Loud bar, loud Indonesian food
Tucked away behind the Ritzy cinema, the Satay Bar is a lively resto and bar (or perhaps that should be bar and resto).
Be warned that the background music is foreground music, so - party, party, party! If you are old and grizzly this may not appeal, but otherwise settle in, relax and take a look at the art.
Should you like one of the many paintings adorning the walls, buy it - they are for sale.
Dishes are Indonesian with the chilli factor toned down (for the most part) to accommodate European taste buds.
The menu is a testing one - at least when it comes to pronouncing the names of the dishes - but the food is well cooked, service is friendly and efficient, and the prices are reasonable.
Your waiter will smile benignly at your attempt to say udang goreng tepung - lightly battered, deep-fried king prawns served with a sweet chilli sauce.
Obvious choices, such as the chicken or prawn satay, are highly rated.
Or try the chicken wings with garlic and green chilli.
The hottest dishes are to be found among the curries.
Even though styled 'medium', kari ikan, a red snapper-based, Javanese fish curry, packs a punch, while the rendang ayam, a spicy chicken dish, is only cooled by the addition of a coconut sauce.
For something lighter, the mee goreng is a satisfying dish of spicy egg noodles fried with lamb, prawns and vegetables, or there's gado-gado, a side dish of bean curd and vegetables with spicy peanut sauce, which is almost a meal in itself.
Satay Bar
Coldharbour Lane, London, SW9 8LP
