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.