SHOPPING

West Java is a shoppers paradise, especially if you like authentic items such as fine paintings, hand-carved wooden statues and screens, silver-work, hand-woven and painted cottons and silks, batiks, embroidery, garments for casual wear, leather and cotton bags, bone carvings, shell ornaments, masks, pottery, ceramics, basketry, sandstone statues and bamboo furniture, as they are all West Javanese specialties.

Shopping in Bandung, West Java's capital is a fun experience. Pasar Kota Kembang is the best place to shop for cheap clothes and leather products. Kampung Ciguriang is the first market in the city while Pasar Baru, Jl. Pasar Utara, Jalan Pasar Selatan, Pasar Jatayu are some of the good places to look for local products.

Jeans Street is the main textile shopping area in Bandung. Here one can buy clothing particularly denim wear at very low prices. the quality may not be the best, but if you look around carefully you'll be surprised at some of the bargains on offer.

 

DINING

Eating out is an integral part of life in Indonesia and all new comers will be pleasantly surprised by the variety and selection of dishes on offer at the numerous eateries around the country. There is so much to choose from that you are sure to find something to tempt your palette.

Indonesian Restaurants featuring Indonesian cuisine can be found all over west Java and other urban centers throughout the country. Many regional dishes are popular far from home … including spicy hot Padang food, delicious chicken from Kalasan in Central Java, grilled fish from Ujung Pandang and scrumptious Chinese seafood dishes.

International Cuisine Better restaurants are concentrated in five-star hotels where business people are regular customers.

Hotel Dining Hotels offer a good selection of international and national fare. Major five-star hotels have several world-class restaurants each, with an international cuisine coffee shop and specialized national/international cuisine restaurants and theme bars. Lunch buffets are great way to indulge your taste buds!

Wine and drinks tend to be expensive and drinks may in fact cost you more than the food bill! Prices in hotel restaurants tend to be higher than other restaurants.

Tipping tips If the restaurant doesn’t automatically charge 20% … a small tip may be in order. This is usually not calculated on a percentage basis, but averages from Rp 2,000 to 20,000. The amount depends on the type of restaurant, the number of diners, your generosity and the total amount of the bill.
There may be more than one waiter attending your table and the person who brings you the bill may not be the one that waited on you. The person that clears the table may be different again. So, instead of leaving money on the table or including extra with the payment ... you may choose to hand the money directly to the waiter to be sure it gets to him/her.

Corkage fees Many better restaurants allow their patrons to bring a bottle of wine from home and will only charge a corkage fee. With the high costs of quality wine, this service is welcome! Be sure you agree on a price BEFORE the wine steward opens the bottle. The restaurant management may be amenable to reducing the corkage fee, if you are good at bargaining!  Members of the Wine and Spirits Circle get free corkage in many restaurants.

Loyalty Cards/Frequent Diner cards Many restaurant have their own "loyalty card" (looks like a credit card) to encourage frequent business by regular customers. If there is a particular restaurant that you like and frequently dine at, ask if they have a discount card. These cards are sometimes free, but more often nowadays a fee is required to get the card. If you do eat at the restaurant often enough, the saving will surpass this amount very quickly.

Hotel Loyalty programs In addition to restaurant loyalty cards, most of the five-star hotels in many area have loyalty card programs as well. For a small sum of money you will receive a "credit card" which is used for identity purpose only (not to charge) and/or a bunch of coupons. The card/vouchers entitle the member to a free night's stay, free meals, two-for-the-price-of-one meals and varying discounts on meals, depending on the number in the party, as well as other services. There is a time limit in which you can use the benefits, usually a one-year period.

Invitations In general, within the Indonesian culture, the person who invites others to dine out pays the bill. It would be more common for an Indonesian friend or business colleague to invite you to a restaurant for a meal than to their home. Don’t be offended if you are not invited to your Indonesian colleagues' homes to meet their families, it is just usually not done in Indonesia. If you are invited for a meal at someone's home...accept the invitation as an honour rarely given.

Going Dutch (BSS) More common amongst young people is the practice of “going Dutch” or everyone paying their own way … known in Indonesia by the acronym BSS - bayar sendiri-sendiri. If you expect everyone to pay for their own meal, make that VERY CLEAR when you invite colleagues to eat together with you. If not, you may find that when it comes time to pay the bill … you, the “wealthy” visitor, are expected to pay. You may have thought that you “suggested” or “arranged” to eat together with the staff ... and they thought you were inviting them out at your expense!

Take Away Meals

Gerobak At the other end of the scale from the world class restaurants, are the gerobak/kakilima carts that roam the streets selling local fare. Their approach is heralded by a specific sound for each food item, be it the ting-ting of a spoon on a bowl, the tock-tock of a stick on a block of wood or the whistle of a steam kettle. Food from gerobak can provide a great mid-morning snack or a complete meal.

In general, it is only safe to eat from these food carts, if the food is thoroughly cooked. For those without cast-iron stomachs, it would be advised though, to provide your own dishes and silverware as the food vendor’s dishes are washed in a single bucket of water over and over again throughout the day.

To avoid most stomach ailments due to lack of good hygiene in road-side food preparation: 1) eat only fruit that has been peeled, 2) drink only commercially bottled water or drinks, and 3) only eat food that has been thoroughly cooked … no raw vegetable salads off the streets are advised!

Warung One step up from the roaming food carts is the semi-permanent warung, or food stalls. Due to the low overhead, warung offer cheaper fare than restaurants. Warung sprout up in the late afternoon and evening on roadsides, in parking lots, on sidewalks and in any open space (including outside your front fence) to provide meals to passers-by. Each warung offers a particular menu, often featuring regional specialties. Some of the best food in Jakarta is available from a warung…for those adventurous enough to seek it out! While dining from a warung, don't be surprised to be solicited by peddlers who are selling their wares, wanting to shine your shoes or someone wanting to provide musical entertainment ... for a small contribution. Be prepared ... bring small change.