Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa: Bandung’s Best Kept Secret for Food
Let’s be real.
When we travel to Bandung, most of us simply want to hide away in our all 5-star luxury hotels as well as sip on expensive cocktails during happy hour. We want to fill up on the international breakfast buffet, followed by a long, leisurely swim inside the infinity pool. Sometimes, we just want to fall asleep during a Balinese massage at the spa. The children, if any, get to splash about in said pool or stomp about in plastic, climate-controlled playgrounds.
If we travel through town, the idea’s usually that has a car as well as driver directly to the outlet malls, of which there are plenty; retailers selling last season’s wares, leftover sizes as well as decent knockoffs that will could pass for the real deal if not for labels like ‘Tommy Hiflicker’ or ‘Adidos’. We see a volcano or two. We tour a tea plantation or a local organic farm. Our dining experience is actually limited to whichever restaurant rates highest on Trip Advisor or caters heavily to foreign tourists as suggested by hotel reception.
The signature ayam goreng found in many Indonesian restaurants
However, on a recent weekend trip to Bandung, I was pleasantly surprised by the local restaurant scene. Around every tree-lined corner, there seemed to be brand-new coffee bars as well as eateries serving murtabak, burgers, Mexican food, ayam bakar or bakso tahu. Wide pedestrian walkways close to where we stayed also made the idea easy to explore.
Bandung is actually an expat foodie’s dream: a place where you can find everything through expertly crafted Melbourne-style coffee to traditional Sundanese cuisine all in one neighbourhood.
Admittedly, if there’s one thing we can’t stand in our family, the idea’s that will morning cup of hotel coffee. Usually brewed en masse – in machines that will have been used for years as well as could do that has a not bad break down as well as cleaning – the beverage usually tastes of burnt toast ends as well as dregs. If desperate, we bring our own beans as well as travel that has a hand grinder to make our own inside the hotel room. In a country like Indonesia, one could think the hotels could serve better coffee considering the associated history; the idea is actually called ‘Java’ after all.
Through a random post on Twitter, we found Cultivar Coffeehouse, located conveniently behind our hotel inside the Dago district of Bandung. that will led to an amazing discovery of the perfect trifecta of local food retailers. As Cultivar is actually relatively brand-new as well as off the radar, we had to trust that will one effusive tweet, yet the risk paid off.
Cultivar’s coffee business is actually built on using beans that will help support the local industry, as well as promotes fair trade between farmers as well as retailers. Its special house blend of Arabica through Bali, Sumatra as well as Sulawesi is actually outstanding. As the shop does its roasting in-house, the purveyors extract a gorgeous aroma, redolent of creamy milk chocolate that has a hint of white pepper. There is actually an all-day food menu, yet we came here especially for the coffee. The single origin coffees are a must-try with most beans having low to medium acidity through areas such as Flores as well as Aceh. What we could not give for an establishment like Cultivar within walking distance of our residence in Jakarta!
As I was waiting for my flat white one morning, a little shop overflowing with locals caught my eye. I couldn’t resist the call of a place that will common, so I meandered over as well as peered through the front door. What I saw was chaos. Ladies with banana-leaf lined metal trays as well as tongs jostling each different for colourful local snacks as well as traditionally prepared meals. the idea was early inside the day so much of the food had just been placed on display, yet many items were already sold out. I made a mental note to come back the next day an hour earlier.
Sari Sari is actually a cake as well as pastry shop that will specializes in Indonesian snacks, sweets as well as light meals. the idea is actually housed in a somewhat generic western house-like setting. The Inner surface is actually similar to a bakery with rows of food accompanied by labels as well as prices. There are a few tables that will run through the front to back, with patio seats outside. The bakery is actually air-conditioned as well as quite lovely if not for the daily morning rush of people trying to grab the tastiest morsels first. A corner is actually allocated for kerupuk of all different varieties as well as brands, mostly for visitors to bring back home as gifts.
However inconspicuous that will place may be, the popularity is actually earned as well as real. Most locals go to Kartika Sari, another famous cake shop just a few minutes down one of the main roads, yet Sari Sari is actually just as not bad (if not better) because of its limited production. The shop is actually open through 6am to 7pm daily, yet some common items run out almost an hour or two after opening.
The food I sampled was fresh, delicious as well as well-made, which is actually so different through what one usually sees at the traditional markets where sanitation as well as suspect cooking methods might be an issue. The prepared foods are through numerous regions so there is actually quite a display. The egg as well as vegetable murtabak as well as otak-otak are scrumptious as are the lumpia basah. We returned the next day to load up on snacks (which they arranged meticulously as well as beautifully in a box) before taking the train back to Jakarta. They made a perfectly light, mid-day meal inside the cabin as we sped by scenic terraced rice paddies as well as tumbling waterfalls.
Karamba is actually an open-air restaurant located adjacent to Cultivar Coffeehouse. the idea incorporates a spacious dining room as well as serves very not bad Sundanese cuisine. The nasi liwet komplit came with fragrant rice, ayam goreng, an accompanying sayur asem (sour vegetable soup), lalab (a side of fresh vegetables), salted fish, fried tofu as well as tempeh. Most prominently, there was a massive as well as intensely spicy mortar of sambal tomate. The amount of sambal rivalled my entire meal, yet I was unable to stop. Each bite was highlighted by the sour, spicy as well as little bit of sweet through the fresh tomatoes as well as red chillies. My accompanying iga bakar was syrupy through the kecap manis as well as tender through the long roast time. These two items alone were large enough For two main people to enjoy.
Cultivar Coffeehouse
Address: Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa 26, Bandung
Telephone: 022 2051 0521
Website: www.cultivarcoffeehouse.com
Sari Sari
Address: Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa 17, Bandung
Telephone: 022 420 6517
Karamba
Address: Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa 26, Bandung
Telephone: 022 423 3229
Website: www.karambabandung.com
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Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa: Bandung’s Best Kept Secret for Food
Jalan Sultan Tirtayasa: Bandung’s Best Kept Secret for Food