I've been sitting on a crapload of posts lately. And every time I think about it, my brain starts flickering wildly to the point where it short-circuits and I immediately retreat...back to Facebook.

This morning I finally got my act together and wrote this post on Sari Nusa that should have been written up two weeks ago before I got hit by Hurricane Work. 

What shoved Sari Nusa high up on my must-eats list was that (a) it's an Indonesian joint, and I've barely explored any Indonesian fare, save two visits to Betawi in Karama (which I will write about someday. somewhere. over the rainbow.), and (b) it had two very strong recommendations gunning for it. The shop owner at the Indonesian Corner Foodstore in Karama had first suggested it to me, and then I'd also read this online, waymoreextensivethanmine review by Malaysia-born Syigim.  I walked in with high expectations...and I walked out with a self-satisfied, I've-eaten-an-elephantine-quantity-of-peanuts, look on my face. Gado Gado does that to you.

 ~ Gado Gado ~

It's the kind of thing that people allergic to nuts would shriek and run away from, but in my nut-crunching books, I'm never going to say no to crispy deep-fried tofu triangles crusted in toasty peanuts and veiled with a thick sweetish peanut sauce. Peanut gloop on its own can sometimes be the overpowering matriarch of a dish, but in Sari Nusa's Gado Gado, the bed of leafy kankong (swamp cabbage), boiled eggs, and onion crackers made it a happy harmonious family that I'd be happy to dine with again.

The Oxtail Soup was rightly timed after the Gado Gado. I'd like to think of it as a clear, wholesome mouth cleanser after the peanutty storm in my mouth...a mouth cleanser with tender gelatinous nuggets of meaty oxtail bobbing about. Comfort food, flu food, winter food, all-time food.

~ Oxtail Soup ~

The milky tea I ordered [and whose name I've forgotten. I know, the ultimate foodblogging crime, I'm Guilty.] was sweet, strong, potent enough...but with a disturbing amount of unstrained powdery particles floating about from the tea mix they had used. Maybe I'll attempt the coffee next time.

~ Milky tea whose name I've forgotten ~ 

And that's all the damage I did. I'll admit I just went there to scope out the place during a quick lunchtime grab, so I've not done any justice to their massive buffet and the à la carte menu that I interrogated the uber patient restaurant hostess on. But more importantly, the next time around, I need to be chaperoned by my two Malaysian-expert foodies, Didi (upon whose brilliant suggestion I ordered the gado gado and oxtail soup) and Elaine, who actually posted up about Sari Nusa ages ago and had me craving Sari Nusa's banana fritters with cheese at the time of her post. I stupidly forgot about the post altogether when I went there. And I am now, once again, forlorn and fritterless.

Elaine, Didi...can I tempt you girls with some gado gado?

Sari Nusa
Dune Centre on Al Diyafah Road, Satwa (if you come from Jumeirah, take a right onto Diyafah and Dune Centre will be on your right)
Phone: +971 (4) 345 3390 / 345 3384