Plates and knives hard to come by at Lotus Asian Cafe & Grill
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We walked into this tiny, recently opened Indonesian cafe at 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday and our server, who was the only one occupying a table, stood up and greeted us with a warm smile.

Service: The woman who waited on us was very sweet and eager to help, but the overall experience was not a comfortable one. We weren't given plates, even though Indonesian dishes are typically served family-style similar to Thai and Vietnamese. We'd managed to eat half of our grilled chicken and lukewarm beef satay before our coconut spice rice sides arrived on plates (woo- hoo!) with enough space to mix in some meat. But we had no knives to hack our chicken into rice-friendly pieces so we forked it for a bit before our server noticed our struggle. We were the only customers in this husband-and-wife- owned grill, and our server (the wife) did paperwork when she wasn't helping us. That was fine until we were finished and sat there, uncomfortably, waiting for her to notice us.

What we liked: We enjoyed our first-ever plate of Bihun Goreng — ricestick noodles and nibbles of chicken cooked in a light, savory soy-based sauce with carrots, bean sprouts and sliced cucumber. It was our cheapest dish but by far the most enticing. The Ayam Bakar Taliwang was a small plate piled with various chipotle-grilled chicken pieces, mostly drumsticks, smothered in a red chile paste. It was good but nothing spectacular.

Scene: Being the only car in a strip mall parking lot is a little sketchy, but being the only one in a restaurant the size of my bedroom is even more unsettling. There was no “scene” in this bare-bones, olive-green-and-light-gold- walled cafe.

Bathroom break: Diners have to walk to the back end of the kitchen to reach the stuffy, single restroom.

Tab for two: $38 with tax and tip for Bihun Goreng Spesial ($5.95), Sate Sapi ala Padang ($8.95), Ayam Bakar Taliwang ($8.45), two sides of coconut spice rice ($1.75 each) and two sodas ($1.49 each).

If work weren’t buying: The food, while interesting, wasn't good enough to make up for the complete lack of atmosphere.

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We arrived at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday and were seated immediately.

Service: Our hostess — co-owner Lielis Ali, the only person working in the cramped dining room — was patient but didn't volunteer information about the menu until gently prodded to point out faves.

What we liked: Perhaps our palates were over-wooed by a recent trip to Chandler curry-mate Swaddee Thai, but not much about our bevy of vegetable and lamb entrées at Lotus — including skewers of anemic and gristly lamb (sate kambing) plated with a pool of sweet soy syrup underneath — rose above the typical for Indonesian fare. (We also didn't say anything about the long, straight strand of hair resting nonchalantly atop our kambing.) The few items we enjoyed were the oxtail soup (sop buntut), with its tender but hearty meat in a carrot-bathing, not- too-oily broth; the more healthy alternative to a funnel cake, the veggie fritter bakwan jagung; and crab puffs that were wrapped in a papery, flaky shell sans cream cheese. Heavenly. But appetizers do not a meal make.

Scene: With its eight mismatched tables crammed into a tiny area overwhelmed by a vestigial sales counter and awning, optimists might dig the dining room’s communitas, but we just felt claustrophobic.

Bathroom break: Minimalist-hip decor hides a workaday establishment. As if taking a cue from the through- kitchen back entrance at Durant's in Phoenix, patrons at Lotus must navigate through the tiny kitchen to get to a lone, woeful bathroom. But here, unlike Durant's, it's not charming or novel — it's just scuzzy.

Tab for two: $50 with tax and tip for Es Campur ($3.50), crab puffs ($2.25), Sate Kambing ($9.95), Bakwan Jagung ($1.95), Sop Buntut ($6.95), Tahu Balado ($6.25), Sayur Nangka ($7.84) and a soft drink ($1.49).

If work weren’t buying: We would probably take a pass on Lotus; it's quirky and selectively bold in its menu, enough to be one of those critical darlings — think precious, elitist indie rock for a gourmand — but it's not the kind of place that will appeal to 99 percent of folks. Including us.

Lotus Asian Cafe & Grill
1076 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler

Major cross streets: Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wed.- Mon.
Reservations accepted: Yes
Health report: No inspection yet
Kid-friendly? Yes
Web site: None