> Bandung

Overview

Bandung, capital of West Java, and the third largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta and Surabaya. Bandung is a great place to visit any time of the year as it’s not only renowned for its picturesque open vista, but the town also offers many attractions well worth a visit.

Located at the altitude of 768 m with the surroundings of lush and beautiful Parahyangan mountains makes the climate mild and pleasant. The city has been well known for the universities, apparel products and a great place for gastronomic adventure. Nowadays, Bandung has become a very popular weekend escape for Jakartans, who would crowd the city on weekends and national holidays.

Originally established in the late 19th century as a colonial garrison town, Bandung soon grew into a town for wealthy planters who owned the miles and miles of tea, coffee and cinchona plantations, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens in the cool and fertile hills of West Java. Bandung thus became the town of the European elite. And since this was the era of art deco, Bandung has a rich heritage of buildings in examplary art deco architecture. They include the Concordia, the present Asian-African Museum, which was then the Society’s Clubhouse- , the main Braga shopping center, where the Dutch colonial elite went to shop, and the Savoy-Homann and Preanger hotels, where they would overnight and hold grand balls.

While along Juanda Street, then used to call as Dago Boulevard, were the houses of the elite with their green lawns and flower gardens decorating opulent homes. In those colonial heydays in the early 20th century, Bandung became known as “Parijs van Java”, or the Paris of Java, where Dutch planters and ladies paraded and flaunted their wealth and beauty along the boulevards and Bragaweg (now called Braga Street/Jalan Braga), then the Champs Elysees of the East.

For travellers, Bandung does make a good base for day trips to the surrounding countryside – high volcanic peaks, hot springs and tea plantations are all within easy reach.

Bandung – Local People and Language

People in Bogor are extremely friendly and will go out of their way to help you. Be polite and smile, and it will get you very far. English is not prevalent, but basic English is spoken by many in restaurants and in the local warung food-stalls.

The official language is Bahasa Indonesia. The traditional regional language, Sundanese, is widely spoken.

Bandung – Local Cuisine

Bandung is a heaven for food lovers who enjoy new experiences. There are a lot of varieties, not only local cuisine but international ones. You can find any food you want for any kind of taste. Everybody has their own favourites. One page is not enough to list all food stalls, food courts, restaurants and cafes in Bandung.

Here are some lists that are popular or have a long history:

Siomay, is a steamed meat/veg dumplings, cabbage roll, with or without tofu. It is served with peanut paste, sweet soy sauce, lime and chilli sauce. It is suitable for a snack to eat at anytime. In almost all streets you can find somebody selling this food with a wheeled stall (gerobak).

Batagor, is fried meat ball, dumpling, tofu, served with sweet soy sauce and spicy peanut sauce. Served also as a snack.

Martabak, is a fried stuffed pancake. There are two types: sweet and savory. Sweet martabak is a thick pancake stuffed with chocolate/roasted chopped peanut/banana/sugar. The savory martabak is a thin fried pancake stuffed with eggs, some vegetables, spring onions, mushrooms, seasoned mince chicken/beef and one filled with sweet corn and top with grated cheese.• Soto Bandung is a soup with beef meat, soy beans and some vegetables. The old food stalls selling this food is at Soto Ojolali, Jl. Cibadak (near alun-alun), since 1940s.

Lotek, is a mixed boiled vegetables, served with peanut paste and some chillies, similar to gado gado. The hotter the better.

Mie Kocok, is a noodle soup, served with beef foot, beef and bean sprout. If you don’t fancy with these parts of beef, then you can ask not to have it and you can still taste its appetite.

Nasi Timbel, is the famous Sundanese dish. It is a tube-shaped rice that has a distinguish flavour, because it is cooked inside a banana leaf. It is usually served with lalapan (raw vegetables), fried tofu & tempe, fried chicken and chili paste. You can find this type of dish in most of Sundanese restaurants.

Laksa Bandung, is the famous old traditional dish. This dish is kind of chicken soup using coconut milk with turmeric for the stock, and in side it contains sliced rice cake (cooked inside a banana leaf), bean sprout, vermicelli, shredded chicken and for the finishing is garnished with holly basil and Oncom Bandung the traditional fermented soy bean cake.