Friday, 5th June 2009

Depot Madiun Khas "Bu Rudy"

Jl. Dharmahusada No. 140

Surabaya

Indonesia

My third time visiting Surabaya, and it's for my friends wedding.

I arrived in the afternoon and checked in at the Java Paragon hotel around 2:45pm.

My friends and I were hungry so we were on a mission to try out the local's go-to place for a meal fix.

The Wedding Organizer's representative told us to try out this famous "Nasi Udang" nearby the hotel.

It took only about 7 minutes by cab.

Upon arrival, the very first thing that I noticed about the restaurant was the down to earth facade.

It's nothing of a sight. But then again, it's always the non flashy ones who serve the best foods.

My friends were all skeptical of the place.

But we went in nevertheless.

The interior was simple. The walls were decorated with photographs of "famous" people.

Though I don't recognize any one of them. :p

Flies seem to be permanent residents there.

The waitresses were prompt in seating us and handing out the menu.

As tourists, we were new to Nasi Udang. So naturally, we asked the waitress quiet a handful of questions.

She gave us like an impatient and irritated look after about the sixth question.

OK…we got the sign…so we ordered as quickly as possible.

I ordered the Nasi Udang with empal and telor, along with the Rawon.

For drinks, I had the Jus Sirsak.

The drinks came first. I took a short sip at the Jus Sirsak.

It tasted rather watery. So I thought i didn't sip enough of it so I took a longer sip.

It was still watery. I guess that's just the way they do it.

The foods came a few minutes later.

The Nasi Udang was served on a white plate with rice, dried shrimps, empal, and fried omelette.

No greens at all. The only source of non-meat on the plate was the sambel and rice.

I had my first bite. It was full of flavors! I just loved the fried shrimps.

Together with the empal, they created a nice texture in the mouth.

But the empal was a little tough, but most beef in indonesian restaurants are tough.

And add the rice, you'll have a great mouthful of true Surabaya cuisine.

And oh! The sambal was to die for. One of the best I ever had.

The Nasi Udang itself was already good. But they nailed it with their sambal. Bravo Bu Rudy!

Portion-wise, I guess it's a little less sufficient for my big appetite.

Soon after I started eating the Nasi Udang, my Rawon was served.

It looked, well, just like any other Rawon. Black steamy soup.

I scooped inside the bowl to see what they have underneath the black liquid.

Almost immediately, the aroma of the Rawon engulfed my sense of smell. Good, I like that.

There were lots of meat, and some other ingredients that I couldn't figure out what they were.

But boy was the Rawon delicious!

The meat was a little tough but full of flavor.

The soup was also really good.

I have to say i enjoyed the food a lot.

I just have a few complaints about the place.

And they are the flies and mosquitoes.

While I was enjoying my food on the table, my legs became the buffet for mosquitoes.

Wear long pants if you plan to visit this place.

SCORE BOARD:

Service: 4/10

Presentation: 4.5/10

Quality/freshness: 6.5/10

Taste: 7.5/10

Portion: 6/10

Cleanliness: 3.5/10

Price per person: $