Indonesian Noodles with a Side of Soup and a Chocolate Nutella Grilled Cheese from Lil Java

Lil Java impressed me over the summer with its Indonesian soups and chaotic appetizers. I didn’t get to try all the things on the small menu that day. In fact, one item in particular I purposely skipped- a grilled cheese topped with nutella and chocolate sauce. And that would be American cheese. Would I be brave enough to order it on my return trip?

For a more normal combination, nasi goreng with pork, featured a fried egg, pickles, slices of sweet sausage, and bits pork. It was a generous portion, especially when recalling the small amount of beef that came with the beef rendang.

I am still sort of confused by the noodle section. Two dishes are  featured, mushroom chicken noodle and pork noodle, and both come with broth in a separate both. Is it noodle soup?  Are we mixing here? The explanation I got from the owner was that they are served together and usually eaten separately but you can combine if you like. I ended up doing a bit of a dip and slurp. The broth was good and the wontons better, though I would have liked it hotter. In the other bowl, the noodles had a lovely springy texture and the shitake mushroom and chicken combo was really flavorful. Sometimes you don’t have to understand a dish to enjoy it.

Speaking of..

The dessert I didn’t really want to try ended up in front of me anyway. Mostly because I like to challenge my mouth. As described, we were presented with a grilled cheese that was topped with chocolate syrup, nutella, more shredded cheese, and whipped cream. You might be thinking that the owner is just effing with all of us, but this is a real Indonesian creation. What’s the verdict? While ricotta or brie would have made this a delicious dessert, I didn’t hate it.  That’s about all I can give it.

Little Java, 1739 W Ritner St, 267 991-2636

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