Recension av Toba – av Sara C.
TOBA NEW INDONESIAN RESTAURANT IN LONDON
Surely you have already heard about the new Indonesian restaurant in London, Toba. Even if it has recently opened Toba’s reputation is already bouncing all over the city. Pino, the owner is already well-known in the London food scene. Pino has been running Pino’s Warung in Camden Market for many years, serving to Londoners and visitors authentic Indonesian food. Warungs are traditional Indonesian family-run small eateries known for offering genuine and delicious recipes.
The name of this new Indonesian restaurant in London comes from one of Earth’s largest known explosive eruptions that happened where nowadays you can find Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Toba Restaurant Decor
Toba restaurant is located in St. James’s Market so privileged to be hidden away from the noisy traffic of central London. The restaurant has a welcoming feeling, soft dim lights, a choice of earthy tones and a predominance of wood. With its sharing concept, Toba offers the most famous dishes from Indonesia perhaps with a modern presentation and well-balanced flavours. Toba is cosy, I counted just less than 40 seats which justifies the turning time for the tables. Anyway, an hour and a half are standard for a table of two in London.
This was our first attempt at eating Indonesian food. We decided to try it just a few days before our honeymoon in Bali. (I can’t wait to share all the good food I had there). We couldn’t be happier to have tried Indonesian food at Toba as it is a great addition to the London restaurant scene.
SATE AYAM, RENDANG, MIE TEK TEK JAWA, TERONG BALADO ARE JUST A FEW INDONESIAN DISHES THAT YOU CAN FIND AT TOBA RESTAURANT
Don’t worry if you are not knowledgeable about Indonesian food. The staff is friendly, and Pino likes to walk around tables and speak with each guest. They will be more than happy to assist you and give you suggestions.
Sate Ayam Chicken Skewers
The menu showcases a good variety of meat and vegan dishes. Our Indonesian meal started with Sate Ayam from the bites section. Scrumptious chicken skewers served with a semi-sweet-smoked peanut sauce topped with crispy shallot. Firstly I thought the sauce was a bizarre pairing but after the first bite, I changed my mind. The meat’s tenderness was impeccable and the peanut dressing was very complementary. I would say, this dish is a must to order.
Rendang dish at Toba Restaurant, slow-cooked beef
Rendang is highly recommended if you are looking for a beef dish to continue your meal. I loved the slow-cooked meat’s texture. The meat almost melts in your mouth and the touch of spiced coconut milk enhances the flavour of the beef. I don’t particularly like spicy food but this traditional dish from West Sumatra was executed perfectly and I enjoyed it.
Mie Tek Tek Jawa, I would rename it “the king of Indonesian food”. From the most remote warung to the most high-end restaurant this dish is universally served in Indonesia. Stir-fried yellow noodles served with chicken, beef, shallot, radish, spring sprouts, chilly and hot spices. Especially perfect for hot food lovers, the portion is so generous as well. My husband was jealously keeping the dish for himself, however, from what I could try I found it mouthwatering.
The next dish was the Terong (aubergine) Balado, here again, Toba is presenting a very authentic dish from West Sumatra. Balado is a ground-red chilli-based sauce that can be used for many dishes. Here the spicy sauce is paired with deep-frying eggplants, which are very tasty (& spicy).
TOBA OFFERS YUMMY INDONESIAN DESSERTS, PERFECT FOR COCONUT LOVERS
Desserts all looked good on the menu and we tried Dadar Gulung and Wingko Babat Toba style.
Both puddings were so mouthwatering that I could eat more. Wingko Babat is the Indonesian version of pancakes, perhaps with a twist of Philippines influences as it has a cassava cake base. The dessert has shredded young coconut, served warm, with a delicious vanilla ice cream on the top. The texture of the cake is fudgy and with the moisture of the ice cream, it becomes softer creating that sort of warm/cold feeling at each bite.
Dadar Gulung which means rolled pancake, owns the bright green hue to pandan, a leaf widely used in Asian cuisines. Filled with grated coconut and palm sugar.
Not even to mention, Indonesian desserts are perfect for coconut lovers. Not a surprise as Indonesia is the largest coconut producer in the world.
TOBA VISIT OVERVIEW
Toba is a new London restaurant with a soul, which proudly showcases Indonesian dishes offering passionate and friendly service. Pino is not only the owner, he is also the chef patron, spending quality time with each table and supporting his chef brigade and front-of-house team.
The restaurant proposes a sharing concept and the size of the dishes are perfect for this purpose. Prices are very reasonable considering the location, perhaps the 15% optional service charge might be excessive considering this is not a fine dining or Michelin-starred restaurant but is in line with central London. The dishes worth mentioning amongst all are sate ayam (chicken skewers – bites section), rendang (slow-cooked beef) and Wingko Babat Toba style.
Following our honeymoon in Bali, I believe Toba is an authentic Indonesian restaurant in London serving traditional flavours.
The entire staff was from Indonesia. Overall it gave me an authentic feeling. Toba has now introduced a brunch menu. I’m confident that Toba will have a bright future, and we will often hear about it.
Our bill was £ 134.55, including two large bottles of Belu water (£ 6 each) and a bottle of white wine (Vinho Verde £ 36).
