j25: TUGU DINING and MUSEUM I

HILLMAN INDONESIA ADVENTURE
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25. TUGU DINING and MUSEUM I
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Hotel Tugu Malang
The Art, Soul and Romance of Old Java
Malang, a cool-weathered town once dubbed ‘the Paris of Southeast Asia’, 800 meters above the sea level is surrounded by lush rolling green hills of apple, tea, coffee plantations, waterfalls and tropical forests. It was once the town where all the Dutch plantation masters retired in beautiful colonial houses. It is a perfect base for visiting the majestic volcano Mount Bromo, and is surrounded by Hindu temples ruins from centuries-old kingdoms.
Tugu Malang is located at the heart of the old town, looking out to the main monument of Indonesia’s struggle for independence and a beautiful lotus pond park. Tugu Malang houses a vast, priceless collection of antiques influenced by the Javanese Babah Peranakan (the hundreds-years-old mixed culture between the Chinese migrants in Java and the native Javanese). Tugu Malang is more than just a hotel; it has become most indigenous, most essential in experiencing the beautiful richness of the history of Java.
Hotel Tugu Malang is the first property of all Tugu Hotels, built and designed by the founder of all Tugu hotels to house the largest antique collection in Indonesia. It has legendarily hosted every president of the country, world personalities in politics and entertainment, and has been constantly listed as one of the best and most unique hotels in the world.
Malang has its own airport servicing flights from Jakarta and Bali. Malang airport is 30 minutes drive from Hotel Tugu Malang, whereas the international airport of Surabaya is 2.5 hours from Hotel Tugu Malang. Hotel Tugu Malang is also easily reachable by train from Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Banyuwangi and all cities in Java. The train station is only 2 minutes from Hotel Tugu Malang.

*** Waiting to go in for supper
*** This presentation really made a statement with a huge cracker of some kind.

Vera took us to this unusual restaurant / museum for our farewell to Java dinner.
It's a hotel with a unique museum, an exclusive royal suite and several dining rooms.
We were given a tour of the whole place that seemed to go on and on!

DINING DELIGHTS
The meals were reasonable and beautifully presented.
The was an amazing selection of dishes.
Banana leaves make great presentation and flowers always add a pop of colour
Chop Cay with Seafood (Chop Suey).
Nasi Goreng was popular.
Eggs make an appearance in many dishes, even on hamburgers.

Click for full-size food collage

Bill's lamb satay was delish and came with rice cakes -
steamed sticky rice rolled in leaf then cut into rounds.
There was a dip for the lamb - but we fresh mint sauce.
Sue-On ordered the "famous" Crispy Duck", which was VERY crispy.
Nothing beats the Chinese BBQ duck

Click for full-size food collage

*** Prawns
*** Curry chicken in a bowl
*** Sue-On's dessert was Cendol Dawet - a version of her favourite Cendol in Malaysia.
Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of worm-like green rice flour jelly,
coconut milk and palm sugar syrup.
It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma.
Next to the green jelly, additional toppings might be added, including diced jackfruit,
sweetened red azuki beans, or durian. Sue-On's had black rice.

Click for full-size food collage

The first room for the museum tour.
The museum was set up and in honour of an Indonesian magnate.
.

Oei Hui-lan was born on December 2, 1889 into a leading Peranakan Chinese family
in Semarang, Central Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia.
Her father, the tycoon Majoor-titulair Oei Tiong Ham, headed Kian Gwan, a trading company
founded by her grandfather Oei Tjie Sien in 1863 that became
the largest conglomerate in Southeast Asia at the start of the twentieth century.
. .