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View all search resultsSavor: The quest for the perfect 'sop buntut'
âCafé De Dapoer at the Rhadana HotelâEver since I shipped out of Jakarta and washed up on the sundrenched tropical shores of Bali, Iâve been unsuccessfully casting my culinary net in search of the most mythical of gastronomic beasts â the perfect sop buntut (oxtail soup)
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'Café De Dapoer at the Rhadana Hotel'
Ever since I shipped out of Jakarta and washed up on the sundrenched tropical shores of Bali, I've been unsuccessfully casting my culinary net in search of the most mythical of gastronomic beasts ' the perfect sop buntut (oxtail soup).
In reality, the quest is probably more a metaphor for the regular craving for the popular Indonesian dishes and styles found everywhere in the 'big durian'. However, I'm not alone and it's a common theme among many, who wonder: 'Oh where can I get an authentic nasi [insert local dish here].' Well the truth is out there ... but where?
It's not that Balinese food is not delicious, on the contrary, some of the dishes are legendary and some of the local chefs seem to have near magical abilities, but I guess we all have our cravings. For me, and many others, this seems to be compounded by the addictive nature of Jakarta's street food in particular. 
It was by happy chance then that I stumbled upon one of Kuta's hidden culinary gems, tucked away in the Rhadana Hotel ' Café De Dapoer. This smart little restaurant is helmed by chef Filipus, who presents a menu packed full of classic Indonesian favorites, like ayam goreng (fried chicken), gado-gado (mixed vegetables in peanut sauce) and pisang goreng (fried bananas), alongside a healthy collection of Western dishes that includes pasta, meats and fish ' all at reasonable prices.
The restaurant is in the hotel's lobby and, as its name suggests, is built designed to resemble an old-style kitchen (dapur means kitchen); it is quaint and comfortable and filled with memorabilia and reminders of the hotel owner's life, which, along with the heavy use of old wood, gives a very homely and welcoming feel.
I probably should have opened with something from the snack menu, but I came here looking for authentic sop buntut. It arrived, along with a plate of white rice and crackers, in a clay bowl atop a clay warmer ' nice presentation, but what about authenticity and taste?
Sop buntut is the classic Indonesian oxtail soup, or more accurately a spicy broth with chunks of carrot, potato and bone-in thick pieces of oxtail. Filipus uses an original recipe from the hotel owner's mother, Sop Buntut Si M'Po, laden with meat and which includes fresh tomato as a garnish. He will adjust the spiciness, of course, and with extra chili condiment added it was excellent!
While I singlehandedly demolished the sop buntut, friends highly recommended the fried chicken with a delicious sambal, the kampong-style fried rice and the heavenly pisang goreng abang ' I just wish my uncle knew how to fry bananas like this.
The conclusion ' while it is not precisely the same as mama's (or Ibu Rubi's of Kuningan, in my case), it is good ' very good, and Filipus might just be onto a winner with this crowd pleasing, well-priced authentic Indonesian food.
Located on Jl. Kuta Raya, just behind the Dewa Ruci intersection and next to BCA bank, Hotel Rhadana is easy to find and has parking.
