Pandering for good food? Get yourself to Bandung

Pandering for good food? Get yourself to Bandung

Text and photos by Agni Amorita

BANDUNG (JP): One Saturday afternoon young Yeannie Adisubrata,
with her three girl friends, drove her car along Jl. Kolonel
Masturi, leaving the busy city of Bandung and making for its
hinterland, Lembang.

"I want to reach The Peak before sunset," said Yeannie, who
works in for international bank. During the trip she turned down
the air-conditioning and opened a window, letting the cool breeze
crossing the Lembang mountain range whip past her face. "The
sunset at The Peak is one of the most beautiful things here," she
said.

Located at the top of a hill in Parompong, along the route
from Bandung to Lembang, The Peak is one of the newest dining
areas in Bandung and underlines the cafemania phenomenon that hit
the area last year.

The newest cafe is Kampung Daun, which opened two months ago.
It is located on Jl. Sersan Bajuri. According to Dwi Budi, the
cafe's customer service officer, a spa and another cafe offering
Mediterranean food will soon open there.

"For now we have Warung Cadas Gantung which offers local food
and Cabanas for self-cooking dining," she explained.

Nested in a secluded lower area and surrounded by a high rocky
wall, Warung Daun's interior is traditionally designed to match
nature. Each table is placed under a bamboo structure whose roofs
are made of sago palm leaf. International cuisine like shabu-
shabu or deep-fried calamari is available, but Kampung Daun
concentrates mostly on traditional food and beverages such as
nasi goreng ikan asin (fried rice with salty fish), bakso campur
(mixed meat ball soup), colenak (fried cassava with shredded
coconut topping), bandrek (a hot ginger drink) and bajigur
(coconut milk drink). The dishes cost about Rp 10,000 each.
Traditional touches are also found in the bar's architecture, the
waiter's uniforms and also the plates and mug which are made from
coconut shells.

The Peak, however, is ensconced in a modern three-story
building, with glass walls offering guests the best views of the
surrounding mountain valley. The Peak also only serves European
food and beverages. "One of the most favorite items on the menu
here is steak," said Sukirman, master chef at The Peak. Local
steak is between Rp 32,000 and Rp 45,000 while imported meat is
about Rp 50,000.

Employing 45 people, The Peak has a 160-seat capacity and is
open everyday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to the cafe's
operations manager, Agus Erick, who was recently busy preparing
the cafe's first anniversary on Feb. 27.

In Parompong, there is another cafe called Rossan Resto. But
cafes with valley views can also be found in the city of Bandung.
In the Dago area, there are the Calista and Lalita Cafes, which
face each other. Guests of the two cafes can enjoy the scenery of
Bandung city from their seats. And the prices are reasonable:
only an average of Rp 10,000 per dish from their Indonesian and
international menu -- from satay to lasagna. No wonder the
Calista and Lalita Cafes are always crowded.

"Except for the narrow street leading to the cafes, everything
is just great. The scenery, the food and also the prices," said
SF Gunawan, an telecommunications engineer who often dines there.

Besides the new cafes, gourmet safaris in Bandung have long
been popular. For example, there is an old jam factory that is
still producing on Jl. Veteran 40. This industry is owned by 80-
year-old Mrs. Budiana, who started the business in the 1920s.

"But the heyday of our business has gone due to the industrial
development in Bandung's hinterland over the last two decades, as
it made it difficult to find fresh fruit for our jam," explained
Inge, Mrs. Budiana's niece.

Selling the jam for between Rp 12,000 and Rp 24,000 per
kilogram, the factory is trying hard to maintain their mulberry,
pineapple, chocolate, peanut and lobi-lobi (edible fruit) jams.

Across the street there is the famous Es Bungsu. Containing
avocado, cincau jelly and mixed fruit, this very sweet iced
beverage is a favorite choice for local tourists. This "brand"
was even chosen as an item to be asked in a national quiz, Kata
Berkait, on an RCTI program last year.

Warungs, operated by small-scale vendors, are quite modest
with old wood benches for customers. But they are always packed
with teenagers who buy their favorite beverage, iced fruit, which
is available at Rp 3,000 per cup, usually after eating snacks at
Batagor Kingsley next door. One of Bandung's most famous foods,
batagor or baso tahu goreng (fried tofu and meat balls) is served
with peanut sauce with chili. At Batagor Kingsley it costs Rp
5,000.

Those who want a more international taste should try the
brownies at Bawean, at one of the oldest bakeries in Bandung. The
bakery on Jl. Bawean, built in the 1946s and which used to be
called the Sweetheart Bakery, is also famous for its rumtarts.
Another popular brownie maker is Primarasa Bakery, which has
outlets on Jl. Buahbatu and Jl. Kemuning. Primarasa has four
choices of brownies, sold for between Rp 17,500 and Rp 23,000.
Bandung also has a yogurt center on Jl. Cisangkuy. Various yogurt
flavors -- from grapes to lychees -- are offered with sausages
and baked potatoes.

Day or night, Bandung is always ready to cater for any taste.