Tucked away in a narrow, residential alley of the Tebet neighbourhood, Dapur Bandha is exactly what many would fittingly call a ‘hole in the wall’. But for founder Vania Liman, that was never the intention. “The small space”— an outdoor foyer no wider than two metres which only seats four at a time—“should evoke the feeling of eating at a neighbour’s terrace,” she said. “I want there to be an interaction between the customers and people in the kitchen.” And that includes Vania herself, who often personally cooks and serves those who visit.
With cooking as her family’s love language, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Vania looks no further than her closest kin in developing the menu. The pie creations are evidence of this, borrowing from the handwritten recipe off her grandma’s yellowing notebook for the hand pie Pai Apel Kayumanis filled with Granny Smith apples, and using an heirloom recipe from her mother for the minced meat version Pai Daging.
But the signature here is the Karigule. A staple in Vania’s family, the dish forsakes the coconut milk traditionally found in curry stew to curb its heavy taste, replacing it with blended roasted candlenuts to retain the full body and spice-rich flavours of the stew—just the way Vania’s dad favours it at home. It can be enjoyed with a base of rice, ketupat (Indonesian rice cakes), or noodles handmade by her aunt, while the protein options range from chicken and beef slices to crispy fried cow lungs.
Vania also prefers to source her ingredients directly from local farmers and producers. Take her serving of Quiche, for example, where three kinds of local cheese lend their flavours to the classic egg dish. Meanwhile, the Teh Pandan steeps dried pandan leaves and green tea harvested from a plantation in Bogor, and the ketupat uses beras merah (red rice) purchased from a farmer in Bandung, Vania’s hometown.
Since opening in 2021, Dapur Bandha has taken its offerings beyond the four walls of its tiny kitchen by participating in numerous pop-ups and collaborations as far as Bali. Even so, Vania has no plans to open a bigger space; she appreciates the simplicity of her current setup, which has allowed her to foster genuine connections with patrons who have now become her longtime customers. “I hope that whenever you visit Dapur Bandha, you’ll go home with a new friend,” shared Vania.
