Bay Leaf - 2006.10.15 -- ****

Ever since we found out The Rice Table in San Rafael was closed for business, we had buried our hopes of finding a decent Indonesian restaurant outside of the few in the city. So it was a pleasant surprise to say the least when we spotted one right at the fringe of downtown Sunnyvale. And even better, it was good.

Decorated in a low key, homey style, Bay Leaf was moderately busy for a Sunday evening. The clientele looked mostly south east Asian, likely regulars. We placed our orders with a lovely waitress who sweetly suggested we move to a bigger table. She didn't know that was pretty normal for us to order up a mini-feast. The menu was actually split into separate Thai and Indonesian section - a good omen of authenticity.

First up came my fish cake grilled in banana leaf (Otak-Otak), 4 pieces, served not with your run-o-the-mill peanut sauce, but a paste thick and spicy and full of peanuty-ness. We munched on the soft chewy cakes and crunched through EMPING crackers (made from Melinjo seeds) while watching the arrival of our Gado Gado, an Indonesian salad.

The salad was a nest of surprises. Crunchy shrimp crackers hid soft cubes of tofu while the crispy bean sprouts buried creamy slices of fresh taro, all tied together by more peanut sauce and kecap (Indonesian soy sauce). By the end of that I was already beginning to feel the load in my belly, but alas we had 3 main entries coming still.

I wasn't too crazy about the Gulai Kambing dish. The mix of spices in this lamb curry just didn't hit me right. However the Randang beef was a soft, moist success, coated in just the right amount of sauce. The last dish was my craving of the evening, Mie Tek-Tek (Javanese Fried noodle), and it lived up perfectly to my hankering: sweatingly spicy, savory, laced with a "wokhe" that can only come out of a well seasoned wok. It could be a nice meal by itself. Judging by what our neighbors were having, it seems the other noodle dishes would be good bets as well.

At plate clearing time, we contemplated long and hard about the Black Sticky Rice in coconut milk, and sadly had to say no. No matter, we will surely catch it next time, as Amnon has already put his stamp of approval on this "hidden" Indonesian spot ("not quite the Rice Tables of Holland, but good for this area). I also enjoyed the gracious service we received, especially considering this being an "asian" place. Perhaps best of all, a full meal for three (we had a bundle of doggy bags) only set us back $45, generous tip included.

http://www.bayleaf-restaurant.com/