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Archive for the 'Asian' Category

Bali Fusion Cafe - Bubble Tea, A taste of Indonesia and Italian Sanwhiches!

Published on 10 months, 4 weeks ago in Indonesian, Asian and Italian by Vinnie 0 Comments

I was in the area of 71st and Memorial a few days ago and I stopped off for lunch at Bali Fusion Cafe. This place has a delightful mix of foods from Indonesia with over 40 types of Bubble Tea drinks. The owner of the restaurant, Ervintha  told me that she used to have a kiosk in Woodland Hills where she had many regular customers that came to buy her Bubble Tea Drinks that she now serves at Bali Fusion Cafe along with her Indonesian dishes. I ordered a Grapefruit / Black Tea drink- it is served cold, over ice in a plastic container that is then shrink-wrap sealed after it is freshly prepared in the restaurant. It was very good! My first exposure to Bubble Tea was at the Ivangie Tea House in Ridgewood, New Jersey so after living here in Tulsa for 10 years, I am so glad that I can have Bubble Teas once again - here in Tulsa.

 For lunch I ordered Chicken Satay - 4 skewers of delicately marinated chicken served with rice, homemade peanut sauce and fresh veggies.  Most peanut sauces are prepared staring with commercial grade peanut butter but Ervintha at Bali Fusion Cafe makes her own peanut butter first and then incorporates the peanut butter into her own recipe for the peanut sauce itself. The Chicken Satay is the best I have had in a long time. The first time I had Chicken Satay was at a Hmong Restaurant in Manhattan - it was also well prepared but the Bali Fusion Cafe Chicken Satay had a better marination process it seems because the flavors were a bit more pungent without being overwhelming. I dipped the chicken in the peanut sauce for yet another level of outstanding flavor. The peanut sauce had a touch of sweetness that made the chicken satay a perfect lunch.

The flavors of the food are wonderful - so much so that I returned again today to sample some more varieties of Bubble Tea. I also ordered Sumatra Beef Curry (Rendang) - a well marinated beef seasoned with curry sauce,  also served with rice. The presentation of the food is wonderful - the chef has an eye for presentation - The food looks as if it came from a 5 star restaurant with the entrees looking like works of art on the plate.  For dessert the chef prepared a Banana Egg Roll - Wow! A fried egg roll wrapper around sweet banana drizzled with caramel topping… very different, very good!

If you are in the mood and Eclectic mix of Indonesian food, then Bali Fusion Cafe is the place to go. If you have friends that are like mine and perhaps too hesitant to try something new then they won’t feel left out in the cold because Bali Fusion Cafe also has a fine selection of Italian Panini sanwhiches, also prepared fresh with high quality cuts of meat.

Salad lovers will love the mix of salads available at Bali Fusion Cafe from their Ceasar salad to the Matahari salad - A salad of fresh greens, with marinated grilled chicken, tomatoes and served with a sesame ginger dressing.

You can also find great slushes that incorporate your choice of four flavors. You can also select from several Big Train coffee drinks and a wide variety of fruit juice drinks as well.

Prices are very fair with Juice Drinks and Bubble teas from just inder $3.00 - Appetizers from $2.00 and sanwhiches, salads and dinners from $6.49.  Dinner for 2 with an appetizer, main dish, bubble tea and a dessert would run about $30.00 - My lunch on my own was $11.50 including bubble tea.

Bali Fusion Cafe at 6808 S. Memorial Dr. Suite 302 - Tulsa, OK - 74133 - In The Village Shopping Center behind Pep Boys and a few doors down from The Looney Bin.

Burgers and Hmong Food? Duffy’s on 31st and 129th

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago in Asian by Vinnie 11 Comments

Please note: This review is of the location on 31st and 129th only and not of the Duffy’s in Broken Arrow which is under different ownership than this Tulsa location.

We all know that Duffy’s in Tulsa and Broken Arrow has been serving up good eats for a long time, but when I paid a visit to the Duffy’s location on 31st and 129th Street in Tulsa, I was surprised to find Asian food as a second choice to the burgers and fries menu!

I paid the visit to Duffy’s because I recently stopped off for a beer at Willie’s Bar and noticed a sign on Duffy’s next door that mentioned Asian food being served there. The whole ‘Asian Food’ thing peeked my curiosity because I’ve always associated Duffy’s with ‘Meat and Potatoes’ , which of course they still serve… The diner is under new ownership and this is where the plot thickens…

I was told by the cook that the Asian food is made up from traditional Hmong recipes… “Hmong?” I said, having no clue as to what Hmong food was. I was told by the owner, that Hmong food is made up from tastes in between Thai and Laos foods.

I have eaten at quite a few Asian restaurants in Tulsa and across the U.S. in New York, New Jersey, California and as far away as in Asia and Europe but not once have I come across Hmong food.

The flavors at Duffy’s are closer to Thai and Indian than anything else with some dishes prepared with curry, some with coconut milk and quite a few with peanut seasoning and fresh Asian vegetables.

My guest and I ordered Curried Beef that came with sticky rice and we also ordered Pork Fried Rice, though these same dishes can also be prepared to include shrimp or chicken as well.

Thai iced tea was also offered on the menu along with the common fare, Mountain Dew, Coke, Gatorade et al.

My guest and I ordered the Thai Iced Tea which is a somewhat creamy iced tea with hints of the spices cardamom and cinnamon, topped of with milk, sugar and of course black tea. The drink hit the right spot on this hot and humid Oklahoma day.

I asked the cook to make the Curried Beef a little hotter than normal even though it was already listed on the menu as being SPICY and HOT. I love spicy and hot food and to me a true test of a good restaurant is for the cook to be able to work ‘outside the box’ when asked to do so buy a patron.

I told the cook that most of the Fried Rice I have found in Tulsa, seemed to be missing an ingredient or two, whether I had visited a buffet or an A La Carte Chinese restaurant… The owner agreed and said that most places here that claim to make Chinese Fried Rice, are actually making a Vietnamese version toned down for American tastes. I had to agree with her about that point since it’s something my friend Bobby and I have been talking about ever since we moved to Oklahoma from the Northeast. That is not to say that the Fried Rice served up in Tulsa is bad, it’s just that having grown up in the Northeast, the Fried Rice served at Linn’s Garden in New York or any small Chinese take out place along the Jersey shore is what I am used to and the ‘light’ or ‘yellow colored’ Fried Rice served in Tulsa, is quite unfamiliar to me and quite frankly, I rarely order it here in Tulsa… That changed the day I had the Fried Rice at Duffy’s!

The Fried Rice, My new heaven on a plate if you haven’t guessed already, costs about $7 and it’s no small portion at all. The rice is a darker, more flavorful rice than Tulsa’s normal fare, mixed with a special sauce, carrot, bean, corn, celery, cilantro, cucumber, green onion, garlic and egg, chopped finely and served piping hot. The flavor of the Fried Rice is so good and the dish so plentiful, that you could make it a main course instead of a side dish.

The Curried Beef at about $7 was served on a dish the same size as that of the fried rice and is cooked in a special sauce flavored with some coconut milk, salt, sugar, baby corn and Asian vegetables. The beef itself is a good cut of beef, sliced thin with enough meat to compliment the overall wonderful flavor of the dish’s curry base. The curry was not overwhelming even though it is the main focus of the dish, simply the right amount to arouse my palette. The flavors? Incredible to say the least! Hmong food is rich and harmonius to the toungue. The cook did me a favor and added a bit more pepper since I had asked for the dish to be hotter than normal.

The flavor of the Curried Beef dish and the Fried Rice surpassed my expectations by 100%… This one Duffy’s location is now one of my new favorites, not for burgers and fries, but for Hmong Asian Food.

Here are some other items on the Hmong / Asian menu:

  • WAI WAI LOMEIN… $6.19
  • TOFU… $6.19
  • SWEET PORK…$6.19
  • STEAMED OR FRIED FISH…$6.19 (Served with sweet or hot sauce.)
  • PAPAYA SALAD…$3.99
  • BAMBOO SOUP…$2.99
  • EGG ROLLS, SPRING ROLLS, CABBAGE ROLLS, NOODLE ROLLS…from $0.75 each
  • GRILLED PORK SAUSAGE ASIAN STYLE…$6.19

There are more great dishes served at Duffy’s on the Asian menu and of course great American food for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well.

To learn more about the Hmong people and how they got to America visit JeffLyndsay.com - The Hmong in America: A Story of Tragedy and Hope.

Hours:

Mon - Sat: 8AM - 8PM and Sun: 8AM - 6PM

Location: SE corner of 31st and 129th in Tulsa, next door to Willie’s Bar.

918-665-6607

Major credit cards accepted - To go orders always welcome.

Enjoy!

Vinnie