Sipping a fresh coconut at Simpang Asia is not only a possibility, but absolutely the right move. This causal Indonesian spot (with a second location in Venice) looks like a boutique hotel in Bali, with palm frond murals, dance-y house music, and a terrazzo bar with soju mojitos. It’s hard to imagine this tropical bubble used to be a humble mini-mart, but these days, Simpang is a reliable Westside spot where you can pop in any night of the week for tasty Southeast Asian street food at reasonable prices. The menu at Simpang has a “shareable” section, but portions are so big you can easily split whatever you order. Expect to see a plate of their beef rendang on every table. The fragrant, coconut-rich curry is nice if you want something hearty, but the snacky appetizers and noodle stir-fries are where the kitchen really shines. Start with the crispy martabak telor, a pan-fried flatbread stuffed with so much egg and minced beef that a military-grade laser couldn’t penetrate it, an order of the delicate siomay bandung (steamed fish dumplings) smothered in caramel-thick peanut sauce, and the mie tek tek, with wok-tossed noodles that taste fresh off the flame. And if the mood calls for dipping curry in roti on the couch, know that Simpang runs an efficient takeout operation as well.
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