Astro Restaurant is not Just About Strawberries
Few months ago, The Homerie went home to Bandung. We only passed six days there, but we managed to visit some interesting places. We went south, to Garut. One of our agendas was attending a family gathering held in Nasi Liwet Asep Stroberi Restaurant. People simply called it Astro, the acronym of "Asep Stroberi". It's a combination of the owner’s name (Asep Haelusna) and its featured product (various strawberry menu).
The restaurant area is very large and pretty hilly. Up and down, looking for the good cottage to book was exhausting enough for me. So, if you want to explore Astro, corner to corner, play the games there, not just eat and enjoy the view, I suggest you to workout a bit before, because Astro is not just a restaurant. It is a little adventure to cheer up family members.
For Yayah and Ara, it was first time they visit Astro. But for Bunda, it was the third. First time was in 2007, two years after that nature theme restaurant had been built. Bunda recalled, besides enjoying the food, she also had fun picking the strawberry fruits from the garden. She arrived just in time, in strawberry season! It was very amusing. However, you must pay what you harvested in the garden. The staff will charge you per kilogram strawberry you take.
Now the question is, do you like strawberry? Bunda is a fan of it. Although the taste of the fruit is sour.
For ones who are not-so-strawberry-fans, don’t worry, there are still a lot of other deliciousness in Astro. The main dish here is nasi liwet (cooked rice with some seasoning such as union, garlic, salt, chili, coconut milk) served in a casserole with fried or roasted chicken or gurame, tempeh, tofu, salad, and sambal (sauce).
You can also try another sundanese food like nasi tutug oncom (cooked rice with fermented tempeh). And there is sambal stroberi (strawberry sauce). Hot and sour. Yummy!
Try also Astro’s fried rice, soup, tofu, otak-otak (steamed seafood). Of course, there is always a strawberry juice. And due to chill temperature, Astro serves the hot beverages too, which are hot lemon tea, ginseng coffee, bandrek and bajigur, and so on.
The second time Bunda went to Astro, by the way, was in 2008. She tried a raw boat on the artificial river. Yes, another fun, another adventure.
Astro also has flying fox, horse riding, and ceramics handicraft workshop (where you can be the pottery artist).
The Homerie in Astro
Yayah and her nephew were also dying to slide on flying fox up there. But when he went to Astro's information center, the staff said, "It is being maintained. We're sorry."
Bunda was glad. Because, Yayah had teased her to play flying fox with him. Whereas, she do always fear of height.
She looked to the flying fox tower and strings. It wasn't so high, actually. The track wasn't long either. She believe, the construction was built by a reliable stainless steel fabrication. No doubt about the strength and the safety. However, fear is fear, right?
After all the games, we backed to the cottage. Enjoying cool, natural air. Despite of its position that's near a highway, inside the restaurant, we are like in the village where everything is fresh. No air pollution.
It was relaxing to just sit or lie down on the gazebo floor. Chit-chatting, making some jokes, watching the golden fishes in the pool beneath our gazebo, listening the sound of clinking water from the waterwheel on the river, enjoying the view from green rice field and hills.
Beautiful sights, indeed. Beautiful ambiance, as well.
Where the Asep Stroberi is
If you want to go to Tasikmalaya from Bandung, West Java, you will meet a crossroad to Bandung, Garut and Tasikmalaya. Pick the road to Tasikmalaya and watch your left. See the strawberry statue or the mosque with strawberry dome? That’s Asep Stroberi a.k.a Astro in Limbangan. It opens from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.Another Astro is in Garut and Kadungora. We haven't visited them all, but some people said that they serve differently. There are fishing pool and biking area. The views should be as lovely as in Astro Limbangan.
- Photos by Homerie