Bandung: Trails of Tastes
Our Java-based contributor takes a brief culinary tour of this city in West Java, which saw its southern part deliberately set afire 62 years ago amidst the struggle for Independence; an event known as the Bandung Lautan Api or 'Bandung Sea of Flames'.
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Among the famous landmarks of Bandung, the Gedung Sate. |
Due to its rich cultural and historical background, Bandung is a town that readily shows off its eclectic mix of cuisines, some from its European heritage, some from the local Sundanese, and then Bandung's own special local fare of jajanan and oleh-oleh.
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One of the most favorite Bandung dining features is the Sundanese nuance of picnics over lofty river settings like these, amidst slow tunes of traditional degung flute and Javanese gamelan music. |
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So now Bandung has become a haven for the gastronomic traveler as well for the ordinary food lover. There are restaurants in the middle of rice paddies, at the top of Bandung's hilly heights, and even a revolving restaurant at the 9th floor of the Panghegar Hotel. Our roaming contributor Victoria Wenas is one of those inquisitive food lovers, and here is her list of some of the simple pleasures and tastes of Bandung.
EUROPEAN HERITAGE
As a place of respite for the Dutch during the colonial times, until the year 1945, Bandung has had many Old Dutch restaurants dot its roadsides that have since maintained its edifice and architecture as well as its various different recipes and serving styles reminiscent of the past. Among them is Braga Permai (its old name being 'Bogerigen'), a restaurant established in 1920 by Meneer Bogerigen that serves steaks, ice cream and various other chocolate-based dishes; recipes and serving standards analogous since its establishment. The dining is typically Dutch style – family dining around a table draped in white tablecloth – maintained by the Braga Permai until now. This is meant so that diners eat in orderly fashion and avoiding staining the white cloth. Not far from Braga Permai is the cake shop Sumber Hidangan (its old name was 'Het Soephuis') that sells traditional Dutch cakes and cookies such as Kaastengels, Bokkepootjes, Kattetongen, Ananastaartjes and white bread in very 'oldies' styled wrapping. Another recollection of the colonial Dutch heritage is Café Rasa, where visitors can enjoy a cup of the freshest coffee, alongside snacks that are so 'Hollandaise' like Amandel Brood or Sauciys Brood (layered pies with almond or sausage inside).
LOCAL SUNDANESE
If the European sensation isn't what you are looking for, you should try some local Sundanese treats. Sundanese restaurants usually welcome their guests with an ambiance of flowing water and gamelan sounds, as if to tease your auditory and olfactory senses as well as your appetite. There are a wide range of Sundanese dishes, so start off with 'Sayur Asem' as an appetizer, which is a clear tamarind sour soup with melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) beans and leaves, young jackfruit, bite-size corn and peanuts – a very spicy and refreshing treat.
The main course is usually served with rice. Steamed rice, nasi timbel ('heavy rice') or nasi bakar ('roast rice') accompanied by fried or roasted Gourami or freshwater carp, pepes tahu (steamed tofu in banana leaves), perkedel jagung (fried sweet corn croquettes), and not to be left out is the ever-present sambal terasi (shrimp paste chili sauce).
As for vegetables, the Sundanese like to eat them raw, thus the term lalapan which means 'fresh picks from the garden'. Raw cabbage, raw cucumber, raw eggplant, raw tomatoes, raw snake beans (kacang panjang), and basil leaves are gathered together on one dish as lalap. If you prefer it cooked, there is the choice of Gado-gado (mixed vegetables with peanut sauce and crackers) or tumisan (light-cooked vegetables with garlic and just a little oil blended in). And if you are a daredevil then you should try petai bakar (foreigners beware – you might well call it 'stinky beans'). The locals say that the awkward tasting beans make you want more, but I guarantee that nobody would want to sit next to you and chat with you after this dish. But the good news is that behind the all the pungent odor petai is known for, it promotes good kidney health.
JAJANAN BANDUNG
It's quite hard to find the right word for jajanan. Jajanan is generally food taken in between meals — heavier than a snack but too light to be treated as a full meal. Consider them the entrées in the Bandung cuisine scene. The seasoned gastronomic traveler of Southeast Asia will understand this easily. There are many choices of jajanan in Bandung. The most popular is 'Batagor' (acronym for bakso and tahu goreng) which is fried meatballs and tofu with a generous helping of peanut sauce. Thanks to the local genius, Batagor now also comes as a soup. 'Colenak' (short for dicocol enak, literally 'delicious dips') is fermented cassava with scraped coconut and brown sugar and ketan bakar or roast sticky rice with peanut sauce. 'Mie Kocok' is clear noodle soup with bean sprouts, square cut meat and meatballs. And my personal favorite is 'Siomay Bandung', a combination of siomay (minced fish and chicken dumplings), tofu with fillings, steamed cabbage, and steamed potatoes according to your choice, then peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce… finally sprinkled with fried onions, "yummy...!" Bandung's version of pancakes is Serabi, battered and molded wheat flour that is baked in earthen casts over a wood-fired stove. You can choose the sweet version of serabi with condensed milk and chocolate sprinkles or the crispy version with cheese or fried onions. OLEH-OLEH
Souvenirs don't always come in the form of handicrafts and such. Your family and friends will hate you if you went to Bandung and then came home empty-handed, so Bandung has created hundreds of oleh-oleh – in the form of food treats and snack souvenirs. There are 'Dodol' (gummy caramelized palm sugar) in many flavors, 'Krupuk' and 'Kripik' (an Indonesian onomatopoeic name derived from the crunching bites) crackers made from sliced cassava, sliced bananas, tempe and even spinach leaves, 'Pisang Molen' (flour battered bananas) and the famous 'Brownies Kukus'. Unlike common baked brownies, 'Brownies Kukus' are steamed (kukus). These brownies, again through generations of local genius, now come in cheese, 'extra' chocolate to durian flavors and blends.
HISTORICAL FLAMES...
After the achievement of Indonesian Independence in 1945, Bandung was selected as the capital of the West Java province. During the 1945–1949 Independence period when the Dutch struggled to reclaim their colony, Bandung was the site of one of the heaviest battles. The Dutch military commander set an ultimatum for the Indonesian combatants in Bandung to leave the city. In response, this month on the 24th, 62 years ago (in 1946), much of the southern part of Bandung was deliberately set ablaze as the combatants left; an event known as the Bandung Lautan Api or 'Bandung Sea of Flames'.
Here's where you'll find:
European:
Braga Permai, Jl. Braga Raya 58; Rasa Café, Jl. Tamblong 15
Tizi, Jl. Kidang Pananjung 3; Kedai Nyonya Rumah, Jl. Naripan 92C
Sundanese:
Sindang Reret, Jalan Surapati; Ampera, Jl. Sukarno-Hatta 394 (Ampera, Laksana, and Ponyo are Sundanese restaurant chains found all over West Java); Ikan Bakar Pak Chi Met, Jl. Sukajadi 157
Jajanan:
Although jajanan can be found in stalls all over Bandung, here are my recommendations (considerably stomachache free!)
Batagor Kingsley, Jl. Veteran 25; Somay Bandung, Bakmi Babat, Jl. Veteran (next to Edward Forrer)
Mie Kocok Mang Dadeng, Jl. Banteng 67 (near Horison Hotel)
Serabi Enhaii, Jl. Setiabudi 186
By Victoria Wenas |
