I had been to Simpang Asia once before but back then, more than half of the space was a grocery store and a small portion was a restaurant. I don’t recall what I ate, but I was not very well versed in southeast Asian cuisine at the time. Now that we have traveled to various parts of Asia, our palates have been sufficiently educated to appreciate the variety of food that Simpang Asia had to offer. Full disclaimer: we did not realize how large the portions were so we took all the entrees home after eating a few bites. 

For starters, we ordered the roti paratha. There were four servings of a delicious, crispy, flaky wrapped bread roll which came with a savory chicken curry dipping sauce.

We also ordered the lemper which were sticky coconut rice rolls wrapped around tender juicy shreds of chicken.  

The soto ayam arrived next which was a chicken turmeric soup with noodles, soft boiled eggs, cabbage and bean sprouts. The broth had a a bit of an oily layer on the surface indicating that it had been cooking with the various ingredients for a long period of time.

Next was the seafood laksa soup which was a curry broth with noodles, shrimp, squid, fish cake, boiled egg and bean sprouts. It had a creaminess to it with a bit of heat, tempered by a hint of lemon. 

We followed that with the nasi goreng with salted fish. The rice dish was exquisite as teeny bits of the fish were interspersed throughout and the fried egg on top helped to subdue the intense flavor. We also ordered a savory chicken skewer with the dish.

The nasi mantep, a combination platter of chicken curry, egg curry, beef chili, kale curry and green chili relish was served next. The chicken was so incredibly tender, the meat practically fell off the bone.

Last to arrive was one of their seasonal specials, the ayam goreng kremes, an Indonesian fried chicken with rice, vegetables, tofu and tempeh. Simpang Asia’s version was surprisingly light and had a layer of crunchy tempura flake batter giving it a doubly crispy texture. 

I was quite pleased at how each dish was executed and the service was exemplary. As the evening went on, the restaurant continued to fill up with predominantly Asian customers which was a true sign of an Asian restaurant’s legitimacy. We thoroughly enjoyed our feast from the “southeast” and have every intention of sampling more of Simpang Asia’s other offerings.

Simpang Asia

10433 National Blvd, #2

Los Angeles, CA 90034

http://simpangasia.com