When news started circulating that Lucky of the beloved Brookland Coffee had opened up a new eatery with Sinar Untung in Kramat Pela, expectations were naturally high. Is it going to be an exciting, new eatery concept? “No, it’s just a warung nasi (rice eatery). We don’t want to intellectualise it too much,” debunked Lucky outright.
It’s an honest enough statement. Sure, unlike a regular warung nasi, the Sinar Untung logo was illustrated by artist and musician Sari Sartje, with the sign crafted by stencil artist STENZILLA. And in fairness, the eatery does attract more South Jakartan subculture communities compared to the typical neighbourhood joint.
But prices remain pocket-friendly, the age-old system of picking and choosing your rice accompaniments from a glass display is still in place and, set in a former garage space, visitors humbly dine on red and blue wood-panelled crates, sheltered only by a simple translucent roof that provides an unobstructed view of Jakarta’s subdued sky.
Yet despite the unglamorous setup, there is excitement to be found in the simple menu. Lucky and his co-founder Sarah, the woman behind Ray’s Tenderlovn steakhouse in Terogong, have grown a repertoire of no-frills home-cooked meals that ever so subtly reinvent familiar recipes.
The Sayur Lodeh encapsulates this best. While it looks like any other sayur lodeh, where an assortment of vegetables (from carrot, corn to chayote) come submerged in a cloudy coconut milk soup, the twist unveils itself in the flavour of the broth, which is infused with steak trimmings to give it a bolder taste note. Another case in point is the rice itself; presented as a take on Acehnese nasi gurih, steamed white rice comes seasoned with spices such as star anise and clove, wrapped in banana leaves and then briefly grilled over binchōtan (white charcoal) to produce a slightly savoury and smoky impression.
To complete the meal, the mainstay Telur Kriwil is a good way to go. The deep-fried omelette is at once fluffy and crispy without the heaviness that typically comes with this type of dish. A tip from the regulars: request a drizzle of soy sauce broth from the tempe bacem (braised tempe) to add a touch of sweetness to the equation.
Without distinction, office workers, F&B entrepreneurs to cyclists and fingerboarders with their tiny skateboards gather to dine here, enticed by the prospect of a meal that reminds them of home.
As young eateries across the city continue to pivot back to nostalgic, homestyle cooking, Sinar Untung adds to the roster and makes a strong case for the movement by bringing a fresh perspective on warung nasi simply through slightly tweaked recipes; all while preserving the familiar and communal aspects that make this eatery concept so ubiquitous in the city.
