The Rice Table ★★ $$$$

Chicken Satays[Left], Chicken Curry[Top], Lamb Satays[Right], Chicken in Sambal Chili[Bottom]

Rice Table claims to serve authentic Indonesian Rijsttafel, a Dutch word that means a banquet which consists of many small portion side dishes accompanied with rice.

I've tried a fair amount of Indonesian Restaurants in Melbourne. This is by far the closest to a fine dining Indonesian Restaurant that I had been to. As we were really hungry we decided to have a feast so we went for the Rijstaffel.

Kerupuk

Indonesian Prawn Cracker. Crispy. Goes well with the Sweet Chili Sauce.

Chicken Pastelles[Bottom Left], Fried Wonton[Top Left], Chicken Winglets[Top Right], Potato Croquettes[Bottom Right]

Chicken Pastelles - Deep fried puff pastry filled with minced Chicken, Vermicelli, finely chopped vegetables spiced with traditional Indonesian herbs and spice. Deep fried Wontons filled with minced Chicken. Chicken Pastelles and Fried Wontons were crispy but were slightly too oily. The Potato Croquettes were crispy on the outside and the fillings were creamy and moist in the inside. The one from Naked from Satan was better though.

Beef Rendang[Bottom Left], Mee Goreng[Top Left], Gado-Gado[Top Right], Potato Perkedel[Bottom Right]

Beef Rendang was pretty good. It had a spicy and savoury taste to it. The meat was soft and tender but taste-wise was lacking compared to the one I've tried in Malaysia. The spices used to cook weren't enough. Mee Goreng was rather tasteless and slightly burnt. The Gado-Gado - Steamed vegetables with Gado-Gado sauce which was actually Peanut sauce. Potato Perkedel - Pan fried mashed Potato Patty mixed with Beef, Onion, Garlic, Herbs and Spices. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This dish really fills your stomach.

Chicken Satays[Left], Chicken Curry[Top], Lamb Satays[Right], Chicken in Sambal Chili[Bottom]

Chargrilled Satays marinated with traditional home made sauce served with Peanut sauce. Satays were very different from the one you get from Malaysia as the meat used was pure meat unlike Malaysia's one where meat and fats are grilled together. Hence, the Satay had a different texture and lacked fragrance. The peanut sauce was ordinary. Chicken Curry was different from the usual curry that I've tasted. There was a heavy tumeric taste to it. Chicken in Sambal Chili - Stir fried Chicken with with Hot Chili, Vegetables and roasted peanuts in Sambal sauce. Slightly sweet and spicy but tasted ordinary.

Chicken Winglets

Marinated Fried Chicken Winglets. Pretty decent as it was crispy but lacked in marinade.

Dark Sweet Sticky Rice

Homemade warm Dark Glutinous Sticky Rice served with Coconut Milk. This was pretty good. It really warms you up. However, the sweetness was inconsistent. My cousin one was slightly sweeter and mine was just nice.

Verdict

Food: 6 (Beef Rendang was pretty good but the rest were rather average. Felt that there was an excessive amount of fried foods.)

Service: 8 (Service was really good. The staff was very friendly and attentive.)

Ambiance: 8 ( Calm and serene atmosphere. Great place to enjoy a quiet meal.)

Overall: 6.5 ( The Banquet concept was pretty good but they will have to work on their food quality.)

Price: $10.80-29.80 AUD per main
          $29.50 AUD (Rijstaffel) per person

          $39.50 AUD (Royal Rijstaffel - Seafood) per person

Address

South Yarra/Toorak

Shop 6

210 Toorak Rd 

VIC 3141

Melbourne 

Australia

Tel : (03) 9827 6777

Working Hours

Lunch

Mon to Fri  12pm - 3pm

Dinner

Mon to Fri 5pm - 9.30pm

Sat             5pm - 10pm

Sun            5pm - 9.30pm


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