Community members take photos of the dishes. - JP/Erza S.T.

What would happen if two women with a passion for food went on regular underground hunts for the countries best traditional recipes?

Sari Hartono and Lisa Virgiano — two food fanatics — have for years been conducting just such expeditions for the sake of finding authentic Indonesian food.

Driven by their love for Indonesian food, together they created a company called Azanaya and started a food lovers’ community called Underground Secret Dining, or USD.

Taken from the Sanskrit word meaning “to have passion for food”, Azanaya is an appropriate reflection on Sari and Lisa.

Established more than a year ago, Azanaya provides gastronomy tours for the public — a concept originally based on the duo’s passion for local food.

“I, Lisa and a small group of food-loving friends often go out to find the most authentic and unique dishes around Jakarta. We have been doing this since our high-school years,” Sari said. Some of their favorite dishes, Sari said, are difficult to find.

During this food hunting journey, they discovered many interesting facts, such as insider stories about the people in today’s food industry, and about what is involved in making food.

Lisa added, “We were often amazed that small and simple dishes we were tasting were actually the result of a mix of cultures and traditions. Sometimes, it takes attention to so many little details by many people to create a superb delicacy.”

Sari and Lisa have one story that they will always remember, about a tiny restaurant that served the best stir-fried eel with fumak vegetables. The restaurant still remains the same as it was 60 years ago in an old small dark ally in Chinatown — an area that was once a marijuana den during the days of the communist party.

“The owner of this restaurant, an 80 something year-old lady, is a living witness of that era,” she said.

Based on many valuable experiences, Sari and Lisa decided to start inviting people to join their gastronomic adventure tours.

“We think that there are many Jakartans who have been missing out on all of these great things,” Sari said.

She said the establishment of USD was a result of their boredom with city life, especially its lifeless monotonous aspects, such as malls, cinemas, franchised cafés and restaurants.

“We wanted to share with others that there are many things out there that are interesting to explore. In this case food culture and heritage. Through this activity, we try to preserve and support the local food industry as well. This is why we are not an exclusive group but open to as many people as possible.”

Underground Dining itself is a very popular movement these days. Some call the group an anti-restaurant community. In Hong Kong, people call it “private kitchen” — well whatever the name is this movement has become a new culinary trend around the world from Cuba to London and now in Jakarta.

Back home in Jakarta, Sari and Lisa also apply the same method to running  USD. “Our cooks are usually regular housewives or simple people who love to cook. These people have inherited incredible ancient recipes and have passionate souls to share the joy of their cooking. These talented people have never been discovered.”

“We found these people through our own searches and through information from friends and family. We will then come up with a concept of a theme for the event then discuss it with the cook. After we agree on the menu and do the food test, we will then start planning the event.”

According to Sari, cooking styles should also follow their standard of operation especially in terms of presentation and hygiene.

“We will then start promoting this event through word of mouth and online social media about our newfound treasure to our fellow foodies. They usually respond quickly with enthusiasm, especially since we have a guest limit for every event.”

During the latest USD event, the two women introduced food from the regency of Rembang, a coastal area in Central Java.

After confirming my attendance online and paying in advance to participate, I finally received details about the venue one day before and without having any idea about what kind of food would be served.
However, the result was very satisfying and I got to try new Indonesian dishes from Rembang that I had never seen before in my life.

“At first, some people were quite suspicious that USD was some kind of prank or an attempt to steal money; but after they found out about our blog reviews and got to grips with our simple and clean instructions, they finally get over that negativity.”

They actually responded very positively after participating in USD and indeed were positively intrigued by the secrecy and surprise factor. That is why at all of our events we always provide a rare and unique menu that can’t be found in any restaurant.”

 Sari said the group sometimes ran into snags when trying to locate fresh or exotic ingredients at local markets, especially when preparing recipes from eastern parts of Indonesia, which required ingredients that were expensive as they had to be transported across the country.

Nevertheless, their hard work has been earning them public and media recognition. Lisa told me that several magazines, newspapers and organizations had supported USD with favorable reviews.

“They write reviews on what we do, help with resources and one even gave us an award.” Time Out magazine voted Underground Dining Service the best event of the year in 2009.

Indeed this dynamic duo has successfully shared what they have found out about Indonesian culinary treasures. Their plan for the future is to continue to spread the word about USD throughout the world.
“Hopefully we can help to make a difference in our local food industry and in promoting Indonesian food culture,” Sari added.

— Photos by JP/Erza S.T.


For more information about Underground Secret Dining, check out their website at www.azanaya.com

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