Ngopi is one of only a handful of Indonesian restaurants in the entire country

Sign up to our email newsletter for daily updates on what's happening in and around Birmingham

Ngopi Indonesian cafe quietly opened in the city centre in July 2018.

Its owners are Jakarta born Aston University students, who liked Brum so much they decided to open a restaurant here.

They chose to open in cheap yet central Dale End -  tucked away at the end of a strip of unremarkable shops under The Square shopping centre.

The location may be unremarkable but this place is unique - it is Birmingham’s only Indonesian restaurant serving up authentic coffee and food. And is one of a handful of Indonesian eateries in the UK.

Serving up a unique world cuisine in a rough end of town automatically makes Ngopi a hidden gem. But will eating here transport me to foodie paradise?

Ngopi’s chilled trendy interior certainly belies its insalubrious location - a couple of doors down from DFC chicken.

The cafe’s name comes from Indonesian slang for “let’s chill and have a coffee.”

And once inside that’s exactly what I felt like doing. The cafe has a light, airy decor and tranquil vibe.

There is a bookshelf right next to the entrance,  filled with cool coffee table style books.

Behind this is massive coffee roaster, which I later discovered had been imported from Indonesia.

There are also striking lampshades. The place is quite muted - apart from a big colourful map of Indonesia painted on one of the walls.

Ngopi offers a choice of 12 dishes cooked up by an experienced Indonesian chef.

A mixture of snacks and mains are on offer but everything is covered on one menu - under the heading 'Light Meals.'

None of the food sounded particularly light but it certainly makes for fascinating reading as an 'Indonesian cuisine for beginners' guide.

Ngopi is only open until 4.30pm (Monday - Saturday). As no one was available to go with me at lunchtime, I went on my own. Which turned out to be a big mistake.

Most solo diners would feel limited in how much they could realistically order but in the interests of this review,  I knew I had to try as many dishes as I physically could.

First choice was the Pempek Palembang - described as savoury fishcakes - made of bassa fillet and tapioca served with sweet and sour sauce, egg noodles and chopped cucumber.

Rather than the main I was expecting,  the 'fishcakes' were more like tempura bites.  This was an excellent starter dish - perfect to share between two.

When I asked for main meal recommendations, my server suggested fried Indomie with egg, corned beef and cheese.

This is basically pimped up super noodles.  I was told Indomie is a famous Indonesian brand of instant noodles and Indonesians like to jazz them up by cooking with extra spices and other toppings.  I did really enjoy the strong flavour of the noodles but with cheese on top? No thanks.

Batagor was a plate of pure joy. What’s not to love about fried beef meatballs, prawn wontons and fried tofu pieces smothered with a super generous amount of peanut sauce, topped with soy sauce and chilli sauce?  I loved the combination of spicy, sweet and savoury in this dish. 

Judging from the menu,  combing sweet and savoury flavours  is a strong theme in Indonesian cuisine.

Ngopi serves not one but two dishes comprising of cheese and chocolate!

There is Pisang Bakar - banana grilled with butter,  sprinkled with cheddar cheese, chocolate and condensed milk as well.  Roti Bakar is cheese, chocolate and condensed milk on bread.

My curiosity was definitely piqued by this potentially heart attack inducing cheese and chocolate combo.

Ngopi has so many intriguing sounding dishes,  I returned to the cafe a few days later to have another go at the menu.

On my second visit I opted for the risol - deep fried croquettes filled with smoked turkey,egg and spicy mayonnaise.

This is normally served as two pieces for £5 but the waitress only realised till some time after I put my order in,  there was one left. I was given the one piece for free of charge.

One piece was enough as a light meal.  It was massive.

I've never come across a croquette I didn't like, and the sheer size of this one made this true deep fried indulgence. The strange filling of egg and turkey worked well - helped along with lots of the spicy mayo.

Other dishes on the menu include Martabak - stuffed pancake with minced beef filling (£5) and Bakso Malang - hot soup with beef meatballs, fried tofu,  prawn wonton and fried wonton skin (£6)

The majority of Ngopi’s coffee is made using the Indonesian bean, Toraja Sapan, which is roasted in-house using their Indonesian-made machine, Froco. 

Ngopi beans are sourced from various regions of Indonesia.

Kopi Susu is Indonesian’s signature coffee and is made with those in-house roasted beans and condensed milk.  I normally have my coffee black but this was a wonderful way to end of my solo feast - kind of like a light dessert.

However I did see lots of people in the cafe enjoying their Kopi Susus with their meal. You can also have it served as an iced coffee.

There are a few non- coffees on the menu including Milo Chocolate, Matcha Latte and Teh Tarik.

You have to order at the bar and pay at the same time. My dishes arrived separately as and when they were ready.

On my first visit I was served by coffee expert Rory who has previously worked in coffee shops all over Brum. 

On my second visit I was told he was at The London Coffee Festival with the Ngopi owner. If you're a serious coffee connoisseur or simply interested in learning more about Indonesian coffee, you should try and grab a chat with him.

Service on both visits was warm, enthusiastic and efficient.

£20 for three dishes and two coffees.

Dale End might be spoken about as if there is a border separating it from the rest of the city centre but it's not much more than a stone's throw from Marks & Spencer.

There is no excuse not to visit this delightful cafe whether for lunch or coffee.

Ngopi is a shining example of Brum's exciting food and drink scene.  And it is stunning value.

All 12 dishes cost from £4-£6 and make for a quirky and very cheap Indonesian feast.  Go with a couple of foodie friends, order the entire menu (around £60) and let the good times roll! And if you just want to have coffee and chill, Ngopi is the place to do that too.

Ngopi is open Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 4.30pm. Closed Sundays.

There are three vegan dishes on the menu - Bakwan (vegetable fritters), Tempah Mendoan - deep fried tempah coated with spiced batter and Gado gado - Indonesian salad of vegetables, boiled potatoes, fried tempah.

Ngopi is not the only Dale End foodie gem worth checking out. Ngopi is next door to Orientee Artisan Bakery and Cafe - a place to try for brunch.

Ngopi UK, 56 Dale End, B4 7LS