London : Warung Padang London ( East West Oriental )

Notes : This spot already relocated to a new bigger place! So this posting wasn't relevant anymore since I've tried it before they move to the new location.

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What a great experience for me to actually meet another Indonesian during my last trip to UK! And yes, he's not a regular Indonesian, but he's an unsung heroes of Indonesian Culinary Heritage. Meet Firdaus Lanyau, or we usually called him 'Aa' ( brothers in Indonesian ). He's a very friendly and funny person with a big vision, "To bring Indonesian food 'heard' in London". 

You can tell that my simple conversation with Aa, actually light up the 'fire' in me. Because the thing is, everytime I go to the market/restaurants in London, I've seen a lotssss of Malaysian or Singaporean food or Thai and Vietnamese, or even..... Burmese ! But not any Indonesian! Oh come on Indonesiaaa! We have too many good dishes, it's such ashamed that the world hasn't known our cuisine yet!

So that day, I'm taking my lovely 'foodie' Switz friend to try this 'Warung' ( stalls in Indonesian) of Aa. This Warung Padang, is quite hidden in the bustling area of Chinatown ( Leicester Square Tube Station ). But don't worry, it's not that hard to find. Just look for the sign 'Omega Travel' then you go in and go to the first floor with the escalator. Go to the left, and you'll see the Indo's decor. Aa also selling Indo's groceries here, so if you're Indonesian who lives in the UK, you can just buy it online on his website, or just visit this 'warung'. 

Aa wanna focusing on Nasi Padang, even though he also served other Indonesian dishes. He wanna introduce the authentic Rendang Padang ( yes not the Malaysian one! ) to the Londoners. Aa's wife is native Padang, so there's no doubt of the authenticity.
So here I am, with my tummy rumbling, I just directly ordered Nasi Padang - £5. They served the Nasi Padang with Rendang, Lado Mudo, Veggies and Sambal, served over rice. Rendang is a Spicy Beef originally from Padang. And it's really good so it deserves as the NUMBER ONE dish of CNN's 'World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods'. Indonesian Rendang is usually dry and has black/dark brown color. Don't be scared by the color! It has that kind of color because of the slowww cooking process and caramelization. And Aa's rendang is tasted .... Authentic! He wasn't adjusting the flavor to local palate, because he want to preserve the 'real' flavor of Indo Food. The meat was actually tender, and you really can taste the spices.Yum! 
The Lado Mudo was also good! Made from the green chillies and fried anchovies, this one is tasted perfectly when you eat with the rice.

We also tried Lontong Sayur - £5. This typical Indonesian Breakfast dish is made with Lontong ( Steamed Rice Cake ), Boiled Egg and Veggies, cooked in curry-style soup. This dish is perfect for you who are vegetarian. Consist with many Veggies such as Tempeh, String Beans, Cabbage, and also, Jackfruit. This one tasted very savory yet light. Not too spicy though so it's perfect to balanced the Nasi Padang. 

After spicy food, I ordered Es Campur - £3.5 and Es Cincau - £2. This desserts slash drinks, is perfect to tone down after the spicy foods. Es Campur is mixed of jellies and fruits like coconut, jackfruit, buah Atap ( Palmfruit). Sweet and refreshing! 

Es Campur

Es Cincau

Overall, I could say this is THE BEST Indonesian Food in London! If you haven't tried any, I recommend you to try ! Last words, thanks Aa, it was nice meeting you, wish you all the best and hopefully I could visit again someday! :)

Warung Padang London ( East West Oriental ) 
Prince of Wales P H, Llewellyn St, 
London SE16 4XF, United Kingdom ( NEW LOCATION )
Opening Hours : 12pm - 10pm 
Phone : +44 20 7394 1146
Facebook : East West Oriental