Kaki Lima Pop-Up at KO Pies at The Shipyard

I can't find any Indonesian restaurant in Boston. But at least, there is an Indonesian pop-up called Kaki Lima, put on by Chef Retno Pratiwi who is Indonesian and is serving authentic Indonesian food. Before, her pop-up only happen a couple nights here and there and consists of a prix-fixe menu, but she recently started serving her Indonesian cooking at KO Pies at The Shipyard in East Boston on Monday and Tuesday nights, with an a la carte menu.

That made it much easier for me to go and try her food! I dragged a friend of mine to The Shipyard, a rather suspicious drive to storage and warehouses ("did you bring me here to kill me?") but we finally saw KO Pies.

I started with some Siomay Bandung ($8). The steamed dumplings here are made with shrimp and served with the signature Indonesian peanut sauce and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

The dumplings are a bit small for $8 for 4 pieces but the flavors are spot on!


Rendang is one of the most popular Indonesian dishes right now, but since I just had it at the New England Indonesian Festival not too long ago, both my friend and I opted for the Ayam Bakar ($14). This dish consisted of two grilled chicken thighs with lemongrass, galangal, tamarind, and kecap manis / sweet soy sauce. Did you notice we like our sweet soy sauce?

Some acar (pickles) and sambal (chili sauce) adorn the plate of white rice. These were juicy and flavorful chicken, definitely one I would order again!

Indonesian food in LA is much cheaper, but since I can't find Indonesian restaurants here, Kaki Lima is a blessing for an Indonesian like me. The flavors of Chef Retno's food are authentic and she also uses good ingredients for her proteins and vegetables. I would definitely recommend coming to this pop-up so you can order what you want to try a la carte before committing to her other prix-fixe dinners. Other than the menu linked below, she also offers specials like nasi goreng (fried rice) and other dishes from time to time.

The current pop up at KO Pies will go be on Mondays/Tuesdays until December 22. After that, Chef Retno will take a break until February, so hurry in before the holiday break!

Kaki Lima at KO Pies at The Shipyard
256 Marginal St #16
Boston, MA
http://www.kakilimaboston.com/menu-klko/