Sama Sama Review: New Indonesian Restaurant With Huge Coconut Rice Platter And Super Spicy Gado Gado

At a time when Shake Shack and A&W queues were at all-time highs, this Indonesian restaurant somehow managed to stand out from the big brands with its rave reviews. One reviewer even called it “the best food experience in Jewel”—a very bold statement to make.

Coupled with the fact that good Indonesian food is extremely rare in Singapore, I knew I had to try this new joint out. 16 Jewel Changi Airport Food Places To Visit When It Opens On 17 April 2019 Food at Sama Sama As food filled our table in rapid succession, my senses were bombarded on all fronts—from the bubbling of the beef stew to the tantalising charred smell of grilled fish. The golden brown skin of the grilled chicken contrasted beautifully against the white ceramic plate, with the veggies and charred bits giving pops of colour that elevated this simple dish.

All these lend to the savoury and spicy taste that’s prevalent in every inch of the chicken. The Nasi Langgi ($17++) came highly recommended, thanks to the wealth of tasty sides accompanying the tower of coconut rice.

While the chicken was nothing much to shout about, the beef stew and tempeh scored full marks. On the other hand, the tempeh whets your appetite with an assam -like sourness that goes hand-in-hand with the umami of fermented soybeans. Speaking as a hardcore satay lover, I thought their Sate Padang ($21++) was one of the best skewered meats I’ve ever tried.

A key reason for this is the addition of beef tongue, AKA the best part of a cow. In lieu of peanut sauce, satay here is served with creamy curry sauce that goes well with the tender chunks.

A stark contrast from the pale imitation that came before it, the Gado Gado ($15++) was one of the best dishes we tried that day. The phrase “freshly prepared” took on a new meaning here, as the staff pushed a trolley full of ingredients in front of us, and whipped up the dish before our eyes.

Select your spiciness level, and that’ll determine the number of chillies tossed into the medley of peanut sauce, shallot and vegetables. The peanut sauce went above and beyond to hold all the components together, giving a much-needed sweetness to the dish.

Ambience at Sama Sama We were lucky enough to get the best seats in the house on the day we came. It was like dining in the rainforest, with the added comfort of soft couches. The verdict Hands down, Sama Sama was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had this year so far.

Save for the Siomay Bandung, every dish we tried knocked it out of the park. You can see that a lot of attention to detail went into preparing these dishes, whether it’s sourcing the plates from Bali to replicating the flavours of the different Indonesian regions to a T. If you’re looking for Indonesian food that’s more affordable, check out The Rice Table ‘s Dutch-Indonesian buffet at Orchard: The Rice Table Review: 14-Course Indonesian Lunch Buffet At $18.95 Nett At Orchard Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, #03-225/226, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore 819666 Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm Sama Sama has applied for their halal certification.