Enjoying Padang Taste in Den Haag

If you in Den Haag and you want to taste Padang culinary just come  to Salero Minang. It is located at Prins Hendrikstraat 150 a 2518HX Den Haag (The Hague). This restaurant has specialisation in serving some traditional food from Padang, one of region in Indonesia that is famous with its culinary. It also has other Indonesian daily meals on its menu lists. So far, Salero Minang is the only one Padang Restaurant in The Hague.

For me, this place, to some extent has been contributed to my life in Den haag; first, my tongue leisure & ... hhaha my academic. I remembered, on Sunday night, 4 February 2012, I had two missions by going to this place. The main purpose was enjoying its bazaar menu and the other aim was conducting some conversation to fulfil my report assignment on Interviewing Technique course. Well, it's kind of shooting two bottles with one bullet :'P. The food that I ordered was Nasi Tunjang. This menu has been my favourite food since I tasted it in a previous food bazaar which was also held by Salero Minang. About the conversation, I did an informal interview with Mrs. Erita Lubeek by asking direction of a place that I do not know where the location is in Den Haag as the requirement of the assignment.

Tunjang and Nasi Tahu Buncis, one of the menus

Source: Own Collection, 9 February 2012.

While eating, I continue to make some exchanges with her about another topic: her restaurant and her life. There was not too much information that I could gain from our chit-chat. It was because I didn't want to bother her from serving her customers. I just know that she has been already living in Netherland for 14 years. It started when she moved from Jakarta to accompany her husband, Mr. Lubeek who is a Dutch man. She can speak Dutch fluently. I know it from the way she served some Dutch people who came to order some menus. She admitted that she is still learning about this kind of business. For example, in her Padang food menu, she has to adjust with the Dutch tongue which is not too familiar with the original taste that is quite spicy. About promotion, she tends to use internet social network such as facebook and she participated in regularly big programme like Indonesian Night Market. She is really enthusiastic to develop her business although she hasn't had regularly workers. Now she just relies on some of her voluntary assistants.

Besides her restaurant in The Hague which is opened every Tuesday to Sunday at 12.00 pm to 20.00 pm, she also serves in Blaak Markt Rotterdam every Saturday at 09.00 am to 17.00 pm. She said that the location in the Blaak Markt is easily found, because it is very near from Blaak train station in Rotterdam. Usually she sells Padang food in Blaak markt based on advanced order.

A Senior Dutch, one of Salero Minang's customers

Source: Own Collection, 9 February 2012.