A refreshing Rujak Shooter kicks off the show for Bone Kettle’s DineLA Week offerings. Photo by Eddie Rivera.
As Pasadena sizzles under the August sun, Bone Kettle is leaning into the heat—with a DineLA Week menu that feels like a nostalgic stroll through a Southeast Asian market in midsummer.
This summer’s Dine LA Restaurant Week in Pasadena runs through Friday, August 8, drawing nearly 400 participating restaurants across Los Angeles, with 31 contributing venues in Pasadena itself and 16 located in Old Pasadena, including Bone Kettle. Numbers-wise, it’s 33 global cuisines across 88 neighborhoods in greater L.A., catering to a wide spectrum of palates.
Prix‑fixe menus ranged from $15 to $65+ for lunch and dinner, making elevated dining both accessible and exploratory throughout the city.
Bone Kettle Chef-owner Erwin Tjahyadi grew up in Indonesia, where city summers meant warm noodles, market chatter, and an endless array of spices, fruits, and floral offerings.
“This menu is really inspired by my childhood—growing up in the city, eating from street vendors, and spending time in the summer markets,” he said, grinning as a server delivered the amuse bouche: a briny Higata oyster dressed in icy rujak granite, a bold nod to Jakarta’s classic sweet-tart fruit salad, as well as a Rujak Shooter, a refreshing spoonful of brown palm sugar, sour tamarind and mixed fruits.
A crisp Pempek—a golden-fried South Sumatran fish cake—arrived next, dipped in a sweet-and-sour palm sugar sauce. Next come turmeric-brined Jidori chicken wings with a squeeze of charred lime, sticky and who-doesnt’t-love-chicken-
Then there’s the dish that practically hums with memory: Bakmi Ayam, a tangle of room-temperature yellow noodles topped with marinated soy chicken, egg, mushroom, and fried shallots. “It’s a Jakarta street staple,” Tjahyadi said. “Perfect for hot weather—everything’s warm, but nothing’s too hot. It’s all balanced.”
Bone Kettle, already beloved for its delicate bone broth and flower-garnished plating, hasn’t forgotten its roots. “We still serve flowers with the meal,” Tjahyadi said with a laugh. “In Bali, even the bathrooms have flowers.”
The dinner closes with a playful one-two punch of dessert: a buttery Kue Nastar pineapple tart and Es Teller—which roughly translates to “Crazy Ice”—a chilled glass layered with jackfruit, avocado, coconut milk, grass jelly, and a drizzle of palm sugar and condensed milk. It’s tropical chaos in the best way.
At a time when prix-fixe menus can feel ordinary, Bone Kettle’s DineLA experience is anything but. It’s a taste of summer, nostalgia, and one chef’s journey—all served with a flower on top.
Bone Kettle is at 67 North Raymond Ave, Pasadena 91103. 626-765-3788. www.bonekettle.com.
