| Just blocks from the capital and tucked into the Gateway Mall on Madison's vibrant Williamson Street is Wisconsin's only Indonesian restaurant. While Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and other ethnic restaurants abound in this capital city, Indonesian cuisine has yet to make its mark: except at Bandung Restaurant. Since 2000, Bandung Restaurant has been serving up Indonesian fare in a style that is both reflective of the culture, but also unique to the cooking style of chef Pram Adriansjach. The restaurant has racked up a fair amount of adoring regulars and received rave reviews from newspapers across the state. The food at Bandung is in some ways reminiscent of other ethnic foods: curry dishes reflect the unique flavors of India, while ginger and soy sauce remind the palate of Chinese cuisine. Then there are the flavors and ingredient combinations that uniquely mark the dishes as Indonesian. The use of candlenut and tempeh (cultured soybean) add a distinct and flavorful dimension to Bandung's dishes. Ordering Bandung's rijsttafel is an excellent way for patrons to get a grasp on what the restaurant has to offer. This elaborate 10-item meal can be had for $24.95 and is served with a plate of rice and a number of dishes that showcase some of Bandung's best. Rijsttafel, Dutch for "rice table," originated in the Dutch colonial era and is popular in both Indonesia (a former Dutch colony) and Dutch restaurants still today. Bandung also offers four special rijsttafel events per year. These events feature a 16-course meal and traditional Indonesian music and dance performances. The next special rijsttafel will take place on Oct 15 beginning at 3 p.m. and Bandung owners recommend that patrons make their reservations as soon as possible. While the food speaks for itself, the people behind the operation deserve all the credit. Like the community that surrounds it, Bandung has a special "family-like" feel to it. This makes sense, given that the business is truly family-owned and operated. The vision began with Pram Adriansjach, a long-time restaurant worker. He was inspired by his mother, who taught him traditional Indonesian cooking when the two launched a small catering business in 1994. They offered home-cooked dinners to UW-Madison students from Indonesia who were hard pressed to find the flavors of their homeland. During this time, Pram, who moved to the United States from Indonesia with his family at age 11, learned the exotic and intricate recipes of Indonesia. He dreamed of bringing Indonesian food to more people in Madison. "From high school on, my husband has had his nose in the restaurant business," Pram's wife Julie Adriansjach said. "He was definitely the main motivator to get the restaurant going."/ But, Pram didn't enter the venture alone. Julie, along with Pram's parents (Roni and Nani Sjachrani), joined Pram to purchase the former Thai Kitchen at 600 Williamson Street. They kept around five Thai Kitchen dishes for regulars of the former restaurant (although they "tweaked" them a little) and soon developed an intricate menu of traditional and original Indonesian dishes. Julie has called the restaurant "a labor of love" for all four. We are all very driven when it comes to the restaurant," Julie said. "We all have the common goal of being successful." Bandung is named after the mountainous city on the Indonesian island of Java, around 100 miles southeast of Indonesia's capital Jakarta. The family chose this name in hopes that their restaurant would reflect the positive attributes of Bandung, a city noted for its art, music, food, and pleasant atmosphere./ "We hope Bandung Restaurant will reflect the nature of its name-sake city in its artfulness, its tradition, its food, and its pleasant atmosphere," the family says. While restaurant regulars will still find the favorite dishes and atmosphere that they love, Bandung has recently made a few changes to "tweak" their establishment and their menu. "We have been working on a new interior face and new exterior face," Julie said. The owners have recently repainted the inside in deep oranges and yellows and changed the logo to better reflect their restaurant. They have added a "loyalty card program" to reward customers who frequent their establishment. For patrons who find themselves not wanting to leave the house, but longing for their favorite dish from Bandung, the restaurant is now offering limited delivery service in the Isthmus area. Julie and Pram have also added another regular "fixture" to the restaurant. One-year-old Riann can often be found in the restaurant with his grandmother in the mornings, while mom Julie works part-time at UW-Madison Bandung owners have also started working with the Indonesian Student Organization (ISO) at UW-Madison. They held a fund-raiser for the Yogyakarta Earthquake Relief Fund and were able to donate $3,000 to the International Red Cross Fund. ISO students also volunteered their time for Bandung at Taste of Madison. In exchange, Bandung donated the funds they would have earned to their organization. "It has come full circle ... starting with catering to Indonesian students to now owning a business where we can help their student organization," Julie said. "It is just one of the close community relationships we are striving to nurture." |
| For more information about Bandung Restaurant visit www.bandungrestaurant.com |
| Bandung Restaurant Wisconsin's one and only authentic Indonesian Restaurant is in Madison by Laura Salinger |
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