Let me introduce you (or re-introduce you) to another food that is uniquely Bandung but has made quite a name for itself in the eyes of many people in Indonesia. The name of the food is Surabi. Typically, Indonesians are accustomed to plot morning hours as the designated time to enjoy Surabi, and the traditional merchants selling the food are no longer open for business come noon or afternoon. Perhaps it is even proper to call it a ‘breakfast cookie’ for Indonesians.

Traditionally, this very famous round-shaped food is made only with rice powders and coconut, although for certain types of Surabi some people are known to add sugar or salt to create additional sweet/salty sensation as required. It is then cooked with a stove made of clay, and the bottom part is deliberately overdone, giving it a unique taste. Surabi is then usually served with a healthy dose of sugar/sweet syrup—just think of it as some sort of small-sized Indonesian-style pancake. They are best to be eaten while they are still freshly taken off the stove—the heat and tenderness are just perfect to warm up a hungry stomach.

There was once a time when Surabi is limited to just three types of taste: sweet, salty, and neutral. They’re also sold only on traditional merchants setting up their shops on roadsides, or sometimes on small pots they carried around with their shoulders. Today, however, Surabi is already served on bonafide restaurant and dining spots, and is something that has been ‘upgraded social status’ so that it is ‘okay’ to be enjoyed by ‘modern guests.’ Consequently, the presentation and the variety of Surabi itself has gone some major overhaul. No longer limited to three tastes only, Surabi is now offered with a huge variety of fillings, presentation, and flavors such as cheese, chocolate, milk, sausage, chicken, beef, strawberry, etc.

One of the most famous restaurants in Bandung that specializes in Surabi is Surabi Imut (“Cute Surabi”), located in Dr. Setiabudhi Street Bandung number 194 Bandung. They open everyday from 10 A.M. to midnight, and up to the uploading of this article to this blog, they served around 28 different flavors of Surabi for their guests. Be mindful, however, that the price of each Surabi they served here is quite high when compared to other places in Bandung, although that is not to say that the price itself is high: the normal price is around 6 to 7 thousand Rupiahs a piece (US$ 0.6-0.7)

The place itself isn’t that big and clearly lacks the presence and luxury of, for example, a Hotel or a fine-dining restaurant. However, that is not to say that to eat there is not an enjoyable experience—in fact, in my humble opinion, the ‘feeling of Bandung’—for a lack of better word—is better experienced inside a place like this instead of fine and dandy dining spots.

Tags: Bandung, Bandung Food, Bandung Food Testing, Food Testing, Surabi, Surabi Bandung, Surabi Imut
Categories: Bandung Food Testing

This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 12:29 PM and is filed under Bandung Food Testing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.