Cebu is indeed a melting pot of culinary culture! Whether you're craving Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Mexican, Indian, American, Vietnamese, Korean, or Thai dishes, Cebu has it. And now, we can add Indonesian-Dutch to the list.
A friend recommended CRIBS, a local restaurant that offers Indonesian-Dutch cuisine, and I couldn't be more delighted. I've been craving Indonesian food for more than two years now since I've been back in Cebu, and now I can enjoy it whenever I like.
CRIBS is located next to Cole's Cansi along Escario Street. This one-floor building is adjacent to Parklane Hotel, so it is not hard to miss. It is also a block away from Ayala Center Cebu. Tiger and I just took a quick jaunt to the place from a short walk around The Terraces.
They have a parking space in front for those who need it. The staff said they started as a kiosk in Sugbo Mercado in IT Park last July, and this Escario Street spot is their first restaurant.
Dogs are not allowed inside the restaurant, so Tiger and I took the corner table on the small patio. The guy at the next table was kind enough to move his bike so Tiger could enter the narrow path.
The tables inside were still empty when I arrived, but they soon got full when two groups of guests came. I like eating al fresco actually. Aside from having Tiger with me, I can also enjoy the city soundscape as I dine.
But I must say that I love the minimalist interior design. I'll eat inside next time, but that would mean leaving Tiger at home. Hmmm . . . I'll bring a friend along instead. Someone who wants to explore Indonesian food. Any volunteer? 😁
I was so excited when my food was finally served! I was about to eat Indonesian food after more than two years! OMG! 😍
And look at that! It was certainly worth the wait. The plating is so Indonesian. Even the tea glass! I couldn't wait to dig in.
Nasi goreng ayam paki mata sapi. That is chicken fried rice with a sunny-side-up egg. This is the quintessential Indonesian dish. There are so many varieties and always delicious. I could eat this every day. In fact, I ate this almost daily when I lived in Indonesia.
You might be interested to know that they don't use leftover rice, which is the common practice here in the Philippines. Instead, Indonesians cook rice to make nasi goreng, and it makes a lot of difference in the taste.
A spoonful explosion of flavour. It was spicy. I could taste the kick in my mouth, but it was not as spicy as the ones in Riau (Sumatra), which happens to have the spiciest Indonesian cuisines, according to locals. This one was more on the sweet side, more Javanese.
Kerupuk! It goes by many names, right? Krupuk and fish crackers are other easy ones to remember. This is a very Indonesian part of the meal for me. Indonesian always eat nasi goreng and many other similar dishes with kerupuk, except for the soup (as far as I have observed). It comes in many flavours, colours, sizes, and shapes too.
Pickled cucumber, radish, and carrots -- to counter the spiciness. This style must be a Dutch modification. In Indonesia, they don't pickle these. Instead, they have large, thin slices of fresh cucumber and tomato. They would even add a couple of mint leaves. I tell you, you'd need to munch on these to cure your burning tongue when you have too much sambal (chilli sauce), hehe.
Sate ayam. Chicken skewers. I've never had sate ayam this tender. Kudos to the CRIBS chef for this. It was delectable. If there was one thing different that I noticed, it was that the curry was a bit stronger than what I'm used to in a sate. This one's almost Indian because of the strong curry smell. But the peanut sauce took me back to Indonesia.
I used to eat this with lontong, similar to our Cebuano pusu. But I wasn't sure if they had it in the menu. Besides, I already had nasi goreng.
Spicy kacang (peanut) sauce (pronounced: ka-chang). There are two types of sate that I'm familiar with based on the sauce: kacang (sweet) and Padang (savory). I can't decide which one is my favourite. It depends on my mood, I guess. But this one really got me into the mood. It was that good! It was perfect with the sate. I even bought an extra set to take home.
A slice of sate ayam with kacang sauce. Now, look at that scrumptious morsel. This was the last bite. I shared two sticks with Tiger, hehe.
I didn't order dessert, but I had a glass of Dutch tea. Pickwick Turkish Apple. It was so refreshing that I wanna have another drink. I liked that it was only faintly sweet because of the apple flavour. It was the right blend to punctuate a savoury meal. In Indonesia, I would order teh manis (sweet tea) most of the time too. It was a local blend of sweetened black tea.
As I have mentioned earlier, I ordered takeout for Mama and Papa: a box of sate ayam. I love that their set is complete with the kacang sauce, pickled veggies, and of course, kerupuk.
Thanks to the Filipino-Dutch owners for coming up with this business idea. Indonesian food paired with Dutch tea is one of my favourite gastronomic combinations. I know you're thinking about how they could be authorities in Indonesian food. For the unfamiliar, Indonesia used to be called the Dutch East Indies, a colony of the Netherlands from the 1800s until the 1940s. Indonesia gained independence on August 17, 1945.
Based on the food they served, I can say that the Dutch owner and the chef (if they're two different people) have had enough experience with Indonesian food. Enak sekali! So delicious!
So happy and full. Cravings satisfied! I'm gonna have beef rendang next time. Ayo, kita makan! Come on, let's eat! 🥘
If you want to know about me more, you may click here: Get to Know April: A Self-Intro Blog
Perhaps you might also like to read another food blog: Soto Betawi: The Search for the Ultimate Indonesian Food
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