Dutch for “rice table,” rijsttafel (“ryst-tah-fell”) is part of the Dutch-Indonesian colonial heritage. In Dutch tradition rijsttafel is a meal for festive occasions to be enjoyed with family or friends. As such it consists of serving many small Indonesian dishes, revolving around rice, to be shared with the whole table. It’s a tradition that is relatively unique to the Netherlands today, where it’s considered nearly as indigenous as stamppot.

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Semur Ayam
Semur ayam is a chicken dish stewed in nutmeg and sweet soy sauce. The taste is very bold and the chicken becomes tender and succulent by simmering slowly for several hours.

Sambal Goreng Tempeh (v)
A classical Indonesian spicy tempeh dish. Crispy fried tempeh is tossed in addicting spicy sambal sauce, combined with tamarind and palm sugar. Vegan friendly

Sajoer Green Beans (v)
A typical mix of Indonesian style cooking with Dutch ingredients. Fresh green-beans are sautéed in a mix of spicy sambal oelek, sweet ketjap and rich coconut milk. The result is a refreshing take on a familiar vegetable with a quintessential Indonesian flavor.

Atjar Tjampoer (v)
Sweet and sour pickled seasonal vegetables, spiced with turmeric ginger and ground coriander.

Acar Ketimun (v)
Fresh Indonesian salad with cucumber and red onions, a common side dish featured throughout Indonesian cuisine.

Telor Ketjap
Hard-boiled eggs marinated in liquid spiked with spices and soy sauce, resulting in beautiful dark brown eggs.
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SMALL Rijsttafel – $15
Choice of Semur Ayam -or- Sambal Goreng Tempeh (v)
Atjar Tjampoer + Cucumber salad. Served with white rice, traditional sauces and crispy toppings.

LARGE Rijsttafel – $20 p.p. (shared, 2 pers. Minimum)
All the dishes! Semur Ayam, Sambal Goreng Tempeh, Sajoer Green-Beans, Atjar Tjampoer, Acar Ketimun & Telor Ketjap. Served with white rice, traditional sauces and crispy toppings.

Spekkoek $5
Traditional Indo-Dutch layered cake featuring spices from the East-Indies. It is considered a special treat for festive occasions.

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Youp Suurmeijer is a Dutch amateur-chef. In daily life he works as a computer programmer, but outside the workplace he has always had great passion for cooking. Via his in-laws he came into direct contact with Indo-Dutch culinary tradition. Together with his girlfriend they have been recreating her grandfather’s original recipes as a way to connect with the Indonesian family roots. Part of that tradition is sharing food with as many people as possible, and what better way than to cook a drop-in dinner at the Depanneur!

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Every Thursday The Depanneur is an ‘open mic’ night for culinary talent in TO, where we invite guest cooks, amateur or professional, to come and make their favourite dishes.

Learn more about our Drop-In Dinners