Shanghai

has quite a few Malaysian and Singaporean restaurants but not quite so many Indonesian ones, so I was pleased to get a chance to try Made in Indonesia in the new Shanghai Bay Ordos Building next to the Pudong entrance of the Fuxing Tunnel.

For those who have not tried Indonesian food before, it shares a lot of similarities with Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine. In fact there are plenty of dishes that all three countries would claim to be their own, such as chicken satay or nasi goreng. Although I’m not too bothered where food comes from, so long as it tastes good.

The restaurant, which has been open since the start of 2009, has gone all out with their decorations. The interior is covered in paintings, wall hangings and statues from Indonesia, mostly from Bali. If any of them take your fancy, they are available to purchase. Prices range from about 800rmb all the way up to 10,000rmb. This artwork helps gives the restaurant an authentic Indonesian feel.

We began the meal with a range of different starters, of which the Selat pokpia (22rmb), fried vegetable with a sweet sauce encased within a thin crunchy shell, was by far the best. The Risolas (21rmb), fried savoury egg rolls and a fiery peanut sauce, were also excellent. The Pastel (21rmb), which reminded me somewhat of an Indian samosa, wasn’t bad but I thought it had a little too much pastry and not enough filling. We also tried the Sate lontong (38rmb). These chicken satay skewers, covered in peanut sauce, which is fairly standard in Indonesian cuisine, were decent and are worth trying.

We then had a sample of the different main course dishes that the restaurant offers. The spicy chicken was very nice and, like the Pastel, it had somewhat of an Indian flavour. However, I found the beef to be very disappointing and extremely dry and I left most of it. Both were accompanied by some slightly stodgy kunyit rice.

To finish off the meal we enjoyed a cup of Indonesian coffee and a few slices of Lapas prunes (37rmb), which is an Indonesian cake that is cooked one very thin layer at a time.

Compared to some of the other Indonesian restaurants in Shanghai, Made in Indonesia is very reasonably priced. The food quality isn’t bad and the interior design is excellent and gives the restaurant a great feel. If you’re looking for a nice place to sit and chat with friends or a date, then Made in Indonesia is well worth a visit.