Ever wondered why the nasi goreng tasted like s&%t in Manjare, ever got the s&%t from eating at Bogor Permai? Been there, done that! My culinary experiences in and around Bogor led me to my own law: there is an inverse relation between atmosphere of a place and the quality of its dishes. In layman’s tongue: the fancier the place, the worse the food. And ye, behold, my eye fell on the lowest of the lowest eateries of Bogor, the warung. Here I found my favorite foods in true Indonesian atmosphere. Some of these little places deserve the attention from the expat scene. So, here’s my impression of the best of the “worst”, only available at wildling.rocks!

A quick rule of thumb on picking a warung: do a drive-by an hour early and check out the customers. If there are many, it’s a potential gold mine. If there’s still a fair amount of customers after you return an hour later, you’ve hit the mother load. Food is definitely good here, and the turn-over is fast enough to minimize lethal bugs.

Your warungologist,

Bart

Pecel Ayam Bonex 69

If I have to pick my favourite warung, it is definitely BONEX 69. They prepare an gorgeous pecel ayam, or deep fried chicken. Just thinking about it   makes my mouth water, and I visit the place at least once a week. It comes either with ordinary white rice or the tastier nasi uduk (rice cooked in coconut milk).

The secret recipes of California, Kentucky or any other Fried Chicken are simply no match for the delicious sambal served with pecel ayam. It is a homemade mix of candlenut, cashew, chilly, sesame and tomato (picture right). Traces of sugar and SMG can often be found in this sambal, but you can order it without these ingredients!

Pecel ayam comes standard with some raw veggies, which are not always kind to the intestines. Fortunately, right behind BONEX 69 is another warung which serves various Chinese dishes, including a simple cap cai (mixed stir fried vegetables).

BONEX 69 is actually a seafood place, but I hardly ever order any there. Don’t get me wrong, I love fish and prawn. But I only like it fresh, prepared within an hour after the catch. After that, the taste is simply different. Having stated that, I had prawn in oyster sauce and roasted fish at BONEX 69 and it tastes pretty good. Some of my friends even like the crab (right) and the other seafood dishes prepared at this little warung. BONEX 69 serves a multitude of dishes from crustaceans, cuttlefish, shellfish or ordinary fish. all dishes are prepared from the freshest seafood in the whole of Bogor.

How to get there
BONEX 69 has warungs at various spots around Bogor. The best one is undoubtedly the warung at Jl Sudirman. From the Presidential Palace, take Sudirman towards Air Mancur. Right after the traffic lights you’ll see Bogor Permai at your left. Turn left into the parking lot after Bogor Permai; there’s a Rudy’s Hair Salon here. BONEX 69 is directly right of the entrance.

Opening hours
Like most warungs, BONEX 69 opens around sunset and closes after the last customer – or the last food – is gone.