Much light hasn’t been shed on the newest establishment, Paris Van Java, over at Lucky Plaza in the middle of Orchard Road. I heard about its authentic Indonesian offerings and I was pretty determined to compare it to what I had in Indonesia since I made the recent trip to our neighbouring country.
I will put the test to it as to whether it’ll match up to be as good as one of the world’s greatest cuisines. My criteria for Indonesian food would be criticised under the categories of spice level, food portions, and flavour.
Well, the first thing I noticed was its location. Located next to the popular Bebek Goreng Pak Ndut that focuses on providing affordable Indonesian fare, their new establishment acts as a direct competitor. This restaurant has guts.
Paris Van Java acts as a modern addition to most old-school stalls all around Lucky Plaza. The whole space very brightly lit with spotlights in almost every corner. Tables are meticulously spaced out throughout their store, making it look even more spacious than it already is.
It looks almost akin to the many up and coming minimalistic cafes, with its light wooden interior matched with white undertones.
What I tried at Paris Van Java
They have a slim menu of minimal options. With 2 main noodle options, Baso Yamien Manis to Baso Yamien Asian, the difference is when you prefer sweet or savoury noodles. In the rice category, they have 4 options of Indonesian fried rice.
I settled for the Baso Yamien Manis (S$13.80) and the Nasi Goreng Kampung Kampong Fried Rice (S$13.80), because I like enjoy sweeter elements in my food.
My first main came in 2 bowls that separated the dry noodles from the beef balls.
The baso is accompanied by a couple of greens, and the broth is very light and savoury. I could see why they chose to serve it this way, because the 2 bowls tasted vastly opposing in terms of palate.
The noodles, however, were coated in a sweet kecap manis sauce that was combined with a combination of shallot oil which made it extremely flavourful. These were a replica of mee goreng, except executed with a touch of elegance. Loaded with a heap of beansprouts and spring onions, the fresh greens aided with the full experience in case one might consider this to be jelak.
For this dish, I particularly loved how they chose to pair a sweet and savoury option all in one meal.
Next, the Nasi Goreng Kampung Kampong Fried Rice is an OG that cannot go wrong. It was displayed with a huge chicken piece, a singular fried egg and keropok, all of which blanketed on top of a portion of fried rice.
Condiments of onions, garlic and shallots were probably sautéed for a good minute, because with every scoop, I could easily find sliced portions of garlic and onions which made it even more addictive.
Indonesian cuisine is usually known for its heavy flavour but this was not at all, making it easy to get back to.
The main component that caught my attention was the protein. Taking up about 30% of the plate, this was huge and glistened under the bright lights decked around Paris Van Java. These were fried to a perfect golden brown that broke into a sweet, juicy fresh piece of meat. I wondered how they were able to execute this flawlessly, as maybe cooks can get this wrong easily, consequentially overcooking the chicken.
If I really had to criticise, I would prefer that they serve this dish in a larger plate. The portions for every single component was great, but what wasn’t that great was the fact that it could easily fall out of my plate.
Both dishes that I ordered included different types of chilli for your added pleasure. However, I preferred the one that accompanied the fried rice, as it was a tad bit spicier. Mix a small scoop into your rice and you’ll find yourself experiencing 3 levels of different tastes: spiciness, sweetness and lastly, savoury.
As for the other components, I would’ve preferred if the eggs were a little less fried and more runny, just for the novelty of breaking the egg yolk on top of rice.
Final thoughts
Despite its opening only in Dec 2022, I was wonderfully surprised by the execution of dishes and service provided by the staff. They were well-mannered enough to ease us into the full experience over here at Paris Van Java.
Hopefully, business will pick up for them as I believe they do deserve recognition. Their location is the perfect one for those who frequent town.
Expected damage: S$12.80 – S$17 per pax
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Paris Van Java
304 Orchard Road, Lucky Plaza, #01-45, Singapore 238863
Paris Van Java
304 Orchard Road, Lucky Plaza, #01-45, Singapore 238863
