Mangrove is like a funny corner of Bali stuck around the back of Garden Place (near Wansu, if that helps; it’s a cool little corner, and I think there are a bunch of other explorable places). On the day it was cold and rainy, so it was nice to get in and sit by the electric heater. It was mostly empty, but since I had a reservation, the window seat was all mine. As you’d expect, just a few dishes to share:
A yam woon sen, was certainly made of woon sen, but it didn’t have enough chili nor lime. This is one of those dishes that surprised the heck out of me the first time I ate it, while this time, years later, surprised to the downside. A mushroom and chestnut sautee was pleasant, but could easily have been on the menu in an Italian place. Nice but confusing to see it there. The tom yum (something warming for the cold weather, although I know in Thailand there’s nothing untoward about having steaming-hot rice porridge for breakfast when it’s 90 degrees) was spicy enough, but somehow lacking other flavors
On the whole, not authentically face-melting enough, but a nice atmosphere and good location for certain purposes, like shopping or museuming or hanging around Garden Place afterward. All other reasons…I dunno, I think you can find better (but I was surprised at the lack of southeast Asian in Ebisu, and that’s why I ended up here).
Did you notice that it’s supposed to be Indonesian, but all the food’s Thai?
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