Manise Cafe

Very simple, humble looking café where the staff don’t seem to be in a hurry. However some of the dishes are really tasty. Dishes are from eastern Indonesia so a little different to your Jakarta type food.

This isn’t first date material, an exercise in fine dining or a venue with bamboo wind chimes for background ambiance. But it’s a place for simple tasty Indonesian food. Not much larger than then average living room with classroom tables and chairs the décor isn’t the reason to be here! My favorite dishes are Kondro Bakar (tender slow cooked rib meat, boneless, in a satay sauce), Sup Buntut (oxtail in broth with vegetables), Lalapan (raw veges of tomatoes, cabbage and sliced cucumber with a spicey refreshing tomato/​lemon juice condiment). Gado gado, fish head curry, rendang curry — the list goes on like the Indonesia archipelago. Prices have experienced inflation over the 6 yrs I’ve been coming but you’re not going to top ~ $ 12 for a «main» with an average $ 9ish. I like. If you’re keen on this cuisine, the progeny of Manise’s owner has opened Satay Spot in the Carillion arcade, Perth city. He’s learnt tricks from the old man with a mainstream pop offer.

Manise isn’t exactly… Aesthetically pleasing, but it’s tasty Indonesian food at a ridiculously good price.
The menu’s not too extensive, but most dishes are $ 8 each, so you can’t really complain. And they also do traditional Indonesian desserts — but be warned, they are syrupy sweet so you really need an appreciative sweet tooth.
I definitely don’t recommend it if you’re after a nice evening out with friends or your partner, but it’s perfect if you’re after a quick, cheap and tasty meal while bumming around Northbridge.