Bandung Bites

Bandung used to be famous for two things: beautiful girls and mouth-watering food. Although now taking a backseat to the glut of factory outlet stores catering to aspiring fashionistas from the capital, now a short two-hour drive away, the city dubbed Paris van Java still offers ample culinary pleasures. Sonja Fransisca spent a weekend on a fulfilling feeding frenzy.

The idea of browsing for skirts, tops and pants at cramped stores and trying to fit into clothes seemingly designed by size 4 people for their slimster kind is, frankly, quite depressing. So for one weekend, I abandoned my imaginary measuring tape and returned to the Bandung that I know and love: a gastronomically bountiful city that leaves you full yet longing for more.

First stop, for lunch, is Wenang. Tucked away in an alley on Jl. Cihampelas, the modest canteen still captivates loyal devotees of its spicy food from North Sulawesi. Favorites include babi kecap (pork in sweet soy sauce), tinoransak (pork with fiery green chili) and brenebon (red bean soup). The meat is tender and the soup is thick, but the chili is so hot that your energy becomes firmly directed to putting out the royal fire.

Other dishes include chicken or fish zinged with red chili and sautéed papaya leaves, which regulars swear by. A must try is the dabu-dabu, a mixture of green chili, tomato, vinegar and onions, to go with the dishes. Not only is the food superbly fresh, but Wenang's owner, dear old Oom (uncle), will coax you into having more through his unending offers.

To bring our numbed tastebuds back to life, we drove to Setiabudi for the best fruit ice cream around.   Rit's boasts a wide selection of berry flavors and other fruits, as well as butternut caramel, vanilla and chocolate, at a quiet two-story restaurant with a terrace.

The basket of joy, featuring three small scoops served on waffles with a sizzling red strawberry and mint leaves, is the best way to relish the ice cream. The cheaper way, though, is to ask for free tastes, which the bistro so generously complied with that I ended up with four wooden spoons in my hand.

The home-made dessert is somewhat between a sorbet and ice cream, and not creamy enough to make you sick for eating too much. Yummiest of all is the sweet mango; the forest berry and kiwi are top of the class and the vanilla is soft in texture and flavor. The blackberry, however, tasted a bit like lipstick.  

Two hours and countless card games later, we braved the traffic to find a plate of surabi, which is the modern twist on the old-time snack. Traditional serabi is made of rice flour and coconut milk, cooked in clay pots and served with palm sugar syrup or oncom (fermented soybeans).

The surabi sold outside the Bandung Tourism College, or Enhaii, however, is much more diverse. They are served with egg, cheese, sausage, chocolate and chicken, often drowned in mayonnaise. Some purists find the combinations too strange, but fans love the fulfilling dish.

The weekend would not be complete without a visit to the hilly area of Dago to glimpse Bandung at night. The best vantage point to see the city lights is the Valley, outshining other wannabes that try to be hip but whose desperate efforts end up overshadowing the simple beauty of the scenery below.

With the bracing air, it's not surprising that Zuppa-zuppa, the cream soup trapped inside scrumptious pastry, is a favorite on a menu that is otherwise a bit too generic in striving to meet every taste with its Indonesian, European and Japanese selections The Valley's main attraction is its atmosphere, as it's the perfect spot to ponder life and love with glasses of wine in hand and conversation flowing freely until midnight.

The next morning we head to Teko, a charming brasserie in Ciumbuleuit. It's a regular Oma's (grandma in Dutch) house, with poffertjes (soft micro puffed-pancakes eaten with syrup and sugar) and uitsmijter (two sunny-side up eggs on toast) as favorite breakfast items.

Teko, or teapot, has lip-smacking mango and fruit ice tea as well as strong coffee. Dishes like rice with fish-cakes and Bangkok sauce are served on carefully arranged trays; the colorful napkins add cheerfulness to the relaxed atmosphere as guests sit cross-legged in stalls overlooking the garden.

The next stop is Kiosk, a food court on the top floor of Setiabudi supermarket. The culinary paradise offers the best of Indonesian food selections, from snacks to main meals. Seriously lazy gourmands can sit here all day without ever running out of food to sample.

Take the fried banana for example. This common snack, sold outside every school in the country, is lifted to new heights here. It's big, not oily and mouth-wateringly sweet. Another must-try is the ultra-famous San Francisco sweet martabak. The batter is poured into a greased round pan, with heaping doses of sugar, crushed nuts, chocolate sprinkles and a sinful scattering of shredded cheese. It’s worth the experience even if you will have at least 1,500 calories to work off later.

We end the weekend by returning to the area’s roots of Sundanese food. Ayam Goreng Tempo Doeloe near the train station boasts the crispiest, spiciest chicken. The restaurant isn't shy in adding zest, for the sayur asam (sweet and sour tamarind soup) is as tart as the name suggests and the corn fritters are engagingly sweet.

There are various pepes¸ consisting of tofu or mushroom or anything that is steamed wrapped in banana leaves with seasonings. The chicken version is a standout with its loads of salam leaves and turmeric, but the best is rice pepes, which is very tasty as it is accompanied by pieces of chicken, salted fish, kemangi leaves and a few petai (the notoriously named stinky beans), although thankfully not enough to make your breath unbearable.

The extend chewfest is finally over. After 24 hours of almost non-stop eating and countless satisfied sighs, we leave for Jakarta, ready to tackle the week ahead, slightly heavier, perhaps, but infinitely happier.

Food Places:

Wenang
Location: The alley beside a waterway across from a closed-down mall on Cihampelas
Phone: 022-2042939
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Rit's
Location: Jl. Setiabudi no. 388, not far from Ledeng public minibus terminal
Opening hours 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Wednesday-Monday)  

Waroeng Soerabi Enhaii
Location: Jl. Setiabudi no. 186, outside Bandung Tourism College
Phone: 0813 942 12666
Opening hours: 1 p.m. - 1 a.m. 

The Valley
Location: Dago, follow directions from the main road
Phone: 022-2511450
Opening hours: 11 a.m. - midnight 

Kedai Teko
Location: Jl. Neglasari 4, Ciumbuleuit
Phone: 022-2034550
Opening hours: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.  

Kiosk
Location: Setiabudi supermarket, Jl. Setiabudi no. 42
Phone: 022-2035000
Opening hours: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.  

Ayam Goreng Tempo Doeloe
Location: Jl. Pasirkaliki no. 10
Phone: 022-4237527
Opening hours: 12 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Dos and Don'ts:  

• Wear loose, comfortable clothes
• Go with at least three friends to ensure more variety of choices
• Don't bring more than seven friends as some of the food places are quite small
• Order enough for each person to get half a normal portion to leave room for more items  
• Go the weekend after a holiday weekend; you are likely to have more of the city to yourself
• Let it go, my friend, let it go

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