kopi susu 3

It's been a very good morning thus far, my favorite kind of morning to have in an unfamiliar city. We set out from the hotel to find food, and we got lost, got found, wandered down some narrow streets, poked our noses into an assortment of roadside stalls, and eventually had an excellent breakfast at a little place called "Warung Nasi," or "Rice Warung."

Warungs are sort of a step up from a food stall or cart; they're usually a little room in the front of a building, very spare inside, just a few tables and a counter. This one offered the long-sought kopi susu, served in a glass. The woman who ran it, who looked Indian and was very smiley and friendly, put condensed milk in the bottom of the glass, topped by ground coffee, and then poured in boiling water and give it a little half-stir. The condensed milk forms a layer at the bottom of the glass topped by a layer of coffee grounds and then the coffee itself. If you want it sweeter you stir it up some more to fully incorporate the milk. It was strong and hot and very tasty - we ordered one to share, and then another, and then another.

We also got a local green, I think it's water spinach, similar to kale, cut in strips and stewed in coconut milk with lemongrass - really good. Plus some strips of fried spicy tempeh, and plain rice. (By the way, my vegetarian friends out there, tempeh was invented in Indonesia - that in itself is reason enough to visit.) I think it was the best meal we've had thus far, and one of the cheapest, a little less than $2 for both of us. Chad got eggplant and some kind of spicy boiled egg. While we were there they brought out a huge bowl of tofu in some kind of delicious-looking sauce, but we were too full to order any.

Yesterday was our culinary low point - we were looking for books at Sarinah department store and saw a fancy-looking coffee shop. They served us instant coffee with creamer and charged us $2. Don't be fooled! Never order coffee at Sarinah's!

We are figuring out how to post pictures here - it doesn't seem to work well from this "internet cafe" next to our hotel - so I hope to have some images to share soon. Thanks for checking in! And don't be shy about comments. My blog gets lonely without comments!