Garuda!!!

Garuda is a Padang (a town in West Sumatra) fast-food chain in Indonesia. They serve splendid curry chicken and fried chicken.



I call them a fast-food for a reason. A typical Padang restaurant in Indonesia serves all the dishes instantaneously after you settled yourself on the seat. The dishes are served on small plates and the full range on the menu will be served to you. An experience waiter can carry all these plates (as shown on the picture) with his 2 hands! Customer can then choose whichever dish they fancy. Any untouched dishes would be returned to the kitchen and will not be charged to your bill. Dirty you may think, but that's how it is. Best of all, the Padang food is mostly enjoyed with bare hands. Fork and spoon would have spoilt the taste and total experience.

When I was young, I get a thrill of getting away pinching a small shrimp from a dish without the waiter knowing. The feeling of knowing that the shrimp came free was really satisfying. I assure you I do not commit such acts now.



When I hear that Garuda has opened it's outlets in Singapore, I was overjoyed. But not for long... The quality of the food is not as good as that of Indonesia's. Could it be that the chicken is just different in Singapore? Of course the other factor is the price. In Singapore, it probably would cost around S$15 per pax excluding dessert. This same amount would have been able to cover for 2 to 3 persons in Indonesia.

...the one who will always miss the Garuda of Indonesia

photo credit