“Enjoy mom … “ a young man waved his mother goodbye at the Jakarta airport as a lady joined us, a group of food travelers on the way to Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Once we arrived, a short 90 minutes flight from Jakarta, Ibu Yani, the mother, became my seatmate on the bus for the 3-day trip with 13 others.

Led by a seasoned culinary guide, Arie Parikesit of Kelana Rasa, we were all excited to experience food tourism, defined by the World Food Travel Association as the pursuit and enjoyment of unique and memorable food and drink experiences, both far and near. The distance, covered, according to the Association, is not as important as the fact that we are always on the move. We are all “travelers” of a sort and we are all “eaters”. Therefore, we can also all be regarded as “food travelers.” 

Pontianak, a town on the center of the planet is a meting pot with a majority of residents coming from Chinese, Malay and native Dayak ethnic groups that naturally influence food choices in the area.

RM Sahara serving Melayu food, was our venue for an ice breaker, where members of the group came better acquainted while reaching for pacri nanas (pineapple in spicy coconut milk), dalca (curried mixed vegetables with mung bean), gulai kambing (lamb curry), sotong tinta (cuttlefish) and sambal pete udang (spicy prawns and stinky beans). We learned how Pontianak residents prefer light gravy in their food compared to dishes with rich coconut gravy. Dony Prayudi our local guide entertained us with tales of this foodie town on the banks of Kapuas, Indonesia’s longest river. 

A memorable food tour is one that combines visits to ethnic eateries and views into the culture and history that defines a city. As such, torrential rains did not dampen our eagerness to visit Bodhisatya Karaniya, the cultural heritage of Pontianak. Built in 1829 this colorful vihara is a place of worship that attracts singles for the power its pohon jodoh (tree of soulmate). 

Rumah Betang and Museum Provinsi Kalimantan Barat quenched our cultural thirst. Traditionally, Rumah Betang, a Dayak long house built on 8 meter-high posts may consist of 50 rooms, home to a community of extended families. The West Kalimantan Provincial museum is a must for those who would like to know more about the area’s history that dates back to the Paleolithic era. A display of ancient kitchen was an eerie reminder that eating has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. 

The remaining time of the first day was left for a series of food tasting. Giant steamers at Bamboo Café keep coming up with choi pan, savory and soft vegetable dumplings made from rice flour with a variety of fillings such as kucai (garlic chives), keladi (taro) and bengkoang (jicama). Dinner was mie tiau all the way as within half an hour we tried mie tiau goreng (fried flat noodles), rebus (soup) and siram (gravy) in competing eateries: Polo and Apollo, both offering the same menu. 

Some of us finished our day at Warung Kopi Winny, a coffee house across our hotel in Jalan Gajah Mada, sipping coffee while having bites of pisang goreng selai srikaya (banana fritters with egg jam). There are hundreds of warung kopi in Pontianak where people comfortably spend hours working on their laptops, talking about current affairs, and doing business, big and small. 

Our srikaya saga continued on the second day with breakfast at Warung Minuman Suka Hati known to have the best egg jam in Pontianak. Unbelievably packed early in the morning, Suka Hati has a very efficient service where after sitting only a few minutes came our order of pisang goreng selai srikaya, keladi selai srikaya (taro fritters with egg jam), lemper (sticky rice rolls), and soft boiled egg. 

We headed to Singkawang, a city of a thousand temples,145-km north from Pontianak, stopping by at the Aloe Vera Center  managed by the city of Pontianak Office of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry. It was incredible walking among hundreds of school children, listening to all kinds of information on lidah buaya (aloe vera) and its health benefits, seeing how different species grow on peat land and learning to harvest them.

Our next sojourn, Isun Vera may as well be called the aloe vera world of food, as it produces hundreds of products with aloe vera as the basic ingredients: chips, chocolate, candy, tea, flour, pineapple cookies, sweet cake, and aloe vera drinks. 

Heavy rains made us skip the Equator Monument, but half way to Singkawang we had a snack break in Siantan district, Mempawah regency. Portions of warm pengkang isi ebi welcomed us, a wonderful image of sticky rice rolls filled with dried shrimp, wrapped in banana leaves, clamped with bamboo blades and grilled on top of coconut shells. The chewy pengkang was extremely savory paired with grilled ikan senangin (Indian salmon), sambal and sate kepah, made from mussels abundant in mangrove forests of the area. 

It was still raining when we arrived in Singkawang, a city bordering the Natuna sea with scenic mountain backdrop. Mie kering Haji Aman was our stop for a late delightful lunch. The halal noodle shop is owned by a friendly man named Chia Jung Khong, who converted to Islam almost 3 decades ago and changed his name to Haji Aman after a pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca. 

We ventured to 1+1+1, the only place that serves halal yau yie khas Singkawang. Sitting on plastic chairs we were the only guests, but 14 of us made it worthwile for Phang Kin Sen and Liu Tuy Ngo, the owners, to prepare a fresh, sweet and sour dish, combining pickled cuttlefish, crunchy water spinach and crushed peanuts.

It was getting dark, hence Bakso Sapi Bakmi Ayam 68 located in Jalan Diponegoro No. 68 was our last meal in Singkawang. Its decoration is distinctly Chinese, with a prominent sign that says "no pork." More noodle dishes presented, but this time with crushed galangals added to reduce cholesterol. Our concentration was more to the photos on the walls and the stories about celebrity guests visiting the eatery, told by Ms. Liu, the owner’s daughter. 

The way back from Singkawang to Pontianak took more than 3 hours, but we still had the energy for supper at Abang Kepiting, a seafood restaurant in Pontianak. It supplies seafood to area restaurants, hence underneath we can see iron grids and fish swimming around. It was almost midnight when we left a long table that earlier was full of plates with scrumptious battered squid, thick omelette, zesty grilled fish and spicy smoked crab.

Arie briefed us on the plan for the last day in Pontianak and we agreed to assemble at 8.00 AM to go to Pasar Flamboyan, a mere 5 minutes walk from the hotel.

Apparently foodies do not want to waste any time, as at 7.00 AM the next day we were called to savor morning street food right in front of the hotel. We shared bits of delectable martabak, bakso ikan (fish balls), tahu isi (stuffed tofu) and Pontianak goreng-goreng, deep fried munchies consisting of lumpia (spring rolls), pisang goreng (banana fritters) and keladi goreng (taro fritters). 

Market tour, in this case to Pasar Flamboyan, is always precious as one can experience the sights, sounds and flavors of an area. A variety of ferns, carrots, limes and fermented cabbages are just some of the daily sights along with fresh seafood, dried shrimp and white fish. 

RM Hijas Pak Eko was packed beyond belief when we arrived for breakfast. Understandably there were no seats left, but patience prevailed and we finally were able to sit in a group. Hijas is some sort of a food court that carries street foods, including nasi kuning (turmeric rice), sate ayam (chicken satay), bubur pedas (spicy porridge), martabak, and the ever-present pisang goreng selai srikaya. Hijas is proof to the adage of food travelers, when you are in a foreign country and in doubt of where to go for street food, go to a place where people stand in line to get in, as it means high turnover and delicious food. Feeling content we left Hijas an hour later to go pack and left the hotel. 

At Keboen Sajoek, a soccer stadium complex in Pontianak known as PSP we walked along a row of shops, feasting our eyes on colorful Dayak arts and crafts, preserved food, ethnic textiles, and bought some beautiful batik. We didn’t buy any food since Dony said that Along is the place to go for better price. Sure enough, we came out of Along armed with boxes of Pontianak culinary specialties for friends and families back home. 

Our excitement mounted as we traveled around the city of Pontianak towards Jeruju area for a home-cooked lunch by Ibu Maemunah. Pontianak is extremely hot, hence the host put out a big cooling fan for her curious guests who went straight to the kitchen to see her cooked from scratch. Less than 30 minutes later plates of pleasures came in, and we sat on the floor savoring delicacies like kangkung malu (local fern with pumpkin); sautéed buas-buas leaves, an antioxidant; and sprinkled our plates with buduk and calok, spicy condiments made from fermented fish and shrimp respectively. 

All in the group voted for the Jeruju meal as the best indulgence during the three-day trip, but the finale before heading to the airport was Es Krim Angi, scoops of es puter on young coconut split, chocolate and strawberry ice cream made with traditional tools. 

The Pontianak food tour was an extremely cool trip, well managed by Arie Parikesit, assisted by Dony Prayudi. Through the 3-day journey we pursued and relished food and drink experience in between visits to local landmarks. The most memorable however was the pleasant interactions with Pontianak residents and the camaraderie between the group members, not only in terms of sharing food but also in partaking culinary expertise and stories that add to our knowledge about this beautiful country. 

Minutes before boarding the flight for Jakarta, Ibu Yani my seatmate called her son to pick her up and happily showed us a bag full of kepiting asap, spicy smoked crabs, for her 4 children, in laws and 10 grandchildren.

--------------------

Text: Amanda Niode

Images: Omar Niode Foundation