Roemah Makan

This place is consider much hidden because you can’t find them on social media. But you should passing by this place if you are using the bridge to cross the road from Hong Lim to China Square.

Serving authentic Indonesian foods in this nostalgic decor. There’s a few officer workers having their lunch here when I was here, which they only open during lunch time for a few hours only a day.

Their lunch set available with few options of meats, vegetarian available as well. My first try is their curry chicken which I find it super creamy and tasty as well.

The rice portion was sadly too little for me. But the chicken meat is good enough. The set also allows you to get one side and one vege.

The one I have is the fried beancurd and traditional veg soup. The soup was surprisingly appetising.

You get to choose either the white rice or turmeric rice as well.

A perfect spot during lunch time, considering the space is chilling and quiet.

There seems to be quite a bit of a craving for Indonesian cuisine for us recently; we had also checked out the new Roemah Makan at Hong Lim Complex recently, which is a new standalone eatery that is just a short walk away from Hong Lim Food Centre. Situated near the overhead bridge that connects Hong Lim Complex to Pekin Street , Roemah Makan is a new F&B establishment that had opened at the former premises of the now-defunct 外星食堂 ETL X Quantum Food Lab that has closed down some time back. Specialising in Indonesian cuisine, Roemah Makan “strives to serve authentic Indonesian home-cooked cuisine” using “original recipes passed down from our parents and their parents before” — the establishment also being open for pretty short hours from Monday to Saturday as well, considering that they are only open for lunch service. The interior of the space has not changed too drastically from its days being 外星食堂 ETL X Quantum Food Lab — there is quite a bit of Indonesian influence within the space considering how the folks from Roemah Makan has added some old-school wooden cabinets and some murals depicting village scenes of the past in Indonesia, though there are many remnants of 外星食堂 ETL X Quantum Food Lab that are still being used now that the space is Roemah Makan — the counter area, ceiling lights and even the colour used for its walls being pretty familiar elements for us. Serving up both an ala-carte menu and a set lunch menu, both menus feature the same dishes — the former comprising of main dishes and side dishes served in a communal format, while the latter would be well suited for the office folks in the Central Business District given how the set lunch is served in an individually-sized portion with a choice of Main, Rice, Side and Vegetable with a drink.

Considering how we had visited Roemah Makan by ourselves, we decided to go for the Set Lunch menu — our choice of Main being the Ayam Gulai (Curry Chicken), while we had opted for the choice of rice to be Yellow (Turmeric) Rice. Amongst the various Side items listed on the menu, we went for the Perkedel (Potato Fritters), while the Terung Lado (Chili Eggplant) was our Vegetable of choice. The Set Lunch also came accompanied with fried prawn crackers on the side as well. Digging into the Yellow (Turmeric) Rice, the rice itself was sufficiently moist; the broken grains here also felt light and fluffy, whilst being particularly fragrant and good to have even on its own. For those whom are not too familiar with Ayam Gulai, Ayam Gulai, it is an Indonesian Curry Chicken dish — not sure how authentic the version at Roemah Makan would be, but the Ayam Gulai here features a rich gravy that hints heavily of coconut milk before transitioning to that of a note that one would typically expect out of a curry dish; very lemak whilst being pretty tame in the terms of spiciness, and is probably suitable even for those with a lower tolerance to spiciness in general. The chicken that comes served within the Ayam Gulai was tender and juicy; the flesh coming off the bones easily and was pretty delightful to have. Giving the Terung Lado a go, the Terung Lado was also probably our favourite element on the entire plate — the eggplant came with a texture that one would expect out of a well-executed eggplant dish; it is soft for the most part with a slightly crisp underside — the Sambal Balado adding that character of the dish that makes it Indonesian considering how it came with a piquant spiciness and a hint of raw chili that tickles the tastebuds even for those who are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. Meanwhile, the Perkedel was soft, light and fluffy in the inside; almost free from any grease, while the fried prawn crackers served on the side were still crisp and umami — simple but yet comforting.

Having tried just a couple of dishes that Roemah Makan has to offer on their menu through their Set Lunch offerings, we did find their Set Lunch to be quite a hearty fare — whilst the plate of rice does look a tad sparse due to the size of the plate, we were pretty pleased that it is appropriately portioned considering its price point at $13.80. We are not in a position to comment on how authentic the Indonesian fare served at Roemah Makan is; that being said we do find the food here pretty flavourful, and does closely align to what we would expect out of an Indonesian-style establishment. One could also tell that they had placed a lot of heart and effort in the serving of their dishes — the dishes being beautifully plated (some calling it a bit too neat for Indonesian standards, however) while each order is prepared only upon order, therefore requiring a short wait so as to ensure that patrons to get their food piping hot as well. All said, we did feel that we are pretty impressed with what Roemah Makan has to offer — pretty much what they had promised about home-style cooking at its best at a pretty decent price point; the Set Lunch is being priced at a flat rate of $13.80 irregardless of the choice of Main, Rice, Side and Vegetable ordered, while the main dishes in the ala-carte menu ranges from $6.50 to $11.50 with the side dishes and vegetables priced lower. Roemah Makan also does retail some packaged Indonesian snacks and tidbits within their premises, and also do take orders for their Kueh Lapis (Traditional Indonesian Layered Cake) for those whom might be interested. A spot to bookmark as a place to visit for those whom are into Indonesian fare; one which we would also believe that we would be visiting for lunch when we return to the office as well!