The term rijsttafel, a Dutch word that translates to “rice table,” refers to a large, elaborate, banquet-style meal that incorporates dishes that span Indonesia’s more than 17,000 islands. Restaurants that serve rijsttafel cover tables in rice dishes, stews, braises, and curries, with a smattering of sambals and pickles as accoutrement. When Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly first opened their Indonesian restaurant Gado Gado in the Hollywood District, they offered their own version of a rice table, a feast involving dishes like beef rendang, sambals, and Thomas Pisha-Duffly’s grandmother’s aromatic rice, scented with cloves and fried shallots.
As Gado Gado grew into a phenomenon, it became harder to pull off
→ Continue reading at Eater