File this Grub Hub pick under "Hidden Gem", for it is the most hiddenest place to eat in Paris.  If you know of a more obscure place, then I'll give you your money back.  Guaranteed.  This Grub Hub eatery does not even have a name.  It's behind closed doors.  It's even behind security.

It's the cantine at the Indonesian Embassy.  Situated behind the beautiful façade of an old 16^th arrondissement mansion, the small, brightly lit cantine serves the most authentic Indonesian cuisine within kilometers. 

I owe this find to a faithful Hobo reader and friend who hails from Indonesia.  A few weeks ago, we ran into each other on the sidewalk and she said, Do I have the perfect restaurant for you!  She said she ate there recently and thought, Mollie would love this.  And she was right.  I've never been so flattered by a restaurant recommendation before.  It wasn't pretentious.  It was just pure, real food.  Had I grown up in Indonesia, it probably would have filled me with wonderful childhood memories. 

To partake of this country's spicy and flavorful food, you ring the doorbell to the embassy at number 47, rue Cortambert.  They will buzz you in.  These double doors openly directly to the courtyard.  You then need to go up the steps to your right and tell the person at the accueil who you are and ask their permission to please eat in the cantine.  Tell them you've heard how amazing the food is.  A little flattery goes a long way. 

Then walk straight back to the little cantine in the rear of the courtyard.  The cantine only has about four tables, but people will make room for you if it starts to get crowded.  That having been said, don't take a bunch of people with you for lunch.  There's a very friendly woman behind the counter.  We told her that we'd heard great things about her cantine and wondered if we could eat there.  She then took us through that day's specials. 

She had prepared around 30 or so boxed lunches.  There were three different main courses that she had cooked.  Two were fish and one was chicken.  Each with rice or noodles and a different side.  She also showed us the desserts and told us how to get our drinks.  We each got a main box, a dessert box and an Indonesian drink (or you can get Coke and there are also pitchers of water on the tables).  Just pull your drink out of the refrigerator to the right of the counter so you get a cold one.  You can also reheat your lunch, if need be, in the microwave above the fridge.  The woman told us "it's like home here". 

She means the food and the atmosphere.  The Embassy staff either buy one of the lunches or bring their own food with them.  One staffer's family was joining him and those kids had BYOB Happy Meals from McDonald's with them.  Our son wanted to know where his Happy Meal was. 

After getting our food, the nice woman helped us settle into a table.  She brought us glasses and plates so that we could share the food.  I think she could tell that we were there for the adventure. 

My lunch box contained kroepoek, as well as rice and ikan asam padeh with sayur bayem.  Translation:  prawn crackers with rice, very spicy salted fish and spicy spinach in coconut milk.  Notice I used the word spicy twice in that sentence.  The Dutch East India Company chose wisely. 

My beverage was a refreshing iced tea called Tehbotol.  And for dessert I had rujak, a fruit salad with coconut milk.  I'd love to be able to tell you what fruits were in the salad, but I've never seen these fruits before.  They were yellow, green and white, definitely each with a tropical flair.  Normally the only fish I enjoy is salmon, but this was divine. 

Andy's lunch box contained pempek with cucumbers and noodles.  Pempek are minced belida fish with garlic and sago flour.  The sauce was made with vinegar, tamarind, garlic, and chili.  The pempek was wrapped around a hard-boiled egg.  His lunch was spicy, but less so.  The taste was unique and, yes, also divine.  For dessert, Andy had pisang goring, mashed and fried banana.  I helped myself.  Andy washed his lunch down with a drink called "Grass Jelly".  I hate to admit this, but I was not brave enough to try a drink described as gelatinous.  He said it was very good but was at a loss for words to describe the taste.

The cantine is obviously for embassy staff and local Indonesian expats, but no one batted an eye at our presence.  There was another intrepid couple there crashing lunchtime, as well.  One wall of the cantine is lined with shelves, on which they stock groceries from home.  So if you're looking for spicy sauces, bamboo shoots, noodles, coconut milk or even grass jelly drinks, you can buy them here.

Our lunches were around 8 euros a person (drink and dessert included) and the food was fantastic.  I've eaten in Indonesian restaurants before in the Netherlands, but I've never experienced tastes quite like this.  Chances are if you go, you'll have no idea what you're eating, but you will love it. 

The cantine is open for lunch when the embassy is open.  During Ramadan however, the cantine is closed.  Also, every time an Embassy staffer walked in, he or she said "bon appétit" to everyone.  You might want to do the same.