Bandung Indonesian Restaurant

Being deprived of Indonesian food in Chicago, we decided to venture and try this out. Few of us are from Indonesia and decided to order from the menu to accommodate some of our non-spicy eating friends. We had the Empek Empek (one of the varieties of fish cakes) in vinegar soy broth and sliced cucumbers. It tends to run a little on the starchy side but retains some of the fish flavors. Martabak Telur (Indonesian Egg rolls) were delicious, crisp on the outside with soft filling of meat and vege. Their Otak-Otak was equally delicious with their peanuts with candle nuts and chilli dipping sauce. Rich and savory. Some of their entrées were equally delicious. We had their special at that time which is the Daging Bakar (grilled beef with sweet molasses sauce) which was a hit with the people who were unfamiliar with the cuisine. However we had few disappointing main dishes which was the Opor Ayam which was shredded chicken, bland and tasteless. The rendang could use a little more heat. It's a good introductory meal of Indonesian cuisine to the unfamiliar. I will definitely go back again for quick Indonesian fix. more

Let me start by saying that I have never had Indonesian food before so I cannot compare Bandung to other Indonesian restaurants or to authentic Indonesian cooking. However, I found Bandung to be a great place to eat, would highly recommend it, and will eat there again. I went with a group of five people for an early dinner and we were seated immediately. The wait staff was friendly and helpful, offering suggestions and tips about the food. Their specialty drink menu was fantastic and since we were there before 7pm they were half price. I had the Long Island Thai Tea which was a fun twist on the usual thai iced tea, but not as deadly as a long island iced tea. My dining companions hat the Matahari and the Pink Monkey, both of which were excellent and got passed around the table for everyone to try. In fact we liked the drinks so much we snuck a drink menu out with us so we could recreate them at home! Three of us had the rijsttafel which was excellent. The price is $24.95/person and if you want to share one there is a $10 sharing fee. We had originally planned on sharing one between the three of us, but our waiter told us that it was probably enough food for 1.5 people, so instead we ordered two and shared it among the three of us (they didn't charge us the $10 sharing fee for the third person). I would say two people could share one if they ordered an appetizer/dessert to accompany it. The dishes were flavorful and we had a lot of fun trying each one. If you are looking for food that is very spicy I would ask them to kick it up a notch. I found everything to be well spiced but I don't like super spicy food, so keep that in mind. My other two dining companions ordered the nightly special - Mahi Mahi and the Bebek Bakar and both enjoyed their dishes. more

I have dined there several times. First they have revamped the decor and it it now a warm inviting space to eat in. Second, the menu is just a peek into all Indonesian food. I know when I order my food I always ask for it hot......even if the dish originally has no spice, they will accomodate. They have great vegetarian dishes (they make their own tempeh) and have helped with gluten free issues with my friend. Overall the meals are worth it and their staff is pretty knowledgeable considering the vast menu. One of my favorite dishes is the bihun kari, a curried noodle dish. The bihun goreng which is mentioned in a previous review is not supposed to be spicy the bihun kari is the spicy noodle dish. I also love the sambal goreng kentang!! MMMM i think I will go there tonight! more

We got a two-meal carry-out from Bandung. We ate there a year ago, and I remembered it being better than what we ended up with for carry out. When we had dinner there a year ago we got the appetizer sampler (which I remember as excellent) and I got the duck dinner, which I also remember as being very good. However, this last time around was very bland. We ordered the Stir Fried Holy Basil with beef and the Bihun Gorung with beef (oyster flavored rice noodles, sort of pad-ish). Both were noted with two stars as being "spicy." We were both dead tired after a long weekend, so sat sort of comatose waiting for our food (I would like to add that the waitstaff is very, very nice!!) and forgot to ask for extra spicy basically going on the hope that the two stars actually meant it would be spicy. The Stir Fried Holy Basil was mostly onions. The fresh basil was the only good part of the dish. It had no heat whatsoever. It was so bland that we only ate a small portion of it. The Bihun Gorung was much better, but again, no heat at all. It was a little frustrating because the Holy Basil was so blah that we ended up having to split the Bihun Gorung between two of us, and I would have rather had a whole dinner for myself. The two carry-out meals came to a little over $18 and were ready in about 15 minutes. more

Friendly people. Nice atmosphere. Food is on the bland side. Could use a bit more spice and heat. We ordered the rendang (a traditional Indonesian dish). It tasted like rendang but not quite as good as it should be. A few more notches in the heat and spice would make it better. We also ordered the noodles in coconut-based soup. It was so so too. more

From my dining experiences here, most dishes are ok, but nothing special. Many dishes are overly sweet and not worth ordering. Their peanut sauce is the best option available. Unfortuately Bangdung is only Indonesian restaurant in Madison, making me keep going back, hoping that they have improved the food quality. Nope. Maybe next time... more

Okay, so first of all, I was raised on Indonesian food, so perhaps I am extremely biased regarding Indonesian food. I was very excited when I found this restaurant and we decided to try it. In my opinion it's nothing to get excited about. As far as Indonesian food goes, the food is a bit on the bland side; no real spice or flavor to it, which I know Indonesian food can have. Bandung has been in business for a while now, so I guess people like it well enough, but I think if you are used to eating truly authentic Indonesian food, this is not the place. I think they perhaps they have toned down the spice a bit to fit American palettes more. The decor is very nice; it's a nice place for romantic dining or a group of friends. more