Indonesians are serious about their sate. There are numerous kinds--chicken and goat are the most popular, but you can also find beef, pork, rabbit, turtle, and dog, depending on where you are. And for each variety there are different interpretations. Sate ayam (chicken sate) Ponorogo is different from sate ayam Blora and sate ayam Madura. In my wife's hometown, Kediri, the local favorite is sate ayam Ponorogo, in particular Pak Siboen's interepretation of the dish.
The sign claims Pak Siboen started selling sate in 1937, so he has a good track record. The original Pak Siboen is no longer with us, and this restaurant is operated by one of his sons. He opened it in 1954 and has also opened branches in Malang and Jakarta. Another child operates another restaurant by the same name two doors down, but the locals favor the original.
Although I almost never disagree with my wife ;-), I am not as impressed with the sate here as she is. Perhaps it's because I am more a sate ayam Blora fan, but I find Pak Siboen's sate to be somewhat lackluster in taste. Still, 14,000 Rp (approximately $1.50) for ten sticks of chicken sate doesn't justify marital discord. For 9,000 Rp you can get ten sticks of chicken skin sate, or liver, or gizzards. I'm a straight meat man myself.
I prefer lontong to regular rice with sate, but they didn't have lontong the night we went. Being a halal establishment, bir is not an option among the beverages. For people like myself who don't like sweet soft drinks, I recommend es teh tawar (plain ice tea). It is available in virtually any establishment that has ice (and even the smallest warungs usually have ice) and is both refreshing and cheap.
Sate Ayam Ponorogo
Jl. Dhoho, dkt alunalun
Kediri, Jatim
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