RM Kalasan

my mom grew up in Cilegon area and my dad was buried in the graveyard there.. so once in a while, we went there to pay our respect and visit our relatives there.. Cilegon is famous for the largest stainless steel factory in Indonesia and for Anyer beach located not far from there.. other than that, I don't recall any news about Cilegon.. a small but rapidly developing city.. 

now where can I find something good to eat in such a small city? well, thank God and thank my mom, we managed to found this hidden gem.. it was located on the side of the street, with a huge banner informing the service for driving license.. a huge 'RM KALASAN' was somehow easy to be missed, thus you need to drive slowly to find it.. it was a really hot and dry Wednesday afternoon when we stop by here.. a humble eatery with no air conditioner, only to rely on the natural wind.. quite old, I summarize looking at the menu and the furniture.. though I was in doubt, I can't help but notice how people keep coming.. well, I suppose it's a good sign, eh?

the menu was quite straight-forward, mostly serving Javanese cuisine.. the most popular dish would be kalasan chicken which is ayam kampung cooked in coconut milk for quite some time to ensure the chicken is well-seasoned.. the other recommendation was gudeg or boiled jackfruit in palm sugar and coconut milk.. now, I want to try everything thus I ordered nasi gudeg komplit (Rp32,500) which includes one kalasan chicken, a portion of gudeg, sambal goreng krecek and telur pindang.. while my brother picked kalasan chicken (Rp17,500), rice (Rp5,000) and stir-fried water spinach (Rp10,000)..

the chicken was delicate.. it was tender with delicious seasoning.. the chili was a nice touch, though it was far from spicy.. the gudeg package was as good as the one I tasted in Yogya.. it was not overly sweet and well-balanced.. personally, my favorite is krecek since it has a hint of spiciness combined with the delicate coconut milk.. the water spinach was cooked in oyster sauce, which makes it more of a Chinese cuisine.. and for a Rp10,000 price, the portion was huge as it was shared among the three of us.. and surprisingly, it tasted really delicious.. well, apparently, this small eatery is truly a hidden gem.. simple yet delish Javanese cuisine..

RM Kalasan

Jl. Simpang Tiga No. 93

Cilegon, Banten

Ph.: 62254 398406/392325