My parents use to take my brothers and I to Rendezvous Indonesian Restaurant back in the day when they were located opposite Cathay cinema, where the Rendezvous Hotel presently stands. At this original spot, there was no dining in air-conditioned comfort and no picturesque views. But it didn’t matter because the Indonesian-style dishes they cooked and served in the rather light-starved, rundown coffeeshop, such as the Chicken Korma, Sayur Lodeh and Chicken Liver Lemak, were a delicious enough attraction. I recall a dish with smooth, slightly flattened fish cakes cooked in a light lemak gravy which we always had to order but today, when I visited the restaurant at its current home inside Clarke Quay Central, I didn’t spot it. Not that it mattered as I had ordered more than enough for one person.
On the whole, I found the food they prepare to be still very tasty. The Sambal Goreng (a stirfry of beancurd, long beans, prawns and tempeh in a spicy rempah) and the Chilli Brinjal were shiok but the Rendang Chicken - now that is the one not to be missed.
Not surprisingly, quality comes at a price and it is indeed more expensive to dine here compared to many other Nasi Padang places. For your reference, I paid $28 in total for my solo meal shown above, inclusive of a glass of hot “teh-o”.

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