I've been commenting much on the amusing decor of the restaurant previously. This post will be all about the food.
Very extensive menu, serving traditional Javanese foods from various regions: Bandung, Sunda, Solo.. etc.
I read somewhere that besides the decor, even the foods are prepared like one does at home; only traditional ingradients and spices are used.
And despite being located within a shopping mall, the prices here are very reasonably priced. The most expensive food items cost barely SGD$5 !
I was going full-steam ahead with the 'traditional' feel so I ordered one of my favourites: Iced Lemongrass tea.
I expect the tea to be brewed with lemongrass and have flakes of those swimming about in my glass but I got served with this tall stalk of lemongrass instead.
As I keep stirring the drink with it, however, the flavour and fragrance became more apparent. Very nice! Even kiddo got curious and wanted to have a go at it. Thankfully he was repelled by the strong scent. Haha!
I was surprised when the tea arrived barely sweetened. My in-laws later pushed these cute enamel cups towards me.
"Sugar syrup. For your drink.."
Ahhh... that explains it!
Anyway, I was so enthralled to see the enamel crockery. I LOVE enamel. Such classic!
It can be quite a headache, figuring out what to order for kiddo. Most often, I have to share what I have or I gotta finish up what he had.
Thankfully, there're other kids on this trip and my SiL ordered some fried rice (non-spicy) for kiddo to share with another cousin.
With regards to the name... get your thoughts outta' gutter! The term 'tek-tek' refer to the sound made when one hits the metal ladle onto the sides of the wok when stir-frying something. Which is usually the case when frying rice, anyway.
And oh, did you notice the plate that they used...? Those clusters of floral motifs? How quaint and old school, right?
My hubby's order. When the dish first arrived, I was like, "Doesn't look yellow, to me.."
Quoted from their website:
"Nasi Goreng Kuning di Warung Talaga bukan nasi goreng biasa. Nasi yang digoreng dengan bumbu-bumbu tradisional ini wangi dan rasanya akan membuat Anda merasa inilah pertama kalinya anda makan 'nasi goreng'. Coba yang satu ini, yang lain bukan nasi goreng..."
Translated:
"Yellow Fried Rice at Warung Talaga is not your normal fried rice. This rice that's been fried with traditional spices is fragrant and its taste will make you feel like this is the first time you tried 'fried rice'. Try this one, the others aren't really fried rice..."
I personally think that they used the Nasi Kuning, a favourite amongst many, to make this fried rice. Nasi Kuning is cooked with coconut milk and tumeric. That explains why this Nasi Goreng Kuning is supposed to taste different from others. The rice itself already taste good on its own!
Hubby was ravenous and he thought that fried rice wouldn't suffice for him; so he ordered fried chicken, on the side.
When the dish arrived, it reminds me a lot like those 'ayam penyet'. Compete with the raw veggies and chilli paste as condiments. A plate of white rice will render the set complete. Or 'komplit' as stated in their menu.
Is that free-range chicken or what? Soo skinny...!
My FiL's order. He hastily grabbed the cone-shapped banana-leaf package that held the rice as soon as the dish was served. Must have been really hungry.
Nasi Tutug is a traditional Sundanese dish, where rice is mixed with grilled or fried 'oncom' (a soybean by-product that's almost similar to the popular 'tempe'. Oncom is usually derived after the process of making tofu).
Here, the rice is served plain and the 'oncom' is on the side. It also comes with tempe 'mendoan' (fried battered 'tempe'), fried chicken, omelette cut into strips, meat floss and fish cracker.
My MiL's order. She almost always ordered this freshwater catfish whenever we dine at an Indonesian eatery.
Here, the fish looks somewhat different from the ones she got when in SG, though. Smaller, with a more pointed head.
MiL loves the sambal that they served here. And it seems that a 'komplit' food item will also have fried tofu on their plate.
Fried duck. Yum yum! You may think of the popular French dish, Duck Confit (the appearance, at least).
It was served in that manner above and I initially thought the duck leg appeared a little too bony. So I decide to turn it over.
Ahh... looks better now, doesn't it?
The skin was deliciously crispy and the juicy meat wasn't too 'gamey'. Even if it is, there's always those fresh basil leaves served on the side, to help counter that.
About those basil leaves, I was sure that this is the regular 'daun selasih' but my MiL insist that this is the popular 'kemangi' (lemon basil). I did some research and discovered that my favourite type of basil is the 'Thai/Asian basil'. The one with the purple stalk and has a stronger scent and taste. It's no longer relevant whether this is 'kemangi' or not... Heh.
Halfway though this, I suddenly remembered that hubby's eldest niece is pretty adventurous with food so I offered her some duck meat. She jumped at the offer and loved it.
The fried duck was fine, save for the fact that it get a little 'dry' after a while. Maybe they expect their patrons to order some soup separately, to go with their meals. By then, I was already halfway through with mine or I would have gotten the 'Empal Kendil'- beef soup that's prepared with various spices and cooked in an earthen pot.
Not pictured, is the dish that my curious BiL ordered. Should be something pretty special since it's their namesake: 'Nasi Kampung Talaga' (translated as 'Talaga village rice').
The dish was nicely presented; the rice was cooked inside a bamboo container and came served that way. Alongside it was 'Pepes Tahu' (grilled banana leaf package of tofu marinated in spices), 'ikan asin jambal' (a type of salted fish) and a bowl of 'sayur asem' (sour & slightly sweetish Sundanese vegetable soup).
Everything was nice, save for the 'sayur asem'; which we find to be wayyy too sweet for our liking. Sundanese foods tend to have sweet tones, as we understand. But this was a tad too much.
Otherwise, all of us agreed that the foods serve here is good. In fact, at the end of our trip, my MiL declared the foods here to be the best one she had on this trip. Fwah!
Warung Talaga
Paris Van Java,
Glamour level D-12A
They have other branches, too.
Check out their WEBSITE.
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