HKG: Rumah Makan Sedap Gurih

Hot and aromatic nasi kuning!

I chanced upon this particular eatery when I was walking around Causeway Bay, after buying some stuff (one of them being my favourite kerupuk bawang, or onion crackers) from Indo Market to be more specific. I was really attracted by the pictures of the food shown, hoping that the food offered would be truly sedap (lit. delicious) and gurih (lit. savoury).

Before I start, I'm sorry to say that I can't find the exact address of the eatery, but it's located somewhere along Yee Wo Street, near the pedestrian bridge. It's pretty conspicuous, so I don't think you'll have a hard time finding it.

Ote-Ote HK$10.00 (~S$1.65)

Taste: 6.5/10

Although I'm pretty familiar with this Indonesian snack of deep-fried vegetable fritter, it was my first time seeing the name ote-ote as I normally call it bala-bala. It was a bit spicy, somewhat flavourful and not too oily, but there was a bit too much dough.

Mie Ayam Gajah Mada HK$42.00 (~S$7.00)

Taste: 6.5/10

Remember Bakmi GM (Bakmi Gajah Mada)? Words are inadequate to express my love for the food served in that particular chain of restaurants, and the fact that Rumah Makan Sedap Gurih uses the name Gajah Mada simply justifies the fame of the former. Unfortunately, the noodle didn't taste anywhere near Bakmi GM's, but to be fair, actually it wasn't that bad. The noodle was pretty springy, tossed with sesame oil which somewhat threatened to mask the flavour of the noodle itself. They were pretty generous with the amount of chicken bits, but not the chye sim (Chinese mustard green) which was actually a bit too soft as a result of over-blanching. By the way, the noodle also came with a bowl of soup with juicy homemade beef balls.

Nasi Kuning HK$56.00 (~S$9.30)

Taste: 8.5/10

It was one of the better nasi kuning (lit. yellow rice) I've ever eaten as the rice was really aromatic; something that is difficult to come across nowadays, even in my hometown. I also enjoyed the savoury drumstick which was fried to perfection till the skin became crispy with the moisture retained in the meat at the same time. The rice also came with a pretty addictive urap (Javanese salad of blanched vegetables topped with spicy grated coconut), a smooth perkedel (Indonesian potato cake), a half boiled egg (not half-boiled) with tear-inducing sambal (lit. chili), spicy fatty beef and kerupuk udang (lit. shrimp crackers). Pretty authentic and not exactly adjusted to suit the local taste, I'd say, probably since many Indonesians frequent this eatery.

Es Cendol HK$22.00 (~S$3.65)

Taste: 8/10

What a good dessert to end the meal, particularly to provide a relief to my burning tongue! While I believe that the green, worm-like jelly bits would be much more enjoyable if they were slightly chewier, I really appreciated their effort in using pandan leaves to give the cendol the colour and the pleasant aroma. The coconut milk wasn't too thick, and overall, the palm sugar lent a right degree of sweetness. Pika's advice: Looking for something different? Try the es cendol with sugar palm fruit!

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

Do spend some time flipping through the pretty thick menu to find out the various Indonesian dishes the eatery has to offer. Thumbs up for the nasi kuning, and I'd love to go back to find other sedap and gurih dishes.

Rumah Makan Sedap Gurih

Yee Wo Street

Causeway Bay

Hong Kong

(Daily: 10.00am - 10.30pm)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)