Braga Permai Bandung
In the old times, Braga Permai was a very elite restaurant in Bandung. It was opened in 1923. It was known as Maison Bogarijen during the time the Dutch colonised Indonesia. In fact, a lot of businesses around Braga Street used to be owned by Dutch people.
Andrew and I were feeling peckish when we stayed at Aston Hotel, so we decided to visit Braga Permai. My family and I drove a lot around Braga area when I was little. My guitar school was located in Braga area as well, but never once we ate at Braga Permai.
I was over the moon when they had an empty seat for a walk-in customer. The service was impeccable, and they even provided us with a glass of mineral water! Tap water was unsafe in Indonesia, and we usually have to pay for our water. It was an unusual practice for a restaurant to give us free water.
Simple but delish!
I ordered my favourite pasta dish, Aglio e Olio. Yes, they have other meals there, but I always love the flavour of good Aglio e Olio. It's basically a pasta with oil, chopped chilli, peppers and garlic. Surprisingly, a lot of restaurants in Indonesia served really delicious Aglio e Olio. Braga Permai's version of Aglio e Olio was tasty, although I couldn't finish it due to the significant portion.
Andrew went for beef calzone that looked like a giant puff pastry. Indonesian restaurants usually have smaller portion than restaurants in Australia, but that wasn't the case with Braga Permai. Andrew finished his beef calzone happily.
I ended my meal with Arabica Aceh Gayo Luwak coffee brewed in a plunger. The staff explained to me about the different way of brewing coffee. We had an excellent night at Braga Permai especially with the live music that they had.
I'd recommend you to try Braga Permai if you plan to visit Bandung. The menu is quite extensive and they have different type of food that pay homage to Dutch and Indonesian roots of the restaurant.