A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Last week was my first trip to East Boston and the shipyard, and what better incentive to go than Kaki Lima’s pop up shop at KO Pies? We went in for lunch, but after this holiday week (they are closed) they will only be doing dinner service  on Mondays and Tuesdays. I first met Chef Retno at a pop up at my house with Soon Spoon and Kitchensurfing. She and her husband/sous chef, Peter Gelling introduced me to Indonesian cuisine. Retno and Peter met overseas when Peter was writing for a major newspaper, she helped translate for him and helped with logistics. He joked that now that they are back in the states, the roles are reversed.

Somay Bandung  ($8) Steamed dumplings, shrimp, peanut, recap manis. In general, I’m not really a fan of peanut sauce, but this one had us licking the plate it was so good! The shrimp was very mild – and while I didn’t think that shrimp and peanuts would go well together, I adored this dish!

Sambal Goreng Kentang  ($7) Fried potatoes, sambal. The fried potatoes were delicious, with a little heat to them which I loved! This was such a comfort food dish.

Terong Banda ($8) Charred eggplant, macadamia, galangal, coconut milk. The coconut flavor was so subtle it took me a few bites to really taste it. I loved the texture of the grilled eggplant.

Rending ($16) Slow-cooked beef, too many spices to list — served with — Acar Quick pickled carrot, cucumber and Sambal Hijab Green peppers, tomatillos, anchovies, lime.  This dish came served with a bowl of white rice, making it the perfect sized entree. The beef was cooked with spices, but it wasn’t spicy – it was more of a flavorful spice.

Dadar Gulung ($5) Pandan crepes, shredded coconut, coconut caramel, toasted coconut. While coconut may not be my go to flavor for dessert (trust me, get dessert!), this really hit the spot, a little hint of sweetness to perfectly end the meal.

KL at KO

256 Marginal Way, East Boston, MA

http://www.kakilimaboston.com

 

Tags: casual dining, dinner, east boston, pop up, restaurant