Katherine SpiersZen Ong, the pastry chef at West Hollywood's E.P. & L.P., recently alerted me to the existence of Mr. Sate, a small Palms restaurant serving a two-page menu of Indonesian classics. He said it would help further L.A.'s culinary education, and I do believe Ong is right.
Though Indonesian food is available to Angelenos (including at this badminton court in Pomona), it's relatively rare in L.A. But if Mr. Sate is an indication, it could take over the city at any moment.
The combos are a good way to go here. Priced at $14 to $19, they offer an amount of food that's almost impossible for one person to finish. They all come with at least three sate (or satay) skewers. The tomato sauce on the beef skewers and the peanut sauce on the chicken will both cause you to lick the plate. Perkadel, a fried patty of meat and mashed potatoes, accompanies the sate. It doesn't look like much, but please be prepared: You might see stars when you bite into it.
The second dish of food in the combo is a truly enormous bowl of soup, a choice of soto ayam (chicken and rice noodles) or soto mie (beef and wheat noodles). One must pace oneself.
If you still have stomach space (which would be so impressive!) get the corn fritters. Then dream about Indonesian food for the rest of the week.
3456 Motor Ave., Palms; (323) 861-9639, mrsatewla.com.
Credit: Katherine Spiers
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