BUMBU CABE: SUNDANESE CUISINE

Sundanese cuisine, originating from West Jawa, Indonesia has finally made its way here in Kuching. Sundanese cuisine is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia and here in Kuching, a restaurant called Bumbu Cabe have managed to bring this popular cuisine to Kuching. Bumbu cabe, in which translates to mix spices or seasoning (Bumbu) and chilli (Cabe), offers a wide range of Sundanese delicacies to feast on. Ever since its opening, many locals began to visit the restaurant and each time, the restaurant had more and more customers, thus led to their latest outlet located in CityOne.

This week, The Makan Post visited Bumbu Cabe at CityOne and we were greeted by their friendly staffs then ushered to a table. I will definitely have to say, service is top-notch here.

The restaurant had a very authentic Indonesian feel to it as the walls and floors were filled with bamboos. Indonesian antiques can also be found displayed on shelves and tables. Staffs wore traditional Indonesian costumes as well which was the Kebaya.

Here in Bumbu Cabe, they offer a mix fast food concept in which customers place their orders from the wide selection of Sundanese cuisine displayed. The dishes ordered will then be served at the customer's table along with ulam-ulaman which is raw vegetables with a side of chilli sauces.

This is the ulam-ulaman.

There were a total of 4 chilli sauces served with the raw vegetables and all had their own unique taste to them. One was made from green chillies which had a slight saltiness to it and the spiciest among all 4. It was called cabe ijo. The other had a similiar taste to the one made from green chillies and was made from red chillies instead. This was milder and called sambal tomat. The 3rd one was a bit more brown, and had a slight hint of belachan and sambal in it called sambal terasi. The last one was more of a chilli salsa called sambal bomba. It had small pieces of apples tossed in chilli. This one had a slight tangy and fruity flavour to it and was more sweet, but also really spicy, Overall, all 4 of them had their own nice individual taste and texture, serving as a good compliment to the ulam-ulaman and dishes, and definitely a favourite for those who can stand the heat.



One of the drinks we wanted to try here was definitely the Sundanese coffee.

We ordered an ice milk sundanese coffee and a hot black sundanese coffee. Both were strong and good coffee however, I think that it tasted quite similar to the local brew here. Not much of a difference.



We ordered Nasi Liwet, which was fragrant rice cooked with leaves, salted egg, anchovies, onions, garlic and ginger to accompany our dishes.

It was served piping hot and as it arrived, you could smell it's aroma of garlic, ginger and onion. It was soft, fluffy, really flavourful and wasn't over powering, which made it perfect to go with the rest of the dishes.

One of their best selling dishes here is their Ayam Bakar which translates to grilled chicken. Here they have ayam bakar kicap which was grilled chicken marinated in soy sauce, ayam bakar sambal, cili and so on. Today we went with the ayam bakar sambal.

Our ayam bakar was grilled again before serving, and topped with delicious spicy looking sambal. The chicken was soft and tender and still had it's juices inside. The sambal was spicy and when eaten with the chicken, gave a nice kick to it accompanying the grilled flavours very well.

Another spicy dish we had was the Cumi Cabe Ijo which was deep fried squid tossed with the cabe ijo that was served earlier with the ulam-ulaman.

This dish was the spiciest. The squid was deep fried well, and were marinated till flavourful. It was an interesting combination and the squid was very tender as well, not rubbery.



We also ordered a mix vegetable dish which consisted of sliced cabbages, bean sprouts and long beans cut into small pieces. This dish resembles coleslaw a lot.

The vegetables were tossed in a brown gravy and I could taste that peanut sauce was used in this gravy. It was a non spicy dish and was refreshing as it helps to cool your taste buds  from the other spicy dishes.


The Tempeh is one thing I wouldn't miss ordering whenever eating Indonesian food. Tempeh is basically deep fried fermented soybeans, shaped together to form a square.  Here in Bumbu Cabe, their tempeh is braised in a dark sauce.

It was soft and so flavourful  and is actually one of the best tempeh I have ever tried. They did a good job on the marination and braising process as so much flavour has been absorbed by the tempeh.


It was a stunning meal and experience for us hear at Bumbu Cabe. Prices are reasonable for the quality, portion and not to mention, the service and experience you will get. Also, spicy food lovers will definitely enjoy dining here. Come give it a try at Bumbu Cabe.


Bumbu Cabe at Icom Square:

Ground Floor, B128 - B129,
Icom Square Jalan Pending,
94450 Kuching, Sarawak.

082 266966





Bumbu Cabe at City One Mall:

Ground Floor City One Mall,
Jalan Song,
93350 Kuching, Sarawak.

082 532666


Opening hours:
Everyday except Sunday from 11.30am to 9.30pm

This is Jolynn signing off this week's episode on The Makan Post. Stay tuned for more.

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