The Hills are Alive

The Jakarta Post   |  Tue, 04/29/2008 3:09 PM  |  On a Jet Plane

The cool hill town of Malang is one of Java’s most pleasant places to visit. Bruce Emond heads to the East Java town to see what culinary delights and other relaxing diversions it serves up.

Malang lacks some things. Traffic jams, for one, and relentless tourist touts for another. These ‘deficiencies’ are just some of its refreshing surprises.

It’s a small, friendly town of contrasts. A favored posting for the Dutch colonists because of its European-like climate, its streets still host some of the best examples of early 1900s colonial architecture in Indonesia, from spacious bungalows along the elite boulevard of Jl. Ijen to narrow, high-roofed shop-houses in the city center.

It also is known as center of higher education (Brawijaya and Universitas Muhammadiyah, just a bit out of town, are among its most prominent institutions of higher learning). Those hungry young folks support a thriving street-food scene at every turn.

Malang is not a favored tourist stop like Yogyakarta or Bali, and many of its visitors are either relatives of the college kids or people headed to the many ancient temples in the area. Or they are likely to be Dutch ‘nostalgia’ tourists taking a trip down memory lane, who sweep in on tourist buses, make the obligatory stop at old haunts and then head off to other sights a little further afield.

At Toko Oen, the famed 78-year-old Dutch restaurant where Biefstuk Met Gebakken Ei (beef steak with fried egg) is a favorite dish, an elderly Western woman paying at the cashier spoke to me in Dutch. It turned out that Clara had been born in Blitar, outside Malang, and educated at an elementary school in the town.

“I came back to see the places where I grew up, I haven’t been here since my childhood,” she said.

It’s not easy to reach Malang these days. The usual approach of flying to Surabaya and then driving to Malang has been disrupted by the Sidoarjo mud disaster. Visitors from the East Java capital who used to flock to Malang and the pretty resorts of Batu and Selecta on weekends now cannot be bothered to make the trip because of the long detour.

“Most of our visitors today are from in town,” said Pak Iwan, owner of Kertanegara restaurant near Tugu monument. “We don’t get many of the Surabaya crowd now.”

There is some good news. The small local airport, part of the Air Force base a 15-minute drive from town, was closed to commercial traffic from the 1980s until last year.

So why give Malang a go? In a nutshell, it’s only a 1.5-hour flight from Jakarta, it has fine and varied accommodation, there is tasty, inexpensive food galore and it is one of the few cities in Indonesia where the climate and relatively well-paved sidewalks make for a great walking experience (and its hills provide a good workout to rival any treadmill incline). And if you can’t make the final steps back to the hotel, there are becak aplenty to haul your tired personage home.

Armed with information from a Jakarta-based friend who was raised in Malang, I got walking to try a taste of this and that on a three-day trip. All that is needed for a culinary trip to Malang is a hearty appetite (the walking will do the trick) and a willingness to try something new. Some of the following are not spick-and-span fine dining restaurants, but what they lack in decor they make up for in friendly service and, best of all, delicious eats.

It turns out that it’s not just bakwan (fried wonton soup) and bakso (meatballs) that Malang has to offer.


Toko Oen, Jl. Basuki Rachmat No. 5 (tel. 0341 364-052)

Founded in 1930, Toko Oen is a venerable town institution that now stands defiantly across from a very imposing pair of the Golden Arches, the old Sarinah department store (now home to a Hero) and the town square. It still has its old stained-glass windows, low wicker chairs, gingham-clothed tables, white-suited waiters in peci (traditional caps) and a menu that combines Dutch cuisine and Indonesian favorites. There is a small house band that will warble some time-gone-by tunes, such as on the morning that I visited when a group of Dutch tourists enjoyed an enthusiastic sing-song (there also is a tourist information center on site that can arrange trips to Mount Bromo and other tourist places in East Java). If you are not up to plowing through the menu, take your pick of the cakes and sweets at the patisserie, or tuck into its famous ice cream. Ask host Ingrid for pointers.

Pecel Kawi, Kawi Kios No. 43b

When it comes to pecel, the Javanese specialty of blanched vegetables in peanut sauce, Malang residents always mention this eatery. Of course, some will add that there are other, lesser-known sidewalk stalls with a better spice mix (because it really is about how the sauce is put together), but Kawi has been building its reputation since it opened in 1975. Kind of a sidewalk stall transferred into a larger but still simple restaurant setting, it is located on the road leading to the Dieng neighborhood (take the minivan marked MM from the town square).
There are benches around the dazzling smorgasbord of food offerings, or you can sit at its small tables. The friendly group of female helpers will ask if you want the house specialty – greens, cabbage, bean sprouts, with tempeh and wafer-thin peanut crackers -- served with the regular, spicy or extra-hot peanut sauce. If you are not into pecel, there is lots more to choose from, including fried fish, Javanese meat stews and veggies, but give the tasty vegetables and that sauce (crunchy, nutty, naturally, and not too sweet from the palm sugar) a try. Can’t go wrong at Rp 6,000 a plate.

Inggil Restaurant and Museum, Jl. Gajah Mada No. 4 (tel. 332-110)

Occupying an 86-year-old Dutch house in a quiet side street a few meters from Tugu monument and the beautiful Tugu hotel, this restaurant, which opened in 2004, is something to behold. The brainchild of local entrepreneur, art lover and historian Dwi Cahyono, it is an homage to Malang through the ages, with photo displays and curiosities all around. A long hall with smaller, more intimate enclosed dining areas leads to the big banquet hall, whose walls are lined with antiques such as collections of transistor radios and old typewriters, while musical acts entertain up on stage.
It’s got the oldie worldy museum feel all right, so how does the food hold up? The specialty is fried chicken, and the menu is not particularly extensive, but I went with its variation on pecel, this time made with grilled eggplant and served with steamed tempeh (instead of the usual deep-fried version) and half a boiled egg. It was a bit different than expected, and the sauce – with coconut milk, chili and nuts – was mighty rich, but still good.

RM Cairo (Jl. Kpt. Tendean No. 1, tel. 366-433)

Malang’s Javanese through-and-through atmosphere disappears on the streets just around the corner from the town post office and the old Pelangi hotel, once considered one of the town’s top hotels but now a bit too quiet for comfort. It is here that you discover Embong Arab, the small but vibrant Arab quarter with shops selling perfumes and scented oils, traditional Arab medicines and, of course, food from the Middle East. At the end of the street is the famed Cairo, which opened in 1953 and continues to be run by the same family, who originally hail from Yemen. Owner Pak Saleh says people come from near and far to feast on his goat satay, curries, sinfully good martabak (spiced meat pancakes), biryani (also known as nasi samin and available only on Thursday and Sunday) and the Middle Eastern sweets available in large glass jars on the counter.
Cairo’s hands-down claim to fame is the satay, tender, juicy morsels of meat spiced just right, grilled in front of the restaurant and served with (Rp 15,000 for 10 sticks) or without fat (Rp 18,000) according to your preference. Those who want beer or other alcoholic beverages will have to take their satay home with them, as a big sign declares it’s an alcohol-free zone. By mid-evening the place can look a bit worse for wear, but just put that down to the steady stream of customers coming through its doors.

Padi Resto Galeri, Jl. Pahlawan Trip No. 19 (tel. 551-488)

With its clean design (lots of wood and white paint) and stylishly ethnic feel, Padi would not be out of place among the trendy eateries of Kemang or Kebayoran Baru. Another old Dutch era home converted into a restaurant (it’s up the road from a monument to fallen student freedom fighters and a few doors down from the Amsterdam restaurant), it has a small bar near the entrance and white-clothed tables, creating a sedate but very tony environment for these parts. Although there are a few token Indonesian dishes of fried rice and noodles, Padi prides itself on its international eats, particularly steaks and salmon served in a mind-boggling variety of ways (beef Madagascar, anyone?).
Pricy by Malang standards (green pepper steak Rp 89,000, salmon teriyaki Rp 73,000), it also serves wine. I had great expectations for the black olive chicken (Rp 39,000) , described as a breast of chicken in a black olive sauce, and while it didn’t quite live up to its write-up (it was a white cream sauce with a few black olives thrown in), it was a filling, tempting diversion after eating Indonesian food to my heart’s content over the past few days. A good place to get away from it all briefly.

Und Corner Cafe dan Roti Malang, Jl. Ijen No. 84 (tel. 325-672)

After a rich lunch at Padi, walk off the calories by heading back to the Pahlawan Trip-Jl. Ijen intersection, then take a left and eventually, near a small roundabout, you will come to this hangout for Malang’s young and trendy. Yet another old house converted into a restaurant, it is owned by the Tugu Group and has a small traditional snack section out front. There’s a bar, and lots of cozy sections where up-and-coming executives and lovebirds can spend a lazy afternoon over drinks and snacks. Friendly young waitpeople.

RM. Rawon Nguling (Jl. K.H. Zainul Arifin No. 62, tel. 324- 684)

Touted as the place in Malang to get the intriguingly black Javanese beef stew spiced with kluwak (black nut), this is a branch of a famous restaurant in Pasuruan. Heaping plates of tofu, tempeh, quail egg satay and beef are put in the center of the table for you to make a real meal of things.

Gardena Bakery & Resto (tel. 563-357)

Some guidebooks wax on about Gardena for vegetarian food. But in the land of pecel, gado-gado and tempeh/tofu, there is really not much need to go all the way up past Pecel Kawi and the deserted-looking Dieng Plaza unless you have time on your hands. Next to the Adventist school, it has a small cafe and bakery. Menu offerings include fried rice, vegeteraniazed Indonesian specialties, noodles, sandwiches and omelets, with not a shred of meat in sight. Interesting selection of breads and cakes, but the roasted soybean coffee substitute (no caffeine here) was yucky.

OTHER EATS
For soto (chicken soup), head to Soto Lombok in Sawangan. Its koyo, the dry-fried mix of coconut sprinkled on the broth, is what separates it from regular chicken soup sellers. Sekol Duck on Mitra 2, according to my informant Tantri, has great duck and rice. For grilled meatballs, go to Jl. Trowulan. For rujak cingur, the East Java spicy salad with beef snout thrown into the mix, Jl. Mawar is your best bet. As Tantri said, the squeamish can ask for the salad without the snout: the dressing, heady with spicy petis (fermented shrimp paste), is memorable all on its lonesome. An interesting but untried restaurant is the grand looking Kartanegara, a short walk from the Tugu Park hotel. Its menu is heavy on Chinese cuisine, with Indonesian dishes as well. Its apple sambal (chili paste) sounds interesting.

Getting There: Sriwijaya Air operates two flights a day to Malang from Jakarta; Mandala had temporarily halted its flights to the town when I visited in mid-March (it still flies out of Malang to Balikpapan). Word around town is that it will resume flights with new aircraft in the near future. The Malang airport, cradled among a ring of mountains, which makes for spectacular, awe-inspiring landings as you drop out of the clouds, is about 15 minutes from town. Taxi service to town is Rp 60,000.

Accommodation: The Tugu Malang hotel (tel. 363-891, malang@tuguhotels.com), located across from the well-tended Tugu monument and the Town Hall, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever experienced. It calls itself a home away from home (when home is a palatial Javanese residence replete with all the modern conveniences), and it succeeds in wooing guests in every way, with gorgeous suite rooms, attentive service (none of that deliberately intrusive, fixed-smile overtures of hotels that try too hard), as well as the little touches that mean a lot, from complimentary afternoon tea and traditional snacks to the in-room snack jar that is refilled with a delectable treat every day.
It’s the kind of place you could spend three days ordering at random from the copious room service menu, schlepping your lazy self out of bed for a spa treatment or two and truly enjoying a blissfully relaxing vacation. I first stayed at the hotel 17 years ago, when it had been open a few months, and although it has expanded and grown it has not lost any of its friendliness or beauty. The eager-to-please staff will give you pointers on places to visit in town, or expeditions to nearby areas (they can arrange a visit to their Kawi coffee plantation in Blitar). Take a stroll along the huge corridor that leads to the outside courtyard and tiny fitness center; all that atmosphere may give you goosebumps.

Side Tours
A little way up the street from Toko Oen, past the pedestrian bridge and the Telkom office, is Taman Tembakau (Jl. Basuki Rachmat No. 37). Founded in 1942, it sells cigars from East Java and Bali (no foreign brands because they are too expensive, the no-nonsense old lady behind the counter said). Get there early as the aforesaid lady and her husband shut up shop by lunch. For local coffee, try UD. Sido Mulia (Jl. Cokroaminoto No. 2B-2C tel. 362-467), where they grind the coffee beans in front of you. It’s a little way up from the Malang train station in Pasar Klojen and opens at 9 a.m. A 250-gram packet, stamped with the shop’s founding date of 1953, is Rp 13,500. If you ask nicely, the owner will let you buy unground beans. All that walking is tough on the feet; across from the Catholic church on Jl. Ijen is the Zen Foot Reflexology Center (Jl. Buring No. 55, tel. 325-550). A great foot rubdown in this old Dutch home costs Rp 40,000.

Photos: Muflikh Farid/Jiwa Foto

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