[Food police] Salt cod and gadogado

Written by Marjolein van der Veldt & Mirjam van der Ploeg

Restaurant: Warung
Day: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Time: 12.10
Meal: Salt cod and yardlong beans & Gadogado (vegetarian)

-Temperature

Salt cod and yardlong beans 7
The thermometer tells us that the meal is 57°C. Not boiling hot, but nicely warm. The warm rice, fish and vegetables are rounded off with fresh cucumber and some prawn crackers. Do not wait too long to start eating: the plate is full, and it will cool off quickly.

Gadogado 7.5
We did a bit of research into the Indonesian culinary tradition and discovered that this dish is eaten cold or lukewarm. That’s fine, then we shall only take the temperature of the saté sauce: 50°C. We consider this okay because the cold underlayer cools it down quickly. And let’s not forget the five minutes lost while a colleague read to us about the history of the internet.

The temperature of the saté sauce reaches 50 °C.

-Structure

Salt cod and yardlong beans 8-
The rice is perfectly cooked, not sticky but also not bone dry. It forms a good basis for the creamy salt cod. The fish mixture, composed of cooked cod, tomato puree and various spices, has luckily left the structure of the fish intact. You still recognise what you are eating. The yardlong beans are well done, perhaps a bit too much for the ‘al dente’ fanatics. The crispy prawn crackers are therefore a fine addition.

Gadogado 9
Yes, that’s how it should be! The drama of overcooked vegetables in the college refectory is now ancient history. Crunchy string beans and cabbage, topped with juicy cucumber and saté sauce. We also noticed that the rice cooker is properly set up. The rice is soft, but nothing sticks between your teeth. Excellent!

-Taste

Salt cod and yardlong beans 8+
The combination of vegetables, rice and fish and the toppings is spot on. The salty of the fish, spicy vegetables, neutral rice and sour cucumber are in perfect balance. The salt cod does belong in the category of ‘an acquired taste’. If you are not a fish lover, it would be better to choose one of the many other menu options of Warung. But for those who appreciate fish, it comes highly recommended.

Gadogado 8.5
This dish is also just right. The first layer of saté sauce is a perfect base on which to lay the vegetables and rice. Such a pity that the fork (and our mouths) are not big enough to shove in even more in one mouthful.

-Quantity/ratio

Salt cod and yardlong beans 8+
Are you hungry? Then you’ve come to the right place at Warung. At least, if you order one of the menus. You receive a plateful, and rice does not make up more than 70% of it. (That is not always the case!) In contrast: there is a considerable portion of vegetables and fish in this dish. Anyone who finishes off the plate will easily be satisfied for a long while afterwards.

Gadogado 8+
It is not at all surprising that most students come here for their evening meal. Mothers would be proud to know that their children are consuming a goodly amount of vegetables, and on Meatless Monday, there is a vegetarian version with tempeh, which is a good choice! Eat like a horse and then off to the gym in X.

A decent amount of fish and veggies. 

 

-Price/quality

Salt cod and yardlong beans 6+
Although we are not happy to say so, eating at Warung is not cheap. For a menu you pay €5. You do get a full plate for that price, but it is not a student discount. Lunch here after your study loan payment arrives.

Gadogado 7
Even if you empty your piggybank, you will not have enough. Eating at this establishment is generally fun on or after pay day every month. But if you are trying to decide one evening between the daily special at De Beierd or a menu at Warung, we would definitely recommend the latter!

-Presentation

Salt cod and yardlong beans 9
When the plate full of Surinam delicacies is placed in front of you on the counter, your mouth begins to water. The golden-brown fried onions, shiny cucumber, white rice and orange-red salt cod form an attractive display. Nothing more is needed.

Gadogado 9
So much! It was almost impossible to get it all in one photo. While it appeared that the food was just heaped carelessly on your plate, we were surprised as we worked through it how all the different components are distributed. As if the chef used a measuring stick to allocate so many centimeters to the sweet and sour cucumber.

Be careful with the mango chutney!

 

-Experience

Salt cod and yardlong beans 7
At Warung you can look right in the kitchen, and see the chef at work. The different components of the dish are carefully sought out. We were luckily on time and so didn’t have to wait long for our meal. By 12:30 there was a queue, and you would need more patience before digging in to your meal.

Gadogado 8
Follow the ‘refectory principle’: in the queue before 12 if you want to be happy. The cashier was extremely helpful and friendly. The chefs had time for a chat, despite the crowds. A brief explanation of which sambal you should not put on your plate is really essential. With relaxed places to sit and a pleasant atmosphere, we could imagine ourselves in the Gili islands instead of the Dutch cold weather.
 

Final score

Salt cod and yardlong beans 7.5
Gadogado 8+