Sate House

Sate House Restaurant Review:

Walnut is a hidden pocket for Indonesian cuisine in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. Cheong Hi Cheung and wife Lie Ing Kwee, who hail from Surabaya, opened this restaurant in the back of a Walnut Plaza strip mall in 2011. The space features green booths, floral carpet, a soothing fish tank and a flat-screen TV. Given the name, it’s no surprise that sate, skewered meat, is popular. Choose from pork, chicken, beef or lamb, which arrive flame-licked, lacquered and served with sweet soy and peanut sauces. Nasi goreng is an ultra-savory Indonesian fried rice tossed with shrimp paste, chicken, pork, shrimp and egg. Add spicy chile paste and murky shrimp paste if you’d like to increase the funk. Fried food is available in myriad forms, including chicken-centric starters like resoles and kroket, plus calamari rings blanketed with balado sauce crafted with onion, garlic and citrus leaf. Balance your meal with garlic-blasted ong choy, which features crisp, hollow stems that go great with shrimp paste.