'Shrimps City' has seafood, and a lot more

'Shrimps City' has seafood, and a lot more

Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Cirebon is popularly known as "Shrimp City", and sampling a
wide range of tasty seafood is a must when visiting the city.

The good news is that there is no limit to your options,
starting out with sidewalk food stalls offering bargains for
grilled shrimp, fish or crab. If money is no object, there are
also several restaurants that serve delicious seafood.

One of the best known restaurants in town, maybe the oldest
one too, is Maxim's Seafood on Jl. Syarief Abdurrachman (better
know as Jl. Bahagia), Nos.45-47 (Tel: 0231-208045).

Set up in 1979, the family-run restaurant is located in the
busy shopping area not far from Kasepuhan Palace.

From the outside, the restaurant is unassuming. If you do not
happen to see the glass painting of a blue fish on one of its
windows, or read the sign outside, it looks like the house of a
wealthy person. Inside, the decor is minimal, no fancy table
settings or decorations. But the restaurant, which is open every
day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., is always busy, especially during
weekends.

"Although we've been in the business for over 20 years, we
still consider ourselves to be just like roadside vendors. For
us, taste is everything, though our service and atmosphere may
not be star-rated," said the restaurant's operational manager,
Herry Subrata.

The food is indeed delicious. Kepiting soka (fried crab
covered in flour and served with sauce) is perfect, not too
greasy it tasted just right, while the seafood tofu sapo (hot
pot) is a stimulating dish, spicy without being too fiery.

"The secret is fresh ingredients. We only use fresh produce
and strictly control our ingredients," Herry said.

Prices are generally reasonable, although some famous pricey
Chinese dishes, such as shark's fin soup (Rp 75,000) and abalone
served with "special" sauce (Rp 400,000), are available.

Apart from seafood, Cirebon has its own special dishes that
should be tried during a visit.

Most popular are nasi jamblang (steamed rice wrapped in a leaf
and served with an array of side dishes of your choices), nasi
lengko (steamed rice served with small pieces of fried tempeh,
tofu, peanut sauce and usually served alongside goat satay),
empal gentong (spicy meat soup served with rice cake or steamed
rice) and sate kalong (it literally means bat satay but it's
actually beef!).

There are plenty of eateries serving the popular food but the
renowned ones are usually named after those who run the
businesses or the place where they are located, and their names
have become well known.

For instance, the most sought-after nasi jamblang is served at
the eatery once owned by the late Mang (Sir) Dul. Apart from the
site in the busy Gunungsari area near Grage shopping mall, it has
also opened several outlets at major shopping centers.

A popular nasi lengko eatery is the one on Jl. Pagongan, known
as Nasi Lengko Pagongan, and the popular empal gentong run by the
late Mang Darma.

According to Mang Dul's son Mas Mustofa, who is now running
the family business, they have been hired to cater for official
meetings or wedding ceremonies as far away as Jakarta.

"In this outlet alone, we make a profit of between Rp 5
million and Rp 6 million a day," Mustofa said, of the Gunungsari
outlet.

It is not easy getting a taste of nasi jamblang. You have to
get up early. At the Gunungsari outlet, the food is served from 5
a.m. until all the food is consumed. On working days, all the
food is gone by about 1 p.m., while on weekends, it disappears by
10 a.m.

And don't expect a cool atmosphere like in most restaurants.
There is no fancy menu and the seating arrangements are simple
with only tables and benches, on which you might find yourself
seated next to a stranger. But, you can choose your favorite food
and pay before you leave. When paying (cash only), each customer
only has to mention what they have consumed and the cashier will
calculate the total price.

The food on offer is amazingly cheap, between Rp 300 to Rp
2,500 for each dish (although in branches at shopping malls, the
prices might be a bit more expensive). The choice of side dishes
includes fried tempeh, fried tofu, fried egg, potato satay, semur
hati (stewed liver), semur daging (stewed meat), sambal goreng
(fried chili), pepes jamur (steamed mushroom cooked in banana
leaves), pepes kerang (steamed clams cooked in banana leaves).
All of them are served right out of the kitchen.

"We plan to open more outlets soon," Mustafa said.

If you don't feel seafood or traditional food is to your
taste, Padang restaurant Sinar Budi, on Jl. Pasuketan near Hero
supermarket and a new one on Jl. Siliwangi near the train
station, might serve what you need.

As with the tradition at Padang restaurants, the food will be
swiftly served in front of you. It is spicy without being
overpowering. The selection includes various kinds of curry --
beef, chicken, fish and goat -- oxtail soup, grilled chicken,
dendeng balado (dried beef in chili), the most popular Padang
food rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices), and a
little twist, pepes hati (chicken livers steamed in banana
leaves).

The food comes at affordable prices, at no more than Rp 50,000
for two, including fruit juices.