The most interesting cuisine to me is Asian. It may be because of the variety and range of dishes or simply because I’m Asian. Most ingredients are familiar to me or if not, they can easily adapt to my palate. I love being surprised with new food.
A few decades ago, I was on a trip to Amsterdam. I don’t remember exactly where but I came across an Indonesian restaurant. Apparently, Indonesia was once a colony of the Dutch. I didn’t know this nor have I ever, before then, ever tasted Indonesian cuisine. I don’t even remember what I had except it was so good, I went back maybe twice.
That started my love for good Indonesian food.
Whenever I used to visit Hongkong, no miss, I’d have lunch at Indonesia Restaurant on the Kowloon side. This is the only time I eat rice. I have an order of dry Beef Rendang. The sauce is thick and so flavorful. I still dream about this place.
In Manila I once came across an outstanding Beef Rendang made by Chef Juan Miguel. His wife’s grandmother taught him how to make it. Outstanding!
A few Indonesian restaurants have popped up here and there and I always make it a point to try. A few years after, they disappear.
Today, there is only one Indonesian restaurant that has become my go-to place. If my guests want to be surprised with something new and unique, I take them to Warung.
Warung is an Indonesian restaurant owned and run by sisters Tess and Lou, both of whom lived in Indonesia for 30 years and know the cuisine well. You know the food is good when you see a lot of Indonesian nationals dining here, plus the embassy hold many of its events there.
I had not been there in over three years and I was excited to go back, taking my village badminton group there. We play hard and eat a lot. Every play day is like a buffet of food!
These are what we had. As soon as we sat down, we picked on the Kropek. Very good! We then started with a Murtabak Telur. This is a crispy pancake cut into tiny squares and stuffed with ground beef, egg, and leeks. Masarap, ha. The dishes that we ordered include—and I highly recommend you must try—is the Gado gado. This is an Indonesian vegetable staple that not many restaurants make well. This is done well here. The kangkong was also good. The Chicken Sate is a must. Tender, peanutty, and just delicious. The Ayam Goreng Kremes is a super crispy fried chicken topped with a solid crispy flake on top. Very good, too. Nasi Goreng or rice was also on our table but I guess white rice would have been best for this spread. For noodles, we had Bakmi Goreng. These are stir-fried noodles well made. For dessert we had coconut-flavored shaved ice with a variety of fruit stuffing.
We were stuffed but happy. Outstanding Indonesian food!
I no longer dream about that Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam—I just go to Warung. Craving satisfied! Comes highly recommended! Happy eating!