Dr. LT's Food Adventure: Merry's House of Chicken

2550 E Amar Rd
West Covina, CA 91792
(626) 965-0123

General:

My normal yardstick for an Indonesian restaurant is their "Nasi Bungkus": It is an exotic mixed-dish on rice served and wrapped with a banana leaf. Think of it as a Tour de Cuisine on Indonesian multi-regional dishes presented in almost tester-size format. There is also an overtone of the exoticism of the fragrance from the banana leaf. If you can't wait to know how the Nasi Bungkus here: it is the best in the Greater LA area at 5 stars.

However, Merry's is also proud of their fried chicken (or else why bother have it as a part or the place's name?). There are 3 chicken dishes on the menu.

I also found out that the owners of Merry's used to open a noodle house before they decided to diversify their offerings. Their menu reveals that they have dry noodles. So, I also tried them to complete the cataloging of dry noodle taxonomy of species! If you are adventurous in your dry noodle quest, it is worth to give it a try. The texture of the noodle itself merits a tasting.

I believe they are still the best representation of authentic Indonesian food in the greater LA area. The food selections are quite comprehensive: it covers traditional food of Java as well as some popular Chinese Indonesian dishes and Indo-Dutch snacks, not to mention 2 choices of dry noodles! The food is also consistent, the place is clean mom and pop, and staff are friendly. Thus, the place is noob friendly. My review here is based on multiple visits.

Details:

The fried chicken dishes:

House Specialty Ayam Goreng Kremesan: it is a whole chicken fried chicken using a small chicken (could be a capon instead of a hen). It is served in an anti-Col. Sanders sort of way. While the Colonel's chicken has a sticky breading, Merry's house chicken comes "de-breaded." "Huh?" you said? Apparently, it is the norm that the spices marinade crumble separately during the frying process and comes as a complimentary condiment to the chicken. The crumble has a depth of mixed spice taste with a not unpleasant almost-metallic quality finish. How exotic. Served on the side is a chili and fermented shrimp based "sambal" hot chutney, used by brave Indonesians to dunk their chicken meat in (some hardcore Indonesians would mix the chutney with Indonesian sweet soy sauce which I am willing to bet is the ubiquitous ABC brand ;) ). Interesting. 4 stars.

Ayam Kalasan: this is an almost honey-sweet un-breaded fried chicken. Surely, the ubiquitous ABC sweet soy sauce is the back bone here ;). A nice alternative if you prefer your food on sweet than savory side. 3.5 stars

Ayam Penyet: the dominant spice here is yellow tumeric, giving the chicken a very distinctive flavor. Chicken is served exotically on a stone mortar. 3.5 stars.

The home-made noodle dishes:
Chicken Mushroom Noodle (Mie Ayam Jamur): what's up with Indonesians and their obsession to top dry noodle with mushroom (see Janty's and Bakmi Parahyangan)? Well, as long as it is good, sure, why not: chicken and mushroom sauteed in light soy sauce, resulting in a hint of earthiness from the soy sauce and mushroom. Small-size deliciously chewy home-made noodle has a hint of natural sweetness and a texture similar to Japanese soba. The noodle is the star of the dish as it has that addictive chewy yet slick light oil sensation in the mouth. Garnishes include fried shallot and green onion. Unlike the pork-based soup that Mi Nam Vang places use, the side soup here is chicken based. Soup is garnished with green onion. Delicious, but next time I will opt for no fried shallot (my personal preference as I don't like fried shallot to overpower my noodle). Available with optional beef balls. If you prefer a lighter taste, this is your choice. A solid 4 stars offering.

Wonton Noodle (Mie Pangsit): two protein toppings. The main topping is supposedly pork filled wontons. However, it is actually the second topping that dominates the flavor. Minced pork is braised in its own juice with soy sauce and dried squid. The resulting flavor profile is: rich,sweet, and salty with a hint of anchovy aroma on the nose. This topping has a much stronger flavor and richness than the mushroom chicken. Noodle profile is same as above. I prefer the lighter profile of the Chicken Mushroom but I can appreciate this style. It doesn't really matter, anyway, as I state that the noodle, not the toppings, is the star of the dish. Also available with optional beef balls. If you prefer, a richer and a more substantial taste, this is your choice. Another 4 stars offering.

If I am splitting hair, technically the "Wonton Noodle" is closer to Fuzhou style Gan Ban Mian than Chaozhou (Chiu Chow) or Kejia (Hakka) noodles. However, it seems that there is an agglomeration of Chinese sub-styles in Indonesia. So, it is quite hard to split the hair. I can appreciate the style, anyway.

As a note, Merry's also has that fried dough thingy that they call "fried meatball" similar to Janty's: baking soda-puffed fried dough fortified with tiny chicken lardon and msg. Crispy on the outside, almost mushy on the inside. Dipping sauce here is a sauce based on garlic, sugar, and chili. A natural pairing to a bowl of noodle according to their playbook.

The Chinese-influenced dishes:
Siomay Bandung: similar concept to Singaporean Hakka Yong Tofu but with the Indonesian twist. Fish cakes shaped in balls and fish-paste-stuffed-tofu. Steamed. Noticeable fish meat, not only tapioca filler. Salt, pepper, and a touch of msg for these. Sauce is two fold. First, it is the ubiquitous Indonesian sweet soy sauce (it tastes like a mixed between soy sauce and molasses). Second, it is sweet peanut sauce. Lime overtone, special Indonesian lime. 4+ stars.

Kwee Tiauw Goreng (Char Kway Teow): fried flat rice noodle. Char smokey. Soy sauce back bone. Protein includes chicken dark meat, sliced beef ball, and scrambled egg. Vegetables include mustard green and bean sprout. Flavor profile is medium salty with mild sweet. Egg overtone. 4 stars.

Southern Indian-influenced dish:
Martabak Telor: Singaporean knows their murtabak egg pancake. This is the same derivation of Southern Indian dish. Egg-based thin skin . Ground beef and diced onion filling spiced with herbs that include cumin and turmeric. Flavor profile is medium salty with herbs overtone that smells like a very mild curry. Served with a side contrasting of pickled cabbage and cucumber. Delicious! 4+ stars.

Another notable combination dish is "Nasi Gudeg." This dish comes from a famous cultural center of Indonesia in the heartland of the island of Java. Food in this area is famously strongly sweet or sweet and savory. This is a VERY exotic dish with exotic ingredients recommended only to the most adventurous and acquired palates (I heard that even some Indonesians from different Indonesians can't stomach this). The main ingredient is sweetly stewed jackfruit(!). Boiled eggs are also stewed together here, become brown, and served together with the jackfruit. In the great Javanese tradition, the sweetness of the jackfruit stew is countered by the savoriness of pork rind (chicarones) curry(!). Wow'ed for exotic yet? There is a third element that unifies the Yin and Yang of sweetness and savoriness: I look at it as chicken in white curry: it is a both sweet and savory dish whose depth is given by pure coconut milk. All these Thali-like elements are served with a side of rice. If you can appreciate this dish, it is a pure oral orgasm. I don't think any other Indonesian places serve this exotic dish. The bomb: 5 stars.