Not ever having eaten Indonesian cuisine before I was excited to be taken on an 11 course journey created by Chef Peter Lloyd of Sticky Mango.
I was invited on a complimentary basis courtesy of Tall PR and Sticky Mango to take my taste buds on a culinary journey of delight.
Sticky Mango
Sticky Mango opened in 2016 in the former RSJ Restaurant run by Peter Lloyd and Restaurateur & Wine connoisseur Nigel Wilkinson.
Sticky Mango can be found within RSJ restaurant which is on the corner of Coin Street and Stamford Street in between Waterloo and London’s Southbank. Spread over 2 floors Sticky Mango offers its guests a casual dining experience, sharing the wonderful flavours of Lloyd’s creations paired with carefully selected Loire Valley wines from Wilkinson.
This year they were awarded Best Fusion at the 2019 Golden Chopstick Awards.
Dining Rooms
The Orchid Room
Seats up to 48
The intimate setting of the Orchid room with dimmed lighting, chilled tunes, arched ceilings and segmented areas can accommodate a number of different exclusive use or group bookings.
With seating up to 48 people and a selection of different menus available from 10 course sharing menus to canapé & drinks receptions your guests will feel a world away from the hustle and bustle that awaits outside.
The Copper Room
Seats up to 40
The Copper room is large and spacious over looking Coin Street.
Ideal for dinner and cocktail parties.
Private Room
Seats up to 12
Set within an intimate setting the Private Room with it’s dimmed lighting, chilled tunes, and patio doors to an outside terrace is exclusive for groups be it for a corporate night out or party with friends.
About Peter Lloyd
Peter has a career spanning some 24 years. Peter has a number of prestigious roles under his belt working with some of London’s most glamorous kitchens.
Peter discovered his passion for South East Asian cuisine as Executive Chef at the 5 Star Sanderson Hotel and Suka Restaurant. In 2011 Peter took the helm as Executive Chef of Spice Market at The W Hotel a concept created by world-renowned 2 Michelin Star Chef Jean- Georges Vongerichten. He has travelled extensively around South East Asia learning about the culinary cultures of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
A Taste of Indonesia at Sticky Mango
For a limited time till 31 October South East Asian restaurant Sticky Mango has launched a special 11 course Taste Of Indonesia tasting menu bringing the taste of Indonesia to London.
Peter brings to the table his interpretations of Indonesian regional cuisine, following his visit to Bali in July earlier this year.
The menu celebrates the flavours and styles of the islands from Barbecued Sea Bass Wrapped in Banana Leaf inspired by West Javan Pepesan to Balinese Babi Guling a Spit Roast Suckling Pig. The menu is wrapped up with Peter’s signature dish Mango, Black Sticky Rice.
Stepping within Sticky Mango entrance I loved seeing the kitchen and the chefs already busy prepping for the night ahead.
After being greeted at the reception I was led to the private area to where I and other press and bloggers will be taken on an 11 course tasting menu gastronomic journey.
The room was pretty and decorated nicely with brown and gold colours. Before eating we were taken on a tour and looked at the other dining areas set within the restaurant which all were nicely decorated and dimly lit giving the whole restaurant a nice chilled and romantic feeling.
Food, food and more food
Before eating Chef Peter Lloyd introduced himself and told us a little about his travels in Indonesia before we took on the 11 course gastronomic tasting menu, as you can imagine there was so much food.
A TASTE OF INDONESIA
11 Course Tasting Menu £45
Peanut, Kaffir Lime and Chilli Crackers (3 Sambals)
Central JavaPrawn, Sweetcorn and Young Coconut Soup
ManadoOctopus Asinan, Dehydrated Pineapple, Cucumber and Radish
JakartaChicken Sate, Peanut Sauce, Crispy Skin
ManduraBBQ Sea Bass Wrapped in Banana Leaf, Pickled Vegetables
West JavaBalinese Suckling Pig, Green Bean & Crispy Shallot Salad
BaliPrawn & Squid Nasi Goreng, Spring Onion Omelette, Sweet Soy
IndonesiaShort-Rib Rendang, Apple, Jicama, Toasted Coconut, Gula Jawa
PadangAsian Fruits, Iced Coconut Broth
IndonesiaPeanut Nougat Sate, Smoked Chocolate Ganache, Charcoal Ice Cream
Mango, Black Sticky Rice
All the dishes on the menu are all inspired by Peter’s Indonesian trip which Peter was immersed in the local food culture from working in paddy fields to making fresh palm sugar, harvesting sea salt and catching tuna at dawn. From this trip he had the opportunity to learn from three of the country’s leading chefs to discover ancient traditions and modern fine dining interpretations. He also learned an array of cooking techniques from producers such as the Babi Guling (Suckling Pig).
Sharing with another on the night it was not long till we were taken on a Indonesian food journey ourselves courtesy of Peter.
Starting with the Peanut, Kaffir Lime and Chilli Crackers which is a dish inspired by Peters trip to Central Java I was already in heaven with this zesty crunchy delight. A little similar to poppadums these crackers were zesty with a little chewiness to them and provided the taste buds a lot of zing from the zest of the lime with a hint of spiciness followed by the sweetness of the peanuts. It was an explosion of flavours.
The Prawn, Sweetcorn and Young Coconut Soup was taken from his trip to Manado. The dish looked was beautiful and made me think of the sun with it’s bright yellow colour and hints of orange. The taste was exceptional from the crunchy sweet sweetcorn through the mild delicate refreshing taste of prawn followed by the creaminess of the coconut.
The Octopus Asinan, Dehydrated Pineapple, Cucumber and Radish was inspired by his journey through Jakarta. The octopus was cooked to perfection being very delicate and tasty with the salad and pineapple giving the whole an extra texture and sweetness.
The Chicken Sate, Peanut Sauce, Crispy Skin inspired by his trip to Mandura. The chicken was succulent literally melting in the mouth with every bite and the peanut sauce gave the chicken that whole added sweetness with the crispy skin giving that extra crunch and saltiness.
The BBQ Sea Bass Wrapped in Banana Leaf, Pickled Vegetables was a dish which Peter took influences from his trip to West Java. The dish looked amazing and the fish literally flaked away. Each bite was so moist, refreshing and tasty. I loved how the pickled vegetables and orange gave it that extra element to the taste.
The Balinese Suckling Pig, Green Bean & Crispy Shallot Salad was a dish taken from his visit to Bali. The pork is used by cooking a piglet very slowly. It was tender and tasted slightly milky but not salty. Even though succulent for me personally I felt it was quite mild in flavour and no saltiness so the salad was certainly required to give it that extra taste.
The Prawn & Squid Nasi Goreng, Spring Onion Omelette, Sweet Soy was taken from his trip in Indonesia. The dish was a sticky flavoursome rice full of prawns, squid rings and vegetables topped with an egg. It was a dish which provided sweet and sour flavours with each bite.
The Short-Rib Rendang, Apple, Jicama, Toasted Coconut inspired by his trip to Gula Jawa. The beef from the rib was smooth like butter literally melting in the mouth with every bite. The meat was rich in flavour.
The Asian Fruits, Iced Coconut Broth was a unusual combination and a created as a pallette refresher. The taste of the Asian Fruits was a little like jelly and then the broth was like drinking cold coconut milk.
The Peanut Nougat Sate, Smoked Chocolate Ganache, Charcoal Ice Cream was a real treat. The nougat was sticky and sweet tasting very similar to a melted marshmallow but with a nutty element. The chocolate ganache and ice cream had a smokiness about it.
The Mango, Black Sticky Rice was lovely not like your normal rice pudding as this rice was dark brown in colour and felt a lot stickier to normal rice pudding but the taste was refreshing, creamy and the mango gave it that extra sweetness.
Eating through this 11 tasting menu of Indonesian food created by Chef Peter it was interesting to learn that all Indonesian food takes a lot of influences from India, China and the Middle East. Plus I discovered that Indonesia has of over 17,000 islands, thus this is why the food is so diverse as well as the people, the languages and the cultures.
For me personally as one who has not eaten Indonesian food before is that it is not all about spice in what I initially thought but mainly all their dishes usually use citrus fruits, coconut and peanuts. Plus how most of their dishes are a combination of sweetness and sourness.
Out of all the dishes I ate on the night even though I loved all of them the one which I loved the most was the BBQ Sea Bass Wrapped in Banana Leaf, Pickled Vegetables but I do love fish and seabass.
With the tasting menu costing only £45 I certainly say that this is a bargain. However be quick as this tasting menu is only available until end of October.
Verdict
I absolutely adored Sticky Mango from it’s interior through to the food. I loved all the dishes which were served on the night.
I am so glad I was invited along as Sticky Mango is a true hidden gem set just of the South Bank.
I highly recommend Sticky Mango and I would certainly will be returning to try out their Asian dishes from their A La Carte menu.
Book
33 Coin Street,
London,
SE1 9NR
Lunch
Tuesday – Saturday
12pm – 2.30pm (last order)
Dinner
Monday – Saturday
5.00pm – 10.30pm (last order)
Sunday
12pm – 3pm (last order)
5pm – 9pm (last order)
Taste of Indonesia Tasting Menu 11 Course £45.00 till end of October
Tasting Menu 9 Course £39.50
Vegetarian Tasting Menu 9 Course £30.00
Small Plates from £6.50
Big Plates from £10.00
Discover more about Sticky Mango click here.
Thank you to Sticky Mango and Tall PR for the invite it was a Indonesian gastronomic journey of delight.
“I love going out discovering new and existing restaurants, theatres, immersive experiences and so much more but I also love staying in and discovering new gadgets, gaming and cooking.
