Sate Ala Jawa has moved from its previous location at Jalan Mulaut. It is now in Sengkurong, next to the BIDB branch opposite the mosque, on Jalan Tutong. My guess is that the previous location had no proper licence. It was on the roadside annexed to somebody's house but the satay attracted fans from far and wide. One memorable evening a few months before the relocation, we filled Michael's Bentley and brought a party to gorge on the delectable Javanese satay.
The current location, though next to a Bank, is no less insalubrious. In the evenings the carpark is taken over for seating. It's always been a cheap and cheerful place so service can be a little bit raw.
The satay is pretty outstanding. Big succulent cubes of meat which have been carefully and properly marinated for a good length of time. After a good sizzle on the barbeque, it always comes out sweet and tender. They have 4 sticks of chicken, beef or urat (tendon) for a dollar. And lamb at B$1.50. You can have the sauce plain, sweet or pedas. The pedas sauce is a standard plate of satay sauce with a dollop of cut chillies and thick soya sauce glunked in the middle. You then swirl the chilli concoction into the satay sauce as you go along.
The other big draw is the Ayam Penyet, which so far is the best I have tasted in Brunei. This dish is also known as 'Smashed Chicken'. They get a nice piece of squawker and smash and flatten the hell out of it. Then fry the poor bird until golden brown. Place on a bed of sambal on a non-glazed earthenware plate, served with unadorned raw green vegetables - ulam, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, and rice. The end result is simple, fiery and deeelicious.
Dinner for two, including soto and ice-kasturi drinks - B$11.
Thanks! We went again last night and this time tried out the Ayam Penyet and the Daging Penyet. Both were pretty good. The chicken was nice and smashed and very tender. The beef was marinated in kecap manis I think before deep fried. The sambal just nice, not eye-wateringly hot like in some other places. Oh, you're right, the service was rather curt but despite that, there were people waiting for seats! People must be still flush with cash from payday eh? ;-)
Posted by: Reeda | Friday, 04 August 2006 at 08:13 AM
Been craving to eat the satay eversince i read your review.Will be there soon, I hope.Gave multiple hints to hubby already :)
Posted by: sue21 | Friday, 04 August 2006 at 07:27 AM
You're right about the sauce and no probs about posting the review. Cheers.
Posted by: BobbyGoodEgg | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 06:08 PM
Just tried out the Sate Jawa and you're darned right, it ROCKS! I love the sate kambing lah.. very generous pieces and it actually tastes like lamb. And the gravy tastes great with the added tang of lemongrass although it could have been a little more pekat... Overall 4 out of 5 from me.
PS: Hope you don't mind, I posted your review on my Satay Shootout entry on Multiply
Posted by: Reeda | Wednesday, 02 August 2006 at 08:56 PM