| Cafe Sambal - CLOSED |   Based on 12 Reviews | | Categories: Malaysian | | 东城区豆腐池胡同43号 | | Dōngchéngqū Dòufu Chí Hútòng 43 Hào | | DiAnMen |
+86 10 6400 4875 | | www.cafesambal.com |
Tags: ,portions(1) Authentic(1) beautiful(1) could(1) family(1) food(1) food,(1) fried(1) |
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| Mon 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Tue 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Wed 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | | Thu 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Fri 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | Sat 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | | Sun 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. |
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| 12 Reviews |
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| Admittedly, I always thought that Café Sambal was more on design than food. After the last visit my thoughts were confirmed. More than once during dinner some type of 6-8 legged insect ran over my flip-flop clad feet. Even in Beijing that is just unacceptable. I have heard others say that this is mall quality Malaysian but I find many of their dishes quite good. Shame they can’t bring the other things up to par. It is quite an attractive space. |
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I hurried down the hutong. It was dark out and the Malaysian was waiting.
There was a line of light under the door. I’d been through that door before. It was years ago and late at night. The place was filled with German architects and doe-eyed girls from all corners of the realm, the sort you’d find around here.
Tonight it was quiet, it was Sunday. The bar was gleaming white and new. The bartender wore black. He was new too.
He asked me what it was gonna be. But, someone had called ahead. They knew I was coming, and they knew what it was gonna be.
He gave me a lowball glass with ice in it. My heart leapt with the bounding smell of mint, and sunk with the familiar anchor of rum.
They showed me another door. No light under this one, just flickering orange pinpricks in the distance.
The space had been hemmed in along one side by a wall. A new wall, all flat angular planes and lack of ornament. In the darkness I saw the pale white cast of sky above my head, through smothering plastic held fast by a spider’s web of thin wooden rods.
The other side was old, spruced up and half out of view like a drunken Christmas party. I picked my way to the back, through the mishmash and couches. The furniture all wood corners and knees.
The candles were there.
And so was the Malaysian.
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I didn’t know where to start. It had been so long.
And this is was the kind of place they made you pay.
So, I started where I had left off, with the staples. It was Gado-Gado (RMB 40), naturally.
They like to keep everything separate, but mixed. Tofu, sliced egg (hardboiled, of course), soybeans, and lettuce. Topped with a peanut sauce I knew I’d see more of.
And I wasn’t wrong.
There it was again with the Satay; Chicken or Beef (RMB50). Life is an and, not an or. I had both. They don’t stick you with sticks like less classy stick-up spots; they stick patties with toothpicks and leave you to pick it up.
The beef was tender and the chicken, moist.
I picked my teeth.
I had been to Penang once and they were happy to have me leave. The Chinese got there first and stayed, with happier results. One of them was Nonya.
When Nonya came out with my Kapitan Chicken (RMB60), I was happy too. But not overwhelmed. It was curry, dry rubbed. The chicken was spicy and moist. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the peanut sauce was in there somewhere.
The spicy Assorted Curry Vegetables (RMB40) were in a curry alright, but it wasn’t thick like an Indian curry. It wasn’t watery either. But my eyes were.
The peanuts were back. But not in a sauce this time, in the Sambal Tofu with Prawns (RMB50). Firm to the bite. With a flavor not so complex, it wasn’t all it could have been.
Few things were.
I wondered what more it could have been.
I thought about the last time I’d been there, with memories of the Beef Rendang (RMB60) flooding back into my mind. It could have been that. Maybe I could have been more too. Maybe I could have been less. Maybe I could have paid less.
I looked around the place. It was dark.
And the candlelight melted like butter.
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Part of the Dinner n Review, a friend and I headed to Cafe Sambal for a quiet Monday night dinner. What a lovely evening! Found it easily, along some heavily under renovation hutongs, which strangely added to the fun, and into a calm and relaxing courtyard.
It was fairly quiet, not surprising for a Monday, and we were well looked after in what is a delightful, quiet setting. Perfect setting for a long overdue catch-up, with minimal service interruptions and not loud. Cho immediately modified the menu that we were originally sent after we mentioned we were both vegetarian, without a request from us or any sense of it being an issue. A delight in Beijing.
It is so lovely to go out and not have to order! With a mojito in hand….we enjoyed
Starters - mango roll, vege samosas and gado gado. YUM. The sauce for the mango rolls was divine. Samosas were ok. Gado gado (first time I've had it) was great, there was so much going on at once in my mouth but it just worked!
Mains - vege curry, four-starred beans and Sambal Tofu (without the prawns). The beans were a standout, absolutely delicious. We were full, but managed to just about finish it all off, all too common an occurrence in Beijing.
Dessert – tasting of tapioca with palm sugar and coconut milk and bubur chacha (yam and sweet potato with coconut milk). The palm sugar in the tapioca was so tasty, but I would skip the bubu chacha next time.
After another nice chat with Cho, and a relaxing cup of green tea, we continued to chat, feeling no pressure to leave despite the hours ticking by! I can’t believe I’ve never been there in the past, I’ll look forward to going back soon.
If I had to find something to improve, the service was a little too fast in the beginning, with the mains coming out while we were still enjoying entrée. Not much to quibble about really…!
Thanks Café Sambal for looking after us, and Local Noodles for arranging it! |
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I love the beautiful wooden antique furniture and dim lighting, it creates the perfect ambiance for the start of an intimate evening. I've also been a couple of times with larger groups,the room at the side and table at back have been perfect for us.
As far as the food goes;the Vietnamese Spring rolls are amazing, as is the satay beef and chicken. For main, the currys are a great bet, and the four sided bean is a must.I must admit it's fast becoming a bit of a "go to" place whenever I have family or friends visiting. the staff are really friendly, last time the owners daughter even took time from working to recommend main courses for us. We ended up just letting her order everything, and I'm glad we did! I'm looking forward to trying out the rest of the menu.. |
| Tag: Great food, beautiful location, friendly family restaurant |
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| eat drink play sleep |
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8/4/2009 |
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Cafe Sambal, from the same people that brought you Bed Bar and in a similar nice hutong setting, is a place that I wanted to like. I get that people enjoy eating in hutong restaurants and that they like "authenticity", but this place is really run down and could use some renovations, its borderline dirty and the couches and other seating aren't appropriate for a restaurant.
Which leads to the next point, a restaurant that charges prices like this place does, should offer a lot more in the way of atmosphere. And the kicker? Portion sizes here are tiny, especially when price is taken into consideration.
None of this is to say that the food on offer at Sambal is bad, the samosas, curry, beef rendang, green beans among other options are all good, but they aren't over the top. Yes, this is one of the few Malaysian restaurants in the city, but there are plenty of better SE Asia options and almost all at a lesser price. |
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While nothing else matters than the food itself when you are hungry.
When you are hungry it also matters the portion,especially when the food tastes good.
While the food taste good, the curry chicken, the satay, the rolls, what bugged us was quality of food and we were 3 of us ,and we eat quite well !
The prices are a bit on the higher side, one gets this feeling so if they have better portions the pricing would take care and the hungry patrons wont be dissatisfied. |
| Tag: Good food ,portions could improve |
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I had some out-of-town friends I had to entertain last night, so I suggested we head to Cafe Sambal--It filled the hutong and drum/bell area squares. I had never been to Sambal and had always heard good things--I wish I would have tried it out earlier. We arrived alittle late for our reservations, but it was no problem. We were seated in a side room so we could have alittle privacy. After we were presented the menus, we were pleasantly surprised that Cafe Sambal was participating in Gourmet Month. We were give a choice between three different types of either/or appetizer choices (Fresh Vietnamese roll w/prawns or herbs /mango roll AND Samosa or spring roll AND Satay chicken or beef), 5 main course choices (Beef rendang or kapitan chicken AND nyonya curry chicken or Prawn/squid sambal AND 4-sided bean w/cashew nut sauce or sambal sauce AND Kangkong belacan or assorted curry veg OR Rice) and dessert. Although I ordered out of these choices, soon after we placed our order, the waitress returned to our table and said that because we had so many people (6), it would be easier if they just gave all of us one of everything for appetizer and main course. We were extremely happy to get so lucky as to try everything. The appetizers were all very good--I especially like the samosa and fresh shrimp roll. Of the main courses, the beef rendang and prawn sambal were my favorites. I didn't really care for the beans. While we were eating, the manager stopped by (Chou) and we talked for alittle bit. As we were finishing up, he brought by a round of the house mojitos for us to try. They are the best I've had in Beijing so far. Apparently, its the same recipe they use at bed bar and paper (their sister restaurants). Overall, we all paid 200 RMB each for dinner (which included the 99RMBset menu, plus a couple of bottles of wine and other assorted drinks).
The food was great, the service was the best hutong service I've ever had, the manager rocked, the cocktails were very tasty and the overall experience was really sublime. Five stars in my book! |
| Tag: malaysian mojito |
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We went to Cafe Sambal this weekend for the lunch special (running at 80 RMB per person), and while the food was pretty good, the portions were a bit on the small side. The special came with two appetizers (Spring Rolls and Samosa), the soup of the day (a clear vegetable soup), and the main course (we tried the Beef Rendang and Kumar Mutton). While on paper this looks like a lot of food, we were surprised to see that we each got only one Spring Roll and one Samosa, and while the the bowl of soup was decently sized, the main portions weren't that big themselves, making the 80 RMB pricing seem a little too expensive.
Still, there are some good things going for this place. For starters, the atmosphere here is really cool- its located in a small traditional hutong that has a chic feel to it. The wait-staff was really helpful, and from what I've heard this place has great mojitos. We went there for lunch, but apparently this is more of a dinner/night hangout- I'd consider coming back here again, but it would be for the night scene as opposed to a meal. |
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I love this place. Every table is different, the waitresses are super-friendly, and the food is frickin' great! Plus, it is in a cool location and the laoban is a cool dude. I like the lunch special because it is cheap, as in not too expensive, and tasty!
But the place does its best at night, when the lighting is just right for a date or a discussion on the validity of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Thought. It has been said that it is a bit too dark in the evening, but I disagree. Throw down a couple mojitos and the lighting will be the last thing on your mind. The first thing will probably be wiping the drool of your mouth after catching a whiff of the kitchen.
Though the flavor is just right, sometimes the portions are lacking. I like a lot of food, not three prawns on a skimpy dish. Not to say that is the case, but it leans in that direction. |
| Tag: malay southeast |
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i would go back for the nice hutong ambiance and they even have heaters in the winter, just what you need to snuggle up with your other half.
bathroom is spacious and clean as mentioned and had plentiful hand soap when i was there for christmas eve (we wanted to check out vineyard cafe but they were renovating - doh!) soap is important to wash your hands for the abundance of yummy fried finger foods (in the form of curry samosas and various deep fried rolls - to be eaten with the sweet chilli dipping sauce - excellent. (for the rolls, think egg roll like, but much tastier).
make sure you have a can of "wang lao ji," the tea in the red can, or some ju hua cha (chrysanthemum tea) with rock sugar after your meal in the winter though, since the spices and fried foods may cause you to "raise fire" aka shang huo (remind me to write an entry on shang huo - or raise fire - symptoms and how to cure them next time)...that was advice given to me from my dinner date that night, hehe.
i do not recommend the satay though. maybe it was done strange on my one visit, but it was rather thick slices of beef covered with the peanut satay sauce. the beef also lacked the smoky bbq taste i was expecting. the beef tasted like it had not been marinated for too long as well, so a bit bland for my taste buds.
fruit salad had a bit too many sour fruits in it...causing some nice puckered face photo opportunities. i think it may have been the sour mango and in the dead of winter, the pineapples were also pure bits of acidic goodness (not a good thing for me and my sensitive teeth and enamel already weakened from life in beijing from the past 2 years.)
all in all, get the mojito, lots of fried appetizers, skip the satay and fruit salad - and you will be a happy camper. i would def go back for the nice early evening atmosphere that accompanies the gulou area tho. with all due respect, best, bt. |
| Tag: fruit salad fried noodles satay |
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