Bandung-style West Javanese cuisine for lunch today at Pondok Ijo by Daun Bakar in Jelutong. Unfortunately, the renditions of the dishes here, although sufficiently differentiated from its more famous Sumateran counterpart - Padang cuisine, still seemed very much localised to suit local (Malay) tastes.
A pervasive problem in Malaysia, where various regional foods from neighboring Indonesia, when offered here, are altered to suit the local Malay palate. If only they’d stuck to authentic flavors.
Our lunch included:
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West Java-style beef rendang. This dish originates from Padang, Sumatera - 1,500 km (900 miles) from Bandung, the capital of West Java.
Not sure if the version here is an accurate representation of how Bandung folks adapted and altered the dish - it looked nothing like the Padang classic: instead of dark-as-night, fork-tender beef sitting atop a mini red-hued oil slick, one gets chunks of beef in a watery stew here.
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Ayam bakar Bandung (Bandung-style grilled chicken). This is probably the best dish we had today - smokey, sweet-savory (as most West Javanese food tend to be) and tender.
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Dendeng pedas Sukajadi - spiced, stewed beef. Its taste is relatively sweeter than the rendang. It’s another dish unsuccessfully adapted from Padang cuisine, where the beef slices were fried till crisp, before being smothered with a delectable spicy red chili relish.
The version here, again, resembled a watery beef stew.
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Ayam gulai - a yellow-hued turmeric-inflected chicken curry.
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Bakwan jagung - corn fritter. Would’ve been good if served hot and crisp, but the version here is served cold, as all the dishes had been cooked earlier and then left at the unheated display counter.
Indonesians, in general, have their rice with pre-cooked side-dishes served at room temperature.
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Terung bakar Sukajadi - house special eggplant. Very tasty.
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Tumis kacang panjang (stir-fried long beans). Another lazy, localised rendition - don’t think the West Javanese/Bandung folks have this dish!
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Sambal ijo (green chili relish) and sambal merah (red chili relish). Indonesian customers will opt for the green chili relish, whereas Malay customers will go for the red one.
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Bergedil (potato croquettes).
A good attempt to offer Penangites something a bit different from the usual Padang or Malay cuisines, but they should really stick to authenticity instead of the neither-here-nor-there approach.
Address
Daun Bakar - Pondok Ijo Jelutong (Nasi Sukajadi)
7, Lebuhraya Jelutong, 11600 Jelutong, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-656 1919
Opening hours: 10.30am to 9.30pm daily
