Eating Out in SA: ROA Jovian Mandagie

A designer's restaurant recently opened in Shah Alam, Section 7. The ROA by Jovian Mandagie is the Malaysian branch of ROA in Indonesia. This eatery serves Manadonese food which is generally fiery hot. ROA takes its name from the roa (in Manadonese) or gar fish (ikan todak in Malay), the symbol/logo of this restaurant. Not surprisingly, the signature dish Roa Saos is that of the gar fish.

A bit about Manado; it is the capital city of the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. It is also the epicentre of eco-tourism in Sulawesi.

Most of the dishes are hot, hot, hot PEDAS! So for my solo maiden visit, I chose to eat the Nasi Goreng which has gar fish as an ingredient. You also get a fried egg and a piece of Ayam Rica Rica. Verdict? Quite nice. For dessert I had Kue Brot Goreng, a bit like the doughnut but with sweet coconut filling.

During a subsequent visit with a family member, we had rice and Roa Saos (very, very spicy hot!), Ayam Rabe Rica, Ayam Tuturaga, Udang Woku, and Toge Buncis Cah. For dessert we shared a rather delicious Klapertart.

Would we dine here again? Yes, because the ambiance is good (hey, it is a designer's eatery after all) and it is in a most convenient location for us. As in property, so even food is also about location, location, location! Because we are not really foodies who would go all out to find good food in obscure places. Ces't la vie!

P. S. You can learn the Manadonese language while you select your dishes. The board behind the food display unit teaches you some words like 


Makaseh... thank you!