Culinary in Pekanbaru Part 2 - Just Menong

Culinary in Pekanbaru It has similarities with the culinary in the land of West Sumatra in general. At the end of 2023, we had the opportunity to visit Pekanbaru, the city of Bertuah, and enjoy some typical Pekanbaru cuisine that is already known among them, RM Pak Nurdin and Wareh Kupie Arifin Ahmad.

In our limited time Try other cuisines in the city. It turns out that the majority of the cuisine is very close to the culinary of West Sumatra, which has been known as one of the best.

Ketupat Gulai Paku Onen

The next stop is Ketupat Gulai Paku Onen, located on the road. Hang Tuah. The building's shop looks simply made of wood. I think it reminds me about the shop in the village. But make no mistake, this place is quite spacious with rows of orange-colored benches and tables that are neatly arranged and still leave space to move.

The location is in a city that is easily accessible. As a marker, this tavern is exactly next to each other with the Great Mosque of Annur, close to the campus of the University of Riau and the area office. Even so, in our eyes, Wari Bandung, this street is not so many.

We invited ourselves to slide into this tavern at 6 a.m. and skipped breakfast at the hotel. That said, Ketupat Tavern Gulai Paku Onen, which has been around since 1990, is originally just a small ordinary.

Ketupat gulai nangka is one of the typical culinary dishes of Pekanbaru that is served by combining ketupat, coconut milk, savage green fern, and vegetable jackfruit orange (spicy) gravy in a warm state. Do not forget the pink crackers and spicy cassava chips.

This dish is similar to vegetable lontong. The field I used to meet in many places. The smell of the sugar is typical and tickles the nose.

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When we arrived, the place This has been visited by many guests who also want to have breakfast like us, so we are patiently waiting for the order to come. While waiting, Menong's friend can see the food prep process because visitors can peek at the kitchen area.

In addition to ketupat gulai nails, it won't be complete if Menong's friends don't try egg tea that is legendary in this place. Egg tea, or talua tea, is made from chicken or duck egg yolks mixed with tea, hot water, and sugar. This tea is served by shuffling the eggs until it expands using lidi (now using a mixer). There's a lime next to a glass.
 

It feels good

I myself was just the first to enjoy this tea past. Even though it's anywhere, including at home eating in the field in Bandung, I am still a bit reluctant to taste it because I am worried about it still having a fishy smell. In addition, I have also been allergic to eggs for a long time. Of course I did not want to be attacked by the irresistible itch when I was away from home.
 
However, my friend convinced us to taste the camp we were in in Pekanbaru. And I too find it tempting, especially since I can see the manufacturing process. It turns out that the taste of Talua tea is delicious, and there is no smell or fishy taste in the slightest.

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In addition to enjoying ketupat fern and talua tea, we also taste fried bananas (which taste enaaaak), ote-ote, bakwan, the bala-bala version from Pekanbaru, and lapis glutinous or lupis (my favorites). Here there is a lauak sala also, fried and made from flour and salted fish, which I had tasted on the way to the Hara Valley.

 
Prices in the store are very affordable. Ketupat gulai ferns are regularly Rp. 11,000, ketupat gulai ferns egg packs are Rp. 13,000, sala lauak is Rp. 1,000, and tea talua is Rp. 12,000.

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While enjoying breakfast, we are accompanied by live music from our entertaining buskers throughout the store. I was silent at his incredible voice. 

Smooth Sour Pondok Ray Kampar

We spent the night at Pekanbaru for 3 nights and 4 days. Since we get a flight schedule In the afternoon, we were already preparing from 11 p.m. in order to shop. Special souvenirs from Pekanbaru first.

On the way, we stop by for lunch at Pondok Asam Pedace Sinar Kampar, one of the culinary spots in Pekanbaru, which is mandatory for Menong's friends to try. Different things with RM Mr. Nurdin: the dominant serves a typical West Sumatra dish; Pondok Asam Spicy Sinar Kampar serves seafood.

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This restaurant is located on Jl. Arifin Ahmad No. 59, Sidomulyo Tim., Kec. Marpoyan Peace, City Pekanbaru. Open from 10:00 to 22:00 WIB, this place is worth a visit, especially for Menong’s friends who love seafood.

This restaurant has a wooden ambiance with wide tables and long chairs. Likewise, the wooden floor looks fresh in the midst of the hot weather.

All the dishes are served on small plates on the table. I realized the uniqueness of this typical archipelago cuisine because it looks beautifully colorful. 

My eyes were drawn to the feather clams that I hadn't tasted in a very long time. When I was little, Grandma often cooked feather clams for us. Even though we only got a maximum of 5 pieces each, the taste still lingers in my heart until now.

I also chose the snapper head without touching the broth because it was spicy. We ate heartily, especially since it tasted so good, tempting me to eat even more. Don't forget the boiled vegetables and red onion chili sauce to enhance the flavor.

Honestly, I always enjoy seafood dishes wherever I go. I do prefer fish over chicken or meat. Maybe because as people from Bandung, we rarely enjoy fresh seafood. Pondok The Kampar Ray Spicy Acid really became a culinary highlight in Pekanbaru that we tried.