Pandoraspace

Dear Uncle G,

The only place on your list that we tried is Jimbaran and we loved it there.  We ate there twice.  

We ate dinner there on our first night in Bali.  Tito L and Tita D were hoping we could watch the sunset from Jimbaran, which I learned is on the west side of Bali.  Unfortunately, we arrived there late.  We ate at a restaurant called Dewata.  We were asked to choose what seafood we wanted to eat and the staff at the restaurant would grill it for us.   That night, we had grilled squid and two kinds of fish, a red snapper and baronang (I do not know what this fish is called in English).  The fish came with three kinds of sauces and one of them was called Bali Sambal.  This sauce had tomatoes and chilies and other spices.  LS loved it.  As for me, I concentrated on the grilled baronang.  

Fish is not one of my favorite foods but the baronang I liked.  It did not have that fishy taste of the sea or the muddy taste that I could sometimes detect.  It tasted “clean”, fresh and had that distinct taste from being grilled in charcoal.  It was cooked just right as the baronang was not soggy or tough.  Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water.

Tita D, LS, Jani (the guy who drove for us) and I each had fresh coconut juice, which was naturally sweet.  As the coconut itself was served to us, we ate the coconut meat after we were done drinking the juice.  As expected, the meat was translucent and of the type that would slither down your throat.  Yum!

Even if we were full from our meal, Tita D and I had to get our grilled corn fix.  Someone was selling grilled corn along the shores of Jimbaran.  As usual, I got my grilled corn buttered and salted.

On the day we were leaving Bali, LS, Jani and I had dinner in Dewata again.  This time, we ordered two grilled baronangs and grilled shrimp and pigged out.  LS had an extra order of the Bali Sambal too.

You have to tell me about the other restaurants in Jimbaran that you tried so we could compare notes.

Love, Pandora 

Dear Uncle G,

For as long as I remember, people have always warned me not to eat roadside food.  Most of the time, I heed their advice.  But sometimes, roadside food is just too irresistible to pass up.

Love, Pandora

In Indonesia, I could not resist eating grilled corn, which is sold everywhere.  LS, Danang and I were in Ketep Pass, Java to see Gunung Merapi when I first saw someone selling grilled corn on the side of the road.  The next time I saw someone selling grilled corn was when we were in Jimbaran, Bali with Tito L and Tita D.  Grilled corn with salt or basted with butter is also sold in the sidewalks of the Philippines.  In Indonesia, however, other than salted or buttered grilled corn, you can also opt to have your corn basted with chili butter.   (more…)

 

Dearest Uncle G,

On our first day in Jogjakarta, Danang took us to an authentic Javanese restaurant called Yu Djum. Getting to Yu Djum reminds me of how I got to Alamo’s in Legaspi, Albay. That is - we drove through narrow alleys lined with small houses until we hit the end of a road, which opens up to a cluster of small houses, and in one of those houses, you will find Yu Djum.

We got to Yu Djum at 11:00 a.m. and were among the first customers there.

I instantly felt at ease in Yu Djum. It felt like one of those old restaurants in the province that remains unchanged by time. As we entered, four old men started playing Javanese musical instruments while an old lady sang. Inside, there are about six or seven rectangular wooden tables each with two benches. On each table there are a few glass jars filled with kerupuk (fish crackers).

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Ciao Uncle G!

LS and I are back from Indonesia and already we are planning our next trip there. We had a grand time. I now understand why you want to go back there and stay for an extended period of time. Given the right circumstances, I would like to be in one place in Indonesia like Jogjakarta or Bali for a whole month and just absorb the experience at the leisurely pace.

LS and I wanted to explore as much of Indonesia as we could during our ten-day stay there. But, as our schedule was packed, we had no time to try out all the restaurants you recommended we go to in Jogjakarta and Bali. We did try eating at a restaurant in Jimbaran as you suggested. We loved it and ate there twice.

It was not that we did not spend a good deal of time eating. We did. Being our father’s daughters, we always take time to enjoy food. It is just that we did not plan on where to eat. Most of the time, we simply decided what places  to see and ate whatever we found at that place. Most of the time, we let other people decide where we should eat.

On the whole, we enjoyed the food we had in Indonesia and I made it a point to take note of what I ate so I could tell you about it.

I must warn you though that, unlike you, I am no gourmand. In fact, I am a picky eater. I do not like the taste of liver or soup that tastes like fish or shrimp. While I do know how to cook, I have not stepped into a kitchen in more than six years. I do not thing that I could even cook a decent and edible meal. Worse, describing food is one of the most difficult, if not, impossible endeavors. As my college professor once told me, how can you describe the taste of chocolate to one who has never tired it?  But, in my own crude way, I will try to describe for you the food I ate in Indonesia.

Hopefully, sometime soon (maybe in Indonesia) we will finally see each other and I can sample your cooking.  Until then…

Love, Pandora