A mini guide to Bandung’s culinary perks
Bandung is known by many as a city of culinary adventure, with hawkers to fancy restaurants on offer to the gastronomic tourist. The Jakarta Post Travel presents a mini guide of four categories each with two options. Coupled with our previous article on eight classic Bandung dishes, our selection will surely help make your trip there delicious.
Best for fine restaurants
JUBILARE
The newly-established Jubilare quickly settled itself among the scant fine-dining options in the city. Here, you can enjoy an array of mouth watering European cuisines presented by Chef Bambang, who previous cooked up a storm at the Amanjiwo resort.
The Jubilare Set Menu, pumpkin ginger soup, gigantic ravioli with salmon filling, rack of lamb and a beautiful chocolate soufflé, is a fine example of Bambang’s skills.
The restaurant, which emphasizes the use of home grown vegetables in its dishes, is indeed a new force to be reckoned with in Bandung!
Location: Jl. Karangsari no. 14
Ph: +62.22.955.555.86
Opening Hours: Tue – Sun (11 am – 11 pm), closed on Monday
Price:
Jubilee Set Menu (IDR 300,000): Pumpkin Ginger Soup, Rack of Lamb, Ravioli di Salmone, Chocolate Soufflé
Happy Set Menu (IDR 110,000): Smoked Chicken Salad, Char Grilled Snapper Fillet, Sliced Fruit
MAXI’S
This restaurant is housed in a beautiful colonial building that hails from the Dutch colonial era. Its beauty is further enhanced by a sizable garden fit for royal parties as well as its neighborhood, which is an area in Northern Bandung filled with old colonial retreats.
Maxi’s best dish is filletto a la Maxi’s: A double decked beef tenderloin with spinach gratin, accompanied by broccoli, glazed carrots, buttered potato with parsley and red wine sauce. Other notable dishes not to be missed are the mushroom on beef —Emmenthaler style, poached salmon jubilee, the pronto beef parmigiana or the classic steaks that are some of the city's best.
Location: Jl. Gunung Agung no. 8
Ph: +62.22.2032.666
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun (7 am – 11 pm)
Website: http://maxisresto.com
Price:
Filletto a la Maxi’s = IDR 68,000 (local beef)
Filletto di Pesce a la Romana (dory fillet coated with broiled egg, cheese, and butter sauce, with pickled vegetables and potato with parsley) = IDR 62,000
Best for Sundanese cuisine
MA’ UNEH
The recipes for the late Ma’ Uneh’s (Grandma Uneh) amazing Sundanese cuisine have been preserved for decades by her family and have ensured the family business has flourished.
Ma’Uneh began modestly in the 1960s with a rather simple menu. Overtime the menu and dishes were developed and nowadays dishes such as karedok (mixture of vegetables with peanut sauce), fried beef lungs, steamed salted eggs, jengkol (a type of bean with meaty taste and pungent smell) stew as well as more than 30 other dishes are available.
Several dishes use unique ingredients, such as ikan impugn — a certain type of freshwater fish only found locally— and haremis (clams) a rarity in Sundanese cuisine.
Location:
Jl. Terasana no. 132
Jl. DR. Setia Budhi no. 159
Jl. LL. RE. Martadinata (Jl. Riau) no. 157
Price:
Haremis (clams) = IDR 15,000
Babat (fried beef tripe) = IDR 13,000
Paru Goreng (fried beef lungs) = IDR 13,000
Gepuk (fried beef with a rich taste of coconut and spices) = IDR 13,000
Karedok (mixture of raw vegetables with peanut sauce) = IDR 12,000
KAMPUNG DAUN CULTURE GALLERY & CAFE
Undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Bandung, Kampung Daun was established with the mission to astonish its visitors and it has succeeded.
Designed ambitiously to resemble a traditional village encircled by trees, flowers and foliage in-between towering cliffs, Kampung Daun maintains its fresh look and remains salubrious all year round. The staff enchants diners with their swift yet polite service even though work for them can be challenging, especially with the uphill jaunts to deliver delicacies to the huts that serve as dining rooms.
The restaurant’s food, which comprises mostly of dishes of Sundanese origin, combines with a wonderful dining ambience. We recommend the signature oxtail soup, grilled beef ribs with soup and the grilled rice with eels and minced meat. Traditional Sundanese dishes such as banana leaf wrapped rice with fried chicken, tofu, sautéed vegetables, karedok and any gourami fish dishes are worth a try.
Location: Jl. Sersan Bajuri KM 4.7
Ph: +62.22.2787.915
Website: http://kampungdaun.net/
Price:
Tahu Isi Pedas (fried spicy tofu filled with vegetables) = IDR 10,500
Gurame Goreng (fried gourami fish) = IDR 85,000
Sop Iga Bakar (grilled beef ribs with soup) = IDR 62,500
Tumis Genjer (sautéed water cress) = IDR 17,500
Best for local specialties
MIE KOCOK MANG DADENG PUTRA
Mang Dadeng Putra is famous for its mie kocok, a native delicacy from West Java. Although this dish can be commonly found in hawkers all over the city this house recipe is so popular that the name “mie kocok” is synonymous with this establishment.
Usually, it is a soup-based noodle dish with beef meatballs companions, the house mie kocok uses beef tendons, bone marrow and bean sprouts. In addition, Mang Dadeng Putra also serves sop kaki, which also uses beef tendons suitably combined with rice.
Location:
Jl. Banteng no. 67
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun (9 am – 9 pm)
Price:
Mie kocok (noodles with soup and tendons) = IDR 18,000
Half portion of mie kocok spesial (noodles with soup, tendons, and bone marrow) = IDR 15,000
ES DURIAN KANTIN SAKINAH
Savor durian, the king of fruits — like a king — the old Kantin Sakinah way. Its es durian is quite a legendary choice for dessert. For years, this humble hawker has treated people with durian cravings by serving the fruit alongside plenty of quirky combinations such as palm sugar, coconut milk, condensed milk or chocolate sprinkles.
It can also be combined with freshly sliced fruit such as watermelon, mango or avocado, not to mention the plethora of condiments on offer.
Now that is what I call an enticing dessert!
Location: Jl. Tubagus Ismail I no. 6
Price:
Es Durian with grated cheese, condensed milk, and chocolate sprinkles = IDR 18,000
Es Campur (mixed sliced fruits with condensed milk and durian) = IDR 10,000
Best to hang out
KOPI SELASAR (at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space)
Looking for a serene place fit for contemplation, enlightening discussions, good coffee and the arts? Kopi Selasar at Selasar Sunaryo Art Space has it all!
Kopi Selasar is part of a particularly beautiful art space owned by artist Mr Sunaryo. Located in a valley with Bandung’s majestic green hills as the backdrop, the place itself is a feast for the eyes.
The baristas delight in making experimental coffee concoctions involving unusual ingredients. Try the adventurous cheese cake cappuccino or other coffee drinks mixed with a variety of ingredients such as spices, nuts, yogurt, mascarpone cheese, crème de cacao, crème de menthe, Bailey’s and many more.
Be creative with your choice, after all it is an art space.
Location: Jl. Bukit Pakar Timur no. 100
Ph: +62.22.250.7939
Website: http://selasarsunaryo.com
Opening Hours: Mon – Thurs (10 am – 5 pm), Fri – Sun (10 am – 10 pm)
Price:
Cheese Cake Cappuccino (espresso, cream cheese, yogurt, cookies, coffee ice cream with whipped cream) = IDR 32,000
Ginger Lemongrass Tea (ginger and lemongrass tea served with lime) = IDR 15,000
Potato Chicken Balls infused with cheese and spiced French fries = IDR 25,000
ROEMAH KOPI
Being an early pioneer of indie coffee shops, Roemah Kopi has been enjoying its legendary stature for around a decade.
During your first visit you might find that the place feels more like the owner’s residence rather than a café. On further inspection its serious backyard expansion might increase its capacity but also continues the homely ambience.
Let the gentle winds from Bandung’s rolling hills soothe you while you lay back and sip your drink with your loved ones.
Roemah Kopi is also famous for its coffee blended drinks, such as; Voice of Nature (Coffee, avocado, vanilla ice cream), King of Coffee (Coffee, rum, melted chocolate) and Sound of Garden (Ice blended coffee of chocolate, mocha, or vanilla flavor)
Location: Jl. Terusan Ranca Kendal no. 9
Ph: +62.22.251.2613
Price:
Moon River (Coffee caramel, vanilla ice cream, with whipped cream) = IDR 24,000
Moonlight (Coffee, fresh milk, chocolate ice cream, mocha) = IDR 22,000
