Vientiane, Laos (ANTARA) – “Every time I come home from abroad, my complaint is that it’s hard to find Indonesian food, once there is it, it’s expensive,” said Reinhard Renov, owner of an Indonesian restaurant called Rempah in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, in early November 2024 to ANTARA .
Reinhard’s words describe the longing of migrants for authentic Indonesian flavors that are difficult to find abroad.
For Reinhard, the Rempah restaurant, which was founded last year, is the answer, bringing the aroma of Indonesian spices to the people of Laos and at the same time providing a remedy for longing for the Indonesian diaspora there without having to dig too deep into their pockets.
In Vientiane, apart from local restaurants, there are a number of restaurants that sell food typical of other countries in Asia, such as Japanese, Korean and Indian restaurants.
Rempah is not the first Indonesian restaurant, you could say this is the second place to introduce Indonesian cuisine.
However, the concept is a restaurant that can be used as a place to gather with compatriots, or even invite culinary connoisseurs from other countries to taste Indonesian cuisine.
As the name suggests, the Rempah restaurant serves Indonesian dishes with spices that make them taste authentic.
“Spice Up the World with Rempah” is the jargon of this restaurant which is open every Tuesday-Sunday.
Even though it was founded in 2023, Rempah only inaugurated a restaurant that culinary connoisseurs can visit at the end of October 2024, including the Indonesian Ambassador to Lao PDR, Grata Endah Werdaningtyas.
Previously, Rempah collaborated with food ordering service Foodpanda in Laos. If you want to enjoy a meal there, consumers simply order it via the application on their cellphone, then the food will be sent to the specified address.
Apart from that, this restaurant also provides food for Indonesian delegates at international conferences held in Laos, one of which is the Secretariat of the Indonesian Vice President at the ASEAN Summit.
Finally, in November 2024, Rempah inaugurated the restaurant located at Khunta Residence, Vientiane. Even though it had only been open for a few days when ANTARA visited, it was not difficult to find the location when ordering an online taxi service in Laos.
The new white and minimalist building immediately greets the eye. The room is spacious with bright sunlight thanks to the wide windows that show through heritage house Typical of Laos, which is similar to Indonesian Rumah Gadang.
This restaurant contains wooden chairs and tables that can accommodate large groups of guests, or those who want to eat alone.
There are also soft sofas that can make it more fun for visitors to eat and chat for a long time. The eyes are also pampered with Indonesian batik decorations and Sin cloth from Laos.
The room felt warm because it was filled with the Indonesian diaspora who had made reservations, and there were also visitors from embassies from other countries who enjoyed the meal.
In the midst of his busy schedule cooking orders for guests, Reinhard said rendang is the menu that is most promoted as one of Indonesia’s famous culinary delights. That’s why rendang is on the first page of the Rempah menu book.
“But the most popular thing over the (past) year is chicken penyet, which is very loved by the Lao people because they have the same taste, they both like shrimp paste,” he explained.
Halal ingredients
As countries that are both in Southeast Asia, some of the spices used in Indonesian cooking can also be found in Laos. But there are also kitchen spices that can only be brought from Indonesia.
“Candlenuts, sweet soy sauce, and bay leaves, these must be brought from Indonesia,” said Reinhard, who studied business from Surabaya.
Not only typical spices in Indonesian cuisine, halal ingredients are also imported from outside countries where the majority of people adhere to Buddhism.
This restaurant has not yet issued a halal certificate, but it ensures that all the products used are halal.
Suppliers who provide halal ingredients or imported ingredients from Thailand are the key to serving halal Indonesian food. In the future, when there is an opportunity to get halal certification, he said he will immediately take care of it so that Rempah has an official halal certificate.
The food at the Rempah restaurant is cooked by Reinhard and his mother himself.
They share tasks with each other. Reinhard cooks foods such as chicken in the kitchen located at the back of the restaurant, while his mother cooks foods with a strong aroma such as fish in a kitchen separate from the restaurant.
Reinhard doesn’t have a culinary school background, but his family does have a catering business. Apparently, his cooking talent also passed down to him.
The variety of Indonesian dishes served at Rempah is very diverse, not only sourced from one region. He really wants to present a variety of Indonesian culinary delights.
“Because Indonesia is from Sabang to Merauke, that’s how much food we have,” said the businessman whose mother comes from Papua, while his father comes from Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.
Every weekend, there are special menus that you can try. This menu will alternate, for example meatballs, soto, and vegetable lodeh. So, consumers who come every week will not feel bored because they can try different foods.
Full of spices
ANTARA tasted a number of mainstay menus from Rempah which made me long to return to my hometown.
While waiting for the food to arrive, we quenched our thirst with typical Indonesian tea and fresh lemongrass tea.
The first food we tasted was Nasi Dendeng Batokok, consisting of rice topped with fried onions, dendeng batokok complete with balado chili sauce, and eggplant with savory chili sauce.
This West Sumatran specialty beef tastes soft because it has been beaten so that it becomes soft and can absorb the spices. The combination of meat, chili sauce and rice tastes right.
Other menus are Dabu-Dabu Fried Fish Rice and Balado Fried Fish Rice. The difference between the two is the sauce used. Fried tilapia tastes delicious and addictive.
The spicy balado chili sauce is just as suitable as the dabu-dabu chili sauce which is made from chopped tomatoes, chilies, garlic and lime juice.
We also tried our favorite dishes, namely penyet chicken and grilled chicken. The portions are big, you’ll definitely be full! The ayam penyet sambal is really spicy, while the grilled chicken is more suitable for those with a sweet tooth.
Don’t forget to order the Vegetable Pecel too! The sweet taste of boiled vegetables, fried tofu and boiled eggs with authentic pecel sauce can slightly dispel the spiciness of the balado sambal, penyet sambal and dabu dabu sambal that we previously ate.
For chili sauce lovers, don’t worry, because you can order chili sauce separately, namely green chili sauce, balado chili sauce, dabu-dabu chili sauce, and also shrimp paste chili sauce.
The pieces of peanut brittle, which are certainly hard to find in Laos, make it even more special. According to Reinhard, the taste of this vegetable pecel is similar to Madiun pecel.
Still not full? There are lots of snacks that you can order, such as French fries, fried chicken wings, curly corn, spring rolls, stuffed tofu, as well as cakes such as soft carrot cake.
You can enjoy a package of rice and side dishes at a price range of 80,000-120,000 kip (around Rp. 58,000-Rp. 86,000).
If you are in Vientiane or miss Indonesian cuisine, this place is a must visit!
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Editor: Primayanti
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