Los Angeles: Medan Kitchen

The last stop on our SoCal trip last year was Medan Kitchen.  Originally started as a catering business from home, Medan Kitchen took a risk and opened a brick and mortar during the pandemic to serve Indonesian cuisine to the community.  CL was especially excited to check it out.

Half of the space is an Indonesian grocery store while the other half is a take-out restaurant: 

You can select from an array of prepackaged dishes or head to the back to order some banana leaf goodies.  

There were so many options that it was overwhelming in a good way.  We ultimately let CL do the ordering since this was her thing.  While she picked out what to eat, we waited patiently at one of the tables outside.

Since her family is from Padang, it only makes sense that CL chose to get the nasi Padang ($14): 

The banana leaf packet contained white rice, chicken curry, beef rendang, a spicy boiled egg, green chili with stinky bean, and cabbage and long bean in curry sauce.

She also bought a beef tendon with curry sauce ($15) and paired it with garlic rice:

To finish things off, she picked some desserts that she remembered from her childhood:

 The little balls were like mini pineapple cakes while the swirls were little cheese cookies. 

Everything was delicious, though the nasi Padang got a bit spicy for me.  The food definitely had a home-cooked feel, which I loved.  The prices aren't cheap though.  I thought my parents would enjoy the pineapple cookies, so I went back inside to buy a box.  That tiny box was around $14 if I remember correctly.

I don't mind splurging on a treat, especially when it's not something you can find easily (there's not a whole lot of Indonesian options in the Bay), but even if I lived in SoCal, I can't see myself stopping by Medan Kitchen on the regular.  But when the craving hits, I now know where to go.

Too bad it's so far away.

Medan Kitchen

8518 Valley Blvd, Ste 102

Rosemead, CA 91770

(626) 693-6231

https://medan-kitchen-inc.business.site/