Ciganea Restaurant: Jakarta, West Java

For people who often travel between Jakarta and Bandung in West Java, the name Ciganea is certainly familiar. It’s the name of a popular restaurant located on a main road in Purwakarta regency, West Java.

The restaurant is named after a small village half-way between Jakarta and Bandung. The place has become a common location for people to take a rest or simply have a meal before continuing their trip.

After hours of driving, travelers can enjoy appetizing Sundanese food, from karedok (Sundanese vegetable salad), pepes teri (steamed anchovies) to gurame goreng (fried gourami) and sayur asem (sour vegetable soup).

Sometimes, people who have not made the journey for a long time miss these appetizing dishes. Today, that is no big deal.
A franchise Ciganea restaurant was recently opened on Jl. Ampera Raya in Cilandak, South Jakarta, about 200 meters from the Jakarta outer ring road.

Like its patron, the restaurant also presents a variety of Sundanese food with additional items from Sumbawa island, West Nusa Tenggara.

“We’ve tried to introduce Sumbawa foods, such as gecok (beef cooked in sesame seasoning) and sepat (grilled fish with broth),” said restaurant co-owner Rahayu “Yuyu” Hatta.

Yuyu co-owns the restaurant with her cousin, Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin, who was born in Sumbawa.

“Gecok is the favorite of Pak Din,” she added.

Yuyu said, however, that guests who want to taste Sumbawa dishes should tell the restaurant one day ahead so that the cook has enough time to prepare.

She said that her restaurant on Jl. Ampera is the second outlet. The first, opened in 2005, is located on Jl. Sabang, Central Jakarta.

Although both restaurants are also known for sup gurame (gourami soup), generally people return repeatedly for the sambal (chili sauce).

The sauce is similar to the usual sambal served in any other restaurant. The thing that makes it taste better is homemade terasi (prawn paste).

Prepared in a traditional cobek (stone bowl in which the chili is crushed), Ciganea’s sambal tastes more appetizing.

Visitors enjoy fried gourami or fried chicken with sayur asem or ulukutek leuncak (another type of sambal made with fermented bean). Usually, the dishes are prepared a la carte.

On every Wednesdays and Fridays, visitors can savor the foods and enjoy the sensuous sounds of Sundanese music.

“Like the restaurant on Jl. Sabang, we are ready to host a gathering of about 100 people,” Yuyu said, adding that the restaurant can seat up to 250.

With that amount of space, Ciganea could become an alternative spot for family or business gatherings, with traditional dishes forming a gastronomic treat.

Visitors to Ciganea can also order Padang food from West Sumatra to be prepared by popular Ikan Balado restaurant, which is right next door.

Ciganea
Jl. Ampera Raya No. 50
Cilandak,
South Jakarta
tel: 7806490
open 8 a.m. through 10 p.m.

Kurniawan Hari