Welcome to the Aruba Forum

Glenn · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:29 pm Post subject: Where can we find rijstafel?

Good afternoon,

What better way to spend a snowy day here in Winnipeg than to spend some time with my Aruba bb friends.

The suject line is my question. Years ago there were two or three places which served rijstafel; Bali's and Java Cottage. Those two places are long gone.

Does anyone know where we can get Indonesian food.

In Nederlands, waar is rijstafel? (I apologize if my Dutch is not correct)

Take care everybody.

Glenn

JohnT · Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:25 pm Post subject:

I hate to admit it, but I had rijstafel in Amsterdam about 40 years ago.

On the topic, we did have it in Aruba.
I'm certainly getting confused, but the restaurant was near the start of the Wilhelminastreet...behind the Ren complex. I know it is closed for years. I haven't heard about a replacement.

Sorry for the snowy day. It HAS been below average in Florida...around 45 degrees F. at night. After 10 years, I am almost ashamed to admit that I was chilly this afternoon when it approached 70-71 degrees. Still a nice afternoon...not Indonesian, but we went to the Greek Orthodox church festival, enjoyed the food and the breezes on their dock on the Halifax River/Intracoatal waterway.

Glenn · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:45 am Post subject:

Hi John,

Good to hear from you. And yes, it's still snowing here.

As to the Indonesian restaurant you're right, it was on Wilhelminastraat. The actual name was something like Darwang Java, or Java Cottage. Between the two of us, we have a great many memories of days gone by in Aruba.

Our next trip to Aruba is likely going to be in September 2012. How about yourself?

Have a great week.

Glenn

JohnT · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:22 am Post subject:

Yes, Glenn...we're on the calendar for 3 weeks next year starting on September 14th (I think that's a Saturday in 2013). Are you there at that time?

On the original topic, we also had rijstafel during a visit to Curacao. Very nice. Thanks for the info on the Aruba places...it did jog a few memory cells and I agree that you're close or exactly right about the name.

On a cruise in April, we met two nice ladies who said they were from Winnepeg. Then they admitted that they said that because they really lived 100 miles north and most people do not know anything about Canada-Manitoba and they were very lucky if people knew Winnepeg. I imagine they are REALLY snowed-in at this point. They actually flew from Winnepeg to Ft. Lauderdale to begin the cruise.

Glenn · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:29 pm Post subject:

Hi John,

Glad you met a couple of Manitobans. Our licence plates say "Friendly Manitoba". I hope they lived up to that.

Rijstafel in Curacao? We've had there too, a number of times. In fact on two occasions, the name of the restaurant was, what else, "Rijstafel". That was where I learned the hard way that the red stick they put in one of the vegetable dishes actually means something. (ie: That it's real spicy.) Oh well, that's what the Heineken fire department is for, right?

Hopefully someone can help guide to some decent Indonesian food in Aruba.

Take my good friend,

Glenn

fios · New Member Joined: 22 Aug 2009 Posts: 3

I belive their is one in Aruba but you will have to ask those who work
in the jewlery stores downtown

Glenn · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Indonesian

[quote="fios"]I belive their is one in Aruba but you will have to ask those who work
in the jewlery stores downtown[/quote]

Hi fios,

Thanks for your note but I'm going to be honest with you fios; that's got to be one of the strangest replies to a restaurant question I've seen on here in a very long time. Just sayin'

Glenn

NYer · New Member Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Posts: 1

http://rembrandt-aruba.com/menu.php Apparently they have it...it says it's 'small'. Not sure how it is, but I did see it on their menu.

dutchdushi · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:42 pm Post subject:

You can only get nasi goreng at Rembrandt and Tulip. That is not rijsttafel (it is with two t's), but baked rice with meat and vegetables. In Indonesia they make this dish from leftovers. It is a tradition in the Dutch army to eat this once a week. That is why Tulip has it on its menu (as this used to be the club of the Dutch marines).

You can get good Indonesian food at some of the Dutch Chinese restaurants you see inland. One good restaurant is on the way from the highrise to Noord. The same road where Wendy's, Wacky Wahoo, Barney's and Linda's Pancake House is. It is called Warung something. It is between Barney's and the traffic lights in Noord, on your right hand if driving towards Noord. Between Noord and Oranjestad you also gave such a Dutch Chinese restaurant. Dutch means that they also have Indonesian food. But you will not likely find rijsttafel. That is just different kind of Indonesian dishes. If you visit a restaurant with more people, just order different types of dishes, you create your own rijsttafel.

Glenn · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:12 pm Post subject:

Hi DutchDushi,

Thank you for your reply. You gave us a lot of really good information.

My wife orders nasi goreng every time we go to Rembrandt's, and we were both quite sure that there was no rijstafel there. Thank s for confirming that we were right.

You know that restaurant, Warung, sounds very familiar. Many years ago, late 1980's or early 1990's, there was an Indonesian restaurant downtown in Oranjestad with a similar name. I think it was Warung Java (or something like that). I think it translates into Java Cottage. We used to go there and also to Bali, the floating restaurant in the harbour.

Again, dank U for your reply.

Glenn

Winnipeg, Canada

JohnT · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject:

I remember something called Warung Dawa...or something like the names already mentioned. We never went there.
Forgive my ignorance as I type, but I know I have had Bami Goreng or Nasi Goreng at Tulip...now that I think of it, I figure that Nasi is N for noodles (in my addled memory). The other must be rice.
I copied a recipe from the Internet when we got home in early October. I think it was called something like "My Grandmother's Nasi Goreng". For better or worse, I thought I would make it and serve it to a couple of Aruba-phile people who have accompanied us to Aruba.
Most recently, our friend Steven (who likes to cook) made a recipe that he found in Aruba Today newspaper when we were there this September. It was meatballs in a North African style and it was excellent.

dutchdushi · Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:18 pm Post subject:

To enlighten you more: warung means shop, nasi is rice and bami noodles. It could be Warung Djawa or something like that. That was the name that came up in my mind yesterday, but wasn't sure. They also serve Surinam food. Since most Surinam restaurants are run by people whose ancestors came from Indonesia in the early years of the 20th Century, these restaurants do serve Indonesian dishes as well.