Typical Indonesian dishes also exist in London
Just like songs, films and books, food has the power to bring back memories and bring people closer to each other. Especially for overseas residents, nothing beats missing Indonesian food.
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The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Sajian Khas Indonesia Pun Eksis di London
The goat curry menu is being served at Toba restaurant in St James's Market, London, on Thursday (12/10/2023). Indonesian food is adding diversity to the culinary scene in London.
Who wouldn't miss Indonesian food, especially if they have been living abroad for a long time. For the diaspora, the richly spiced cuisine serves as a bridge between various people with memories. Thanks to food, a distance of thousands of kilometers seems to fold closer. In London, England, the presence of Indonesian food adds to the diversity of cuisine available.
On Thursday (12/10/2023), the sun shone very hot in London. As usual, the Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square areas are busy with residents' activities. Between the rows of shops, there is a restaurant that serves Indonesian food. His name is Toba. Judging from its location close to the West End entertainment area, this restaurant is classified as fancy.
Sure enough, as soon as the restaurant door opened, an attractive frontliner greeted him. An experience that is rarely found in other eating places. "Welcome, have you made a reservation?" said the frontliner in a friendly tone in English.
He then escorted the guest to the inner part of the restaurant and directed them to an empty seat. Toba feels comfortable to visit. The seating is in the form of a sofa with large pillows. The food is served on a wooden table. There is a hanging lamp with yellow lighting highlighting the food, making it look more enticing.
A waiter is pouring drinks at the Toba restaurant in St James's Market, London, United Kingdom on Thursday (12/10/2023).
As lunchtime approached, visitors started to arrive. From their neat attire, it was evident that most of the Toba guests were office workers and businessmen. Male visitors wore suits, while female visitors donned dresses and blazers.
The restaurant owner, Pinondang Sinaga (40), said hello. ”Let's chat over lunch, okay?” he said. He then darted into the kitchen. A moment later, he appeared with a variety of food, namely fried rice, chicken satay, goat curry, and the mainstay menu of arsik fish.
For most Indonesians, the food served may be considered ordinary. However, for locals, tasting Indonesian cuisine is a fulfilling adventure. The same goes for diaspora who have long lived in the UK, as these dishes serve as a tongue binder with memories of their hometowns.
Pino, whose nickname is Pinondang Sinaga, shifted the bowl of arsik fish. Seeing the pieces of fish meat in yellow sauce made his appetite come quicker. He poured the arsik fish and its sauce onto the white rice and immediately enjoyed it.
The sour, sweet, and refreshing taste of the broth indulges one's taste buds and takes them on a journey to the mountains of North Sumatra. Some of the unique ingredients of the dish, such as andaliman and kecombrang fruit, are sourced directly from Indonesia.
For Pino, a bowl of arsik fish holds a deep memory. This dish reminds him of his hometown as well as the love of his late mother. (Note: "PBB", "PKS", and "PPP" are not present in this article, therefore no need to keep them as is.)
My mother makes the best arsik fish. Before mom left, every time I came to Indonesia, I always said, 'Mama, don't forget to make arsik fish, I'll come tomorrow.' (Pinondang Sinaga)
Through his mother's recipe, Pino also made arsik fish a mainstay menu. "I asked, Ma, could I ask for the recipe to make it in London?" Yes, in the end this became a signature," said the man who also manages a food stall at Camden Market.
Arsik is one of the typical dishes of the Batak community that symbolizes grace. It is called arsik because of the way it is cooked by "mangarsik," which means that the fish dish is repeatedly poured with sauce during the cooking process. This food is the mainstay besides other menus such as cassava leaf curry, pete stir-fried chicken, chicken satay, fried rice, and rendang.
A waiter prepares food in Toba restaurant at St James's Market, London, United Kingdom, on Thursday (12/10/2023).
Toba will open for the first time in March 2023. Since its first opening, the restaurant has gained public attention. This can be seen from the fully booked seating reservations during lunch hours. The majority of the visitors are local English residents who are addicted to the adventurous taste of Indonesian cuisine, which is rich in spices.
Pino has had the idea of establishing a Toba restaurant for a while. "I used to think, wow Thai restaurants are everywhere, but there's no Indonesian restaurant," said the man who has been living in England since 2007.
The desire to bring Indonesian cuisine abroad then moved him. He started his culinary business by establishing Pino's Warung in Camden Market. After the eatery became popular, Pino expanded his business by opening Toba. Unlike Pino's Warung where visitors get the sensation of eating while standing, Toba's customers can comfortably sit, eat, and socialize.
A waiter prepares food in Toba restaurant at St James's Market, London, United Kingdom, on Thursday (12/10/2023).
Not easy
The journey to open Toba was not as easy as flipping a hand. Pino had to face a bitter experience when his funding proposal was rejected by an Indonesian bank. Although at that time he had high hopes. Fortunately, through the introduction of Indonesian Ambassador Desra Percaya, he was introduced to Maruarar Sirait who then supported Toba.
Since March 2023, Toba has opened to give a new color to British culinary delights, which were previously mostly filled with Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Spanish and Italian food. In Toba, the taste of spicy, sweet, salty and sour food is maintained in such a way as the original. This contrasts with the tendency of British food to be simple, without much flavour.
The original flavor is the superiority of the restaurant. On the other hand, Toba's success is also supported by the characteristics of the English community which are quite open and diverse. "Many English people have traveled around the world, they are exposed to diverse cultures. Every day English people want to find something unique and original," said Pino.
To operate Toba, Pino works with Indonesian people who help him in the kitchen and restaurant as frontliners, cooks and waiters. Some of the workers are students from Indonesia who work part time. Opening job opportunities for residents in need also gives Pino his own pleasure.
A cook prepares food in the kitchen of the Toba restaurant, located in St James's Market, London, England, on Thursday (12/10/2023).
In England, Indonesian and Asian restaurants and food stalls are spread out in several cities, such as London, East Sussex, Wales, Ireland, York, Reading, and even at the northern end of England, which is Glasgow. Some well-known restaurants include Bali-bali, Nusa Dua, Tripple Hot Spicy, Ngopi UK, Pino's Warung, Melur, and Rasa Sayang.
The hustle and bustle of Indonesian food stalls is also felt at Triple Hot Spicy (THS), located in the Queensway area. Its location is close to the largest park in central London, Hyde Park, and the former residence of Lady Diana, Kensington Palace.
As soon as you exit Queensway station, turn left and walk for about two minutes. Then, enter the Queensway food market. Although it is located in a strategic area, for those who are not familiar with the area, it may be difficult to find THS. However, don't worry. Many locals already know this food stall.
Zukni Legowo (55), the owner of Triple Hot Spicy eatery in London, England, expressed his interest to open a restaurant due to his constant longing for Indonesian cuisine, on Wednesday (11/10/2023).
THS was founded by Zukni Legowo (55), an Indonesian citizen who has lived in England for two decades. Zukni is interested in opening a food stall because he often misses Indonesian food. "Initially I was selling meatballs at Indonesian citizen gathering events. After a while, I started selling online, then at stalls," said the man with five children.
Just like other Indonesian culinary traders, Zukni's dream is to bring Indonesian food to the world. Although to achieve that goal, the challenges are big. ”The main challenge is building a brand. "People are more familiar with Chinese food," he said.
Another challenge related to food supply and raw materials. He stated that 90 percent of Indonesian food ingredients and spices can be found in England. Ironically, these food ingredients are imported products from Thailand and Vietnam, not from Indonesia. Some specific spices, such as candlenut and keluwak, come from the Netherlands.
Apart from that, there are many rules that must be followed, for example food safety rules must be strictly adhered to. Every day, Zukni records food components, ingredients and production dates. The storage air temperature must also be adhered to. These rules are cumbersome and often cause headaches. "It's true that it becomes more complicated, but it's called a rule for the benefit of all. "For the sake of business success, I will follow it," he said.
Zukni Legowo (55) is serving food to customers at the Triple Hot Spicy eatery in London, England, on Wednesday (11/10/2023).
On the other hand, opening a food stall brings a lot of joy for Zukni as she can be creative with the menus she sells. She can also connect with communities of Indonesian and Asian backgrounds who become her customers.
Visitors to THS come from various backgrounds, not just Indonesians. Some visitors are citizens of neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Timor Leste. They enjoy the food at THS because it reminds them of the taste of food from their respective hometowns.
Amongst the customers was Nina Silva (32), a Timor Leste citizen who came with her husband, Greg Amaral (35). Since their first taste of the food, Silva and her husband fell in love with Padang rice that reminded them of the food from their home country. "The spices taste the same. Every time I go to London, I always stop by this restaurant," said the Oxford Brookes University student.
The atmosphere at Ngopi UK coffee shop in London, England on Monday (9/10/2023) was amazing. This coffee shop offers a menu that is very Indonesian as it presents a variety of traditional snacks and modern drinks.
Indonesian cuisine can also be found at Ngopi UK, a coffee shop located in the urban area of Dalston. Ngopi UK is perfect for hanging out and enjoying various snacks while drinking coffee. The place is also comfortable and Instagram-worthy, making it a suitable choice for gathering with friends.
This coffee shop offers a very Indonesian menu because it offers various types of contemporary drinks, such as iced coffee with milk, Teh Tarik, matcha latte, and milo chocolate. There are also standard coffee shop drinks, such as cappuccino, latte, or flat white.
A cook preparesfried Indomie toastie, which is toast filled with instant fried noodles, at the Ngopi UK coffee shop, London, England, Monday (9/10/2023).
More than just coffee, Ngopi UK also offers a variety of snacks, such as grilled bananas, batagor, risol, martabak, and Palembang pempek. Although these are street foods, don't be surprised if the prices are multiple times higher than those in Indonesia. For instance, a plate of batagor is sold for 8 pounds (around Rp 160,000).
What's unique is that this coffee shop tries to blend in with local tastes. Just look at the fried Indomie toastie menu, namely toasted bread filled with instant fried noodles. "In Indonesia you eat rice with fried noodles, here you eat bread," said Windy Widodo, Manager of Ngopi UK.
Ngopi UK was founded by Indonesians, Birama Gladini and his wife Elmira Hamdi. Initially, the business plan for this coffee shop was created as a final project for Birama's study in Enterprise Systems Management at Birmingham City University in 2016.
The business plan then received support from the British Government through the Graduate Entrepreneur visa scheme. Through this program, Birama and his wife can live in England for two years to develop their business. Birama and his wife opened a culinary business in Birmingham and London which have proven to always be crowded with the arrival of diaspora and local residents.
Just like songs, films and books, food has the power to bring back memories and bring people closer to each other. Especially in overseas countries, the presence of Indonesian food is important for maintaining sanity. The success of Indonesians opening food businesses abroad shows how great the potential is in this field. If you go to London, don't forget to enjoy Indonesian food, okay?
