'Warung' contest serves up food for all tastes

By Yogita Tahil Ramani

JAKARTA (JP): Food vendors and warung (roadside food stalls) are a dime a dozen on this city's streets but imagine them littering a part of Jakarta Hilton International's compound in Central Jakarta?

With a food vendors' contest currently underway, various warung from the streets of North, South, Central, West and East Jakarta have been put up in the hotel's compound, right behind the Tomat At The Pizzeria restaurant.

The contest, featuring 22 warung, began on Aug. 1 and is scheduled to end Aug. 30. It is a collaboration between the hotel and MTV music station.

Whether spelling out Chinese dishes, western desserts and fast foods or the main fair -- provincial dishes from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Java -- the warung names reflect a variety of influences, including Warung Panda, Pondok Soto Sulung, Warung Kemayoran, Red Rooster, Warung Dabu Dabu, Walls Ice Cream, Warung Tong Seng and Ndut Cafe.

Hilton's public relations officer, Nieke P. Handayani, said the hotel's food and beverages representatives, headed by the department's coordinator, Alexandra Sutopo, took to the streets a month ago and handed out entry forms to interesting and clean warung. The warung chosen were observed for a few days before the forms were distributed.

"They ranged from a roti bakar (toasted bread) warung to some selling ice cream," Nieke said.

"The surroundings had to be clean and hygienic. Even the water-filled buckets where dishes and glasses are washed must be clean. Their way of serving food should be polite. Then the forms were handed out," Nieke said.

Nieke said that the plan from the start was to pick less than 30 warung, due to lack of space at the hotel's compound. Each warung owner entering the contest had to pay a Rp 100,000 deposit.

"For each day they don't come and open their warung, we cut Rp 10,000. On the final day, we give them their money back," she said.

With food and drinks at the different warung priced typically low, they are packed with people.

Some diners seemed engrossed in chatting with friends and enjoying their meals while most warung owners were seen sitting amid customers and chatting or serving guests.

Owner of Warung Dabu Dabu, Eko Wibowo, said that this warung was his first and he, like the other warung owners in the contest, were in it for the promotion.

Eko said that he wanted people, both Indonesians and foreigners, to appreciate North Sulawesi's Manadonese cuisine, his warung's speciality.

"Our most saleable dishes are nasi campur (rice with vegetables) accompanied by fish soup, bubur Manado (Manadonese porridge) and ikan bakar (barbecued fish)," Eko said.

While soft drinks at the warung cost an average Rp 2,000, ikan bakar and nasi campur with fish soup are priced at Rp 8,500, bubur Manado Rp 6,000 and nasi kuning (yellow rice) Rp 5,000.

Eko, who has invested Rp 5 million in his warung, hopes to win first prize but the strength of the other warung menus, service and decorations is going to make it a tough run.

Winners, according to Nieke, will be announced on MTV on Aug. 30. The first-prize winner will bag Rp 1 million in cash, the second-prize winner Rp 750,000 and the third-prize winner Rp 500,000.

Separate awards will be given for the Most Wanted Warung, the warung with the best design and the warung selling the tastiest food.

Shaker, a warung noted for its blue-and-white tablecloths and banners, sells fruit punches and milkshakes at Rp 6,500 each.

It is considered to be one of the most-crowded warung by contest representatives. According to the owner, Iskandar, 75 people to 80 people come in every day.

"Some milkshakes and fruit punches sold at this warung are not sold at any outlet of Shaker, whether in Kelapa Gading (North Jakarta), Bintaro (South Jakarta) or its main branch on Jl Tirtayasa (South Jakarta)," Iskandar said.

Among the drinks he offers is a Harley, a coconut-and-milk punch with a distinct taste. He said punches sold here are not made from real fruit juice, only concentrates or essences.

Shaker usually sells dozens of different flavors at its outlets but the flavors picked for the warung contest are specifically selected.

"There are about 15 sold here, eight for milkshakes."

He added that his idea of entering the contest was mainly to promote new products and test the market's reactions to them.

Owner of Warung Pojok Cirebon, Edy Purnomo, said that he entered the contest to promote Artha Sari Catering, his mother's catering service on Jl. Melati Bakti, Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, which sells dishes a la Cirebon, West Java.

Drinks, ranging from hot coffees to iced desserts, are priced at Rp 3,000 each, while the meals are priced, on average, at Rp 6,000.

"This is excepting Nasi Jamblang (Cirebon rice dish), which is more of a buffet-style dish," he said.

Other dishes served at his warung include nasi lengko (rice with vegetables), mie kocok Cirebon (Cirebon noodle dish) and Serabi (a local pancake).