Are you in a takeout rut? Time for you to expand your repertoire with some takeout from a couple chefs who are cooking flavors and dishes from home. Those of you who follow me on Instagram have probably seen my pics of the ramen kits from KIRIMACHI over the past year. It ends up chef-owner Leo Gondoputro, who is from Jakarta, has been adding some Indonesian dishes to his menu every week (scroll down until you see Warung Indo)—you need to place your order by Thursday (6:30pm) and then you can pick it up or have it delivered starting Friday afternoon (3pm).
Leo makes a flavor-packed, complex, and spicy beef rendang, a slow-cooked beef stew served with rice, which will warm you right up. You can try gudeg, which comes with a variety of homey, stewy dishes from Yogyakarta that you eat over rice: jackfruit and egg in coconut cream; beef, tofu, and nuts in chile sauce (sambal goreng); and chicken in creamy coconut sauce. So satisfying—love the richness of the coconut! His oxtail soup (sop buntut) is also rustic and comforting, with quality oxtail that he sources and gently falls off the bone, tender pieces of carrot and potato in broth, all so good with a spoonful of rice and fried shallots.
And then there’s the nasi campur Bali, my favorite of the bunch, featuring little pieces of pork belly cooked in Balinese seasoning, with egg balado (a boiled egg) in chile sauce, lawar vegetables (including green beans and sprouts), a couple small pieces of Indo fried chicken, sambal matah (an incredible shallot and chile accompaniment), and chile sauce, with chicharrones on top! It’s quite the savory and textured spread. Most of these dishes are just enough for two people, or great for dinner and then lunch the next day—they’re hearty portions. Everything mentioned here was $18 (except the oxtail soup is $25). Spend $50 or more and delivery is free to SF, SSF, and Daly City. 3 Embarcadero Center (at Clay and Davis Streets).
One of the best deals in town can be found at EKO KITCHEN, the Nigerian pop-up from Simileoluwa Adebajo, whose commercial kitchen space was destroyed in a fire last year, and she has been popping up on Sundays at Merkado in SoMa. She just expanded her service to Fri-Sun 4pm-8pm, and you can do takeout or delivery; preorders are recommended. Don’t miss the obe ata dindin (fried pepper Yoruba stew), so delicious with juicy grilled chicken (you can choose your protein). It’s a huge portion (chef Simi says, “I want it to be like your grandma stuffed you!”) for $10 with rice; I totally had another serving for lunch the next day. The spicy, rich sauce is so deep and complex, and I learned the Cameroon smoked black pepper is what gives it its special bass note (the peppers and onions are also roasted for three-four hours).
Her jollof rice and peppered chicken is another popular dish. For the advanced class, try her grandma’s asun ($20): smoked goat meat in another deeeeeply flavorful sauce with red pepper and onion (so good with the plantains and sweet potatoes). The skin and bones could be a bit, er, challenging if you’re a little squeamish, but the rich flavors were a win for this goat-lover. (Live in LA? Eko Kitchen is going to be launching a monthly pop-up offering takeout and delivery in early April!) 130 Townsend St. at 2nd St.
Nasi campur Bali from Kirimachi’s new Warung Indo menu. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
