Hummingbird is the latest and a very fine addition to the already enriched modern culinary of Bandung. Jakarta may boast its high-profile or international franchise brands, but Bandung with its budding cafe with their ability to manipulate or sometimes notoriously imitating but often they can offer the better quality and fiercely competitive in price.
Located on an increasingly busy and popular Jl. Progo just nearby the ever-populated fashion outlets and Jonas Photo in Martadinata vicinity, Hummingbird can be easily recognized from its white ‘bird nest’ that covers the outdoor seats. But trust me that you wouldn’t wanna be seated there on a bright sunny day.
So what’s it like inside? Well, first of all Hummingbird preserves the stature of the old colonial house it resides in but revamping the interiors only with modern style minimalist concept that relies heavily on woodwork, let alone the colonial era tiles.
The name Hummingbird itself is not just for show but you will see that they paint the details about the bird all over the walls inside. This reminds me of my cousin who cares so much about biology and he can definitely take pictures about the nature! Aside from that, the place itself is very neatly decorated and quite comfortable though most of the times are full of patrons. Well, be sure to reserve first unless you wanna get ‘grilled’ outside. I imagine though that the lighting would be very nice once the day gets dark.
As for the menu, it reminds me a lot about Kitchenette and definitely about the pancake fever lately caused by either Pancious or Nanny’s Pavillon. Luckily, Hummingbird stays off the pancake but instead follows Kitchenette to the realm of crepes and galette.
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me to introduce the new culture of modern dining, imported from France and the only herald in Bandung so far is Hummingbird! The remodeled diner a la casual and rustic French and Italian is the very heart of Hummingbird. But of course they also serve steaks and Asian course.
The usual soup and salad section is available as a good opener. Influenced heavily with potato, leek, mushroom, pumpkin, or just plain chicken and corn. Whilst the salad section also plays around with greens, chicken, and ham but also adopting Asian touch such as a bit of wasabi dressing or marinated beef with lemongrass. It’s best to just set your course from the beginning if you happen to rely on the Asian style opener, then it’s best for you to continue it with the so-called Grazing menu such as the Vietnamese Spring Rolls or Indonesian Beef Risoles and even the fried calamari with togarashi. If you want a good Western fix, then there’s always the fries, chips, and the escargot.
Instead I picked their most recommended Potato Croquetas. It’s basically croquettes filled with beef ham and cheese served with dipping sauce. Each croquettes is served upon a Chinese spoon and there were 5 of them. Be careful because it’s hot and it’s best to just put a bit surgery and let the smokes come out then you’ll see the intriguing yet tempting melted cheese coming out of it! So quickly take the croquettes to the cold and tangy oriental sauce. Dip it. And there you go, a very inviting and appetizing opener! Don’t ruin it with the chili sauce because it’s already impeccable!
Not long after that, we were quickly served with the mains and that definitely ruined the goodness of an appetizer. Perhaps I should have told them to just bring it one by one but what to do anyway? It’s not a fine dining so just simply drop the attitude and just get along with the fun!
I did that and my oh my, look at the dishes we had that day for lunch. For me, a galette dish called Lucifer and the fun came from the good beef patties with mustard plus the sunny side up egg with onion jam and a cherry tomato. This reminds me a lot with the one I had way earlier at Kitchenette but I felt more contented and it’s definitely way cheaper (almost half the price!). Aside from that, it was a good dish where they can elaborate the elements gracefully and with the hidden cheese, everything to me seemed like a dream come true. The savory beef patties combined with the honey mustard and the great onion jam with the brilliant sunny side up. That’s what I call a galette and I can rest easy, once again, with the price.
Next the two great pasta dishes. The first one would be the Mushroom Stroganoff. I’m not sure what to make of the name but the dish was just excellent. The fettuccine was gloriously sauced with cream and herb butter. This may be tricky because my previous experience at A Tavola, the cream sauce was just not good enough but here, it’s just different. It’s not that creamy but the taste was just surfaced and keeps on calling me to dig and dig and dig even though it’s my mom’s dish. Haha.. Moreover, the generous mushrooms and colorful paprika were just too indulging. I had a wonderful time enjoying the creamy fettucine with the fried and non-fried mushrooms plus the exotic and colorful paprika. It was just awesome.
The second pasta dish was the Spicy Volcano Tuna and this is what I call spicy but indulging. At times, whenever I encountered a heavily spiced dishes, I’d just runaway and hide somewhere in the corner but not this one. The tuna fragrant was just too inviting to be missed and it melts good with this spicy aglio alio based spaghetti! The best thing about both dishes was that you wouldn’t wanna add parmesan or olive oil, let alone the misleading chili sauce because they were already good just the way they supposed to be!
In the end, close it with one of their pride, the Hummingbird Nectar. I got us the litchi fix and we were very satisfied with the balanced sweetness and freshness of it. We were left very satisfied in the end but more questions arose since I’m getting curious about their other dishes and especially their consistency. Surely they have made a formidable reputation with such great dishes but can they come up with future competitions? Consistency is the first key of success because if they can keep up with their style and deliciousness plus the fact that they compete seriously in terms of pricing, I believe in no time Hummingbird will lead the modern cuisine in Bandung. Hell, they’re the pride of Bandung today!
HUMMINGBIRD EATERY & GUEST HOUSE
Jl. Progo no. 14, Bandung – Indonesia
RSVP : 022- 421 25 82
Delivery Availability: Dine in only.
Website: http://hummingbird-eatery.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hummingbird-Eatery/184475778248799
Twitter: @hummingbird_eat
Halal Meter: Though not openly proclaimed halal as far as I know but they are using beef for their hams. That’s a good sign for a start.
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes, but limited only to soups, salads, sweet crepes and breakfast menu. Customization is to be questioned.
Ambience & Interior: A preserved old colonial house but with a warm touch of casual and modern interior of a chic eatery. The ‘bird nest’ covering the outdoor seats is the coolest part of the joint.
Service: Too busy to be of any help. Just remind them more and be patient though, they’d be very helpful in the end.
Pricing: Appetizers, Soups, and Salads IDR 17,500 – IDR 31,500; Crepes and Galette IDR 24,500 – IDR 32,500; Mains IDR 27,500 – 78,500; Breakfast Dishes IDR 17,500 – 35,500; Tea, Coffee, Juice, Beer and ‘Hummingbird Nectar’ IDR 10,000 – IDR 24,500.
Recommended Dishes: Spicy Beef Thai Salad, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Potato Croquetas, Hummingbird Crispy Chicken, Berrylline Crepes, Ruby’s Crepes, Rufous Galette, Lucifer Galette, Mom’s Chicken Curry, Honey Coated Beef Ribs, Oxtail ‘Masak Asam Pedas’, Hamburg Steak, Braised Osso Bucco, Rosemary Infused Roasted Chicken, Homemade Pastitso Pasta, Spicy Volcano Tuna Pasta, Mushroom Stroganoff Pasta, Cheesy Gnocchi, All ‘Hummingbird Nectars’.
Reservation: Recommended.
Operating Hours: Opens daily from 7 AM to 10.30 PM (11.30 PM on Saturday).
Payment Methods: All cards accepted.
RIAN FARISA 