25 dhs
This famous rice based meal (Nasi - means rice) has been a popular choice for many in any South East Asian Restaurant — well, why won’t you? It is a very heavy meal packed with spices, meat and perfectly crisped sunny side up egg.
Pecel Timbel - 30 dhs
When I saw this, I told myself..ooh I should have ordered this one! Aside from its presentation, it is a full packed meal. You have soup, garlic rice, sticky rice cake, fish crackers, grilled chicken —- and of course PEANUT SAUCE!
For drinks, aside from the usual iced tea and soft drinks, they have specialty drinks such as Es Teller (fruit cocktail, coconut, milk and grass jelly mix - 15 dhs) and the Es Campur (fruit cocktail, jackfruit, avocado, coconut, grass jelly and Indonesian syrup mix - 15 dhs). These are sweet drinks but totally refreshing.
All in all, I really liked it! Very affordable and flavorful. This is not a posh place which is very much ideal if you are looking for comfort food or just a place to satisfy those Asian food cravings.
South East Asian food are known for being spicy, full of flavors and at times very sweet, so if you are salivating for this kind of meals, Betawi is highly recommendable.
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