Ramayani

The last time my wife and I had eaten at a good Indo restaurant was about twenty years ago in Fresno...at a little 'hole in the wall' family owned-operated Indo restaurant which we would frequent every Friday evening. The restaurant was operated by an Indo family whose daughters were attending Fresno State. Unfortunately, when the girls graduated, the family decided to close-down their restaurant and return back to Indonesia. We miss them dearly. Since then, my wife and I had been searching for another good Indo restaurant, so that we could once again immerse ourselves in the various spices and flavors which Indo food is so re-known for. Besides, as the son of a Dutch mother and Indo father, I grew-up eating Indo food most of my life and I've missed my mother's superb cooking. Throughout the years, we had discovered a few restaurants who'd claimed to serve Indo food, but most were in fact just Thai restaurants...although I do enjoy Thai food too. Then, about a year ago, after speaking with a couple from the LA area whom we had met at an auto show, we were told about Ramayani in Westwood. They had frequented the half-dozen or so Indo restaurants within the Los Angels area, yet they had always found themselves gravitating back to Ramayani. So, when a mandatory trip to the greater Los Angels area presented itself, we took advantage of the situation and paid a visit to Ramayani. My wife invited a fellow-coworker of hers, plus I invited my brother along for the experience as well. Upon arrival at Ramayani, we were greeted with smiles which welcomed us to their restaurant filled with home-style ambiance. After reading over the menu, and after ordering our Indo ice coffee (koffie met melk...as my brother and I had known it referred to from childhood through adulthood), we decided to order the 'Rijstaffel' which consisted of a combination of many different dishes which Ramayani is well-known for, and which was served family style. My wife (a 'true blue' American who usually just orders a steak and baked potato dinner no matter where we go for dinner) is an avid 'Satay' fan - either marinated chicken, beef, or pork on bamboo skewers. My brother is a huge fan of Ramayani's 'Bami Goreng' - a dish consisting of stir-fried Indonesian egg noodles with spices. As for me, I loved the 'Rendang' - a specially prepared beef dish, but I could eat all of Ramayani's dishes on almost a daily basis. Needless to say, not one member of our party was disappointed, as evidenced by the fact that my wife's fellow co-worker goes back to Ramayani whenever he's in the LA area. About the only negative thing about this restaurant is the lack of available parking, especially close-by for those who are disabled; otherwise, we have no other complaints...as the food and service are impeccable. Luckily, we will be visiting Ramayani again during the first week of December, after picking-up my cousin from LAX (she is flying in to visit us from The Netherlands). After telling my brother of our plans, he advised me that he too wants to go to Ramayani - no doubt for some more 'Bami Goreng'...heh...heh. BTW, my wife advised me that after twenty years, we've found our 'new favorite' Indo restaurant...thanks Ramayani.

Posted 06/15/07 | Report Abuse

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I love this restaurant. Yesterday it was the first time i came here. I couldn't believe that the taste is exceed the indonesian restaurant in Indonesia. I came from Indonesia so that i miss the taste of Indonesian food. I never came back to my country again after 6 months, so that i really enjoyed the meal yesterday. I recommend nasi rames as well as ikan balado in here. The fish was so fresh. I also ate shrimp with hot and spicy sauce. They are all so good. Ohh my God..if i have a time, i will go to this restaurant again and again. It is far away from my house though. I really recommend this restaurant....It is the best indonesian restaurant in the United States.

PROS: service is good, price is decent, taste is awesome,
CONS:

Posted 08/03/05 | Report Abuse

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Ramayani is a family-run Indonesian restaurant in Westwood. It's remarkably cheap for the area, and the food is quite good. When I ate there, I was with two vegetarians, who suffered a little bit, but I was fine with the menu. Of particular interest here is the dessert menu that contains several different kinds of shaved ices and drinks with things like grass jelly (better than it sounds) and durian fruit (better than it smells). The place can get a bit crowded, so be patient.

Posted 08/02/05 | Report Abuse

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I have been a loyal patron of this place for 7 years now. It is the best Indonesian restaurant I have been to in L.A. There is no attempt to Americanize any of the dishes here, so everything is cooked with authentic Indonesian ingredients. The owners are really really nice and always chuckle when I make my American friends order their food in Indonesian.

Apart from serving great food, they also have a little corner in the restaurant where they display various spices, home made chili sauce, crackers, random gifts for sale. Great place to get spicy sambal!

Posted 06/20/05 | Report Abuse

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Ramayani is an overall excellent Indonesian restaurant. Their entrees are somewhat small but the flavor is out of this world. Every dish is filled with dozens of herbs and spices that sends tingles up your spine! I don't usually eat too much rice butI usually eat 2-3 bowls of rice every time I go there! The sauces are so yummy that you just need to pour it over plain white rice and you'll end up licking the plate at the end of your meal! Their dessert drinks are also excellent.

Posted 01/27/05 | Report Abuse

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