Bandung Legendary Eatery : Toko You

Weeks ago, I got a recommendation from Bayu Amus about some famous Bandung culinary destinations from fancy cafe to legendary diner. Toko You happened to be one of them. Many other food bloggers also recommend this place for me. In fact, they’re quite surprised I know nothing about Toko You before.

I was like, how could I not notice this place before? It’s been there since the 80s! Well, blame it on their restaurant sign – THERE ARE NO SIGN AT ALL! And what I mean by ‘no sign’ is really.. nothing. Not even a small board written Toko You.

Surprisingly, the seats inside are almost full. I could only spot 1 small empty table with 2 chairs around it. Just perfect for me and Fred!

Now watch your mouth from drooling as we’re going to take the most exciting part. Taste all the foods!

Mie Yamin Manis

One of the most popular dish here in Toko You is its Mie Yamin.

For those who might not be familiar with it, here’s the thing. Mie Yamin is some kind of Indonesian-Chinese style noodle, boiled in hot chicken broth, served with minced chicken and vegetables plus sweet soya! Take the sweet soya out, and it will become Mie Ayam (Chicken Noodle). It comes out with a bowl of chicken broth and some dumplings or meatballs.

I love it! Too bad the portion is too small for me.

Rawon Bakar (Grilled Rawon)

Who likes Rawon?

Well… some of you might not be familiar with it since it’s a kind of Indonesian traditional food. It came from Surabaya. And there are beef slices served with some kind of black soup. I don’t know what they put into the soup but it tasted really good! It is strong and rich. I heard that the main spices is Keluak.

The Rawon they serve in Toko You is kinda different with the one I usually find elsewhere. The beef slices are usually dump into the soup, but here, it’s grilled and served separately.

It tasted best together with the salted egg!

Fried Squid with Chili Sauce and Sauteed Broccoli

This was Fred’s choice and I’m glad he did! The squid was crispy, soft, and chewy at the same time. And the chili sauce is just perfect for me. Not too spicy yet still has a little kicks out of it. It comes with a big portion of steam rice.

Es Campur

Ah this was a mistake. I was craving for something sweet to drink and then I came across this dessert at the menu list. But then later I found that this mixed shaved ice was way too sweet! (for me). Mixed Shaved Ice was actually kinda popular in my hometown, Jambi. There are red beans, cincau, jackfruits (yuck!), avocado, and I-dont-know-whatelse-they-put-in-there, and then toped with shaved ice and some pour of condensed milk. Sometimes they put extra sugar syrup.

I used to love having a bowl of mixed shaved ice (we call it ‘es campur‘ here) in my hometown when the heat was terrible. But I think I’m not gonna have another bowl of es campur until next year after I had this one. It is… terrible.

But don’t get this wrong, their main-course meals are definitely worth it! I even came here twice in 2 weeks. And hell yeah I’m gonna come back for another lunch 😀

Anyway, they also sells good coffee here. It’s AROMA coffee, a famous local coffee brand from Bandung.

Tips

Go early before lunch time since it might get crowded at 12. Place your order before 11 pm. And if you don’t feel like you’re having a fancy drink, don’t order anything since they will give you a cup of hot tea for FREE!

Location

Toko You
Jl. Hasanudin No. 12 Lebak Gede Coblong
Bandung Jawa Barat, Indonesia
Phone:+62 22 2503332

Price : 17K – 50k Rupiah