Dining in nature with a little frog

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Bandung

In these modern times when many people tend to celebrate contemporary cuisine in shopping malls or restaurants, it pays not to overlook the delicious taste of Indonesian food, especially if that food can be eaten in a memorable outdoor setting.

Bandung's Kampung Daun and Sapu Lidi are two restaurants famous for serving food within nature. Guests can enjoy their meals in small saung (thatched gazebo-like structures with no walls) while they take in the mountain city's pretty views.

Kampung Daun, which literally means "village of leaves", and Sapu Lidi, or "palm-leaf broom", are both located in Jl. Sersan Bajuri, a quiet, secluded area about 5 kilometers from the more hectic public minivan terminal on Jl. Setiabudi.

At weekends, the two places are almost always full of guests who mostly come from Jakarta.

"Sometimes (diners) have to wait for about an hour to get a seat here," a Kampong Daun waiter said.

"And we have had more customers following the opening of the new (Cipularang) toll road," which became operational after April's Asia-Africa Conference, he said.

The new road means that on jam-free days it takes only a few hours to drive from Bandung to Jakarta, shaving up to 60 minutes off the journey. The road also gives weary travelers more time in the city to relax and enjoy the view, and both establishments make rest and relaxation a priority for their guests.

As people enter Kampung Daun, they are greeted by a friendly waiter dressed in a traditional Sundanese costume who takes them down a stony path to their table.

Patrons have the option of either sitting on a chair at a traditional Western table, or on a mat on the floor in their own private saung. The restaurant, located on the slopes of a hill, also has several of these saung sitting in picturesque green terraces and close to small man-made waterfalls that bring one even closer to nature.

Sapu Lidi, meanwhile, takes the rural theme even further, inviting its guests to "eat in a rice field". Sitting at Sapu Lidi, one is not only surrounded by the green rice paddy but also by the salad plants that grow on the sides of the saung. You are also never far away from a small river -- where I saw a little frog jumping the last time I was there.

"We grow most of the vegetables by ourselves," said the Sapu Lidi waiter.

And how about the rice?

"Oh no, we can't harvest the paddy, it is only for decoration," he said.

The fish served for the guests, however, is taken from a pond built on the two-hectare premises.

People eat traditional Sundanese food with their hands and while Sapu Lidi is upmarket, it makes few concessions to modern tableware -- instead it invites guests to explore the option of traditional dining. An attractive water jar is put in front of the saung and if one wants to wash their hands, they just scoop up some water using a water dipper made of bamboo and coconut shell.

Another unique accessory is a kentongan, a kind of bamboo public address system. In the past, people beat the hollow kentongan stick to alert people to a meeting or warn of the prescence of a thief, a wild animal or a ghost. At Sapu Lidi, the kentongan becomes a handy way to call for service.

In the evening, small electrical bulbs are lighted to illuminate the saung, but there are also traditional kerosene lamps installed along the path.

There are a number of great traditional dishes on offer in Sapu Lidi and Kampung Daun. Daun offers nasi gudeg, the traditional food from Yogyakarta, and nasi liwet from Solo.

Among the traditional Sundanese foods offered by Kampung Daun are nasi kukus (rice cooked in coconut milk, mixed with petai and salted fish, served with fried chicken, fried tofu, fried tempei, stir-fried salted fish, sambal and kerupuk) and nasi tutug oncom (rice cooked with red beans, served with fried chicken, stir- fried salted fish, vegetables, sambal and kerupuk), at Rp 32,000 and Rp 24,000, respectively.

Pepes ikan or fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled or steamed is among the most popular of Sundanese traditional foods and is unfortunately omitted from the menus of both restaurants.

However, what Kampung Daun and Sapu Lidi both do really well is fried or grilled fish -- the other day I ordered a half kilogram of fried fish from Kampung Daun, which was delicious and cost only Rp 30,000.

Both restaurants also serve Western food like sirloin steak and sandwiches. Along with traditional beverages like the hot bandrek and cool cendol potions, stiffer drinks are also offer and Kampung Daun has a wide selection of mocktails and cocktails.