Warung GULA GARAM @ Kawona Beach Club — Restaurant in East Nusa Tenggara

Our Sumban culinary adventure hit a dead end of endless satays and mie gorengs. Hotel recommendations led us to Warung Gula Garam, a name promising a symphony of flavors – French, Italian, Asian, you name it. The reality was decidedly less opulent, though by Sumban standards, it gleamed like a forgotten disco ball. We scored the much fought over kitchen-view seats. Reasonably clean hygiene, despite dimly lit kitchen. A peculiar detail: a large, paint-can-esque container labelled "SERBAGUNA" (all-purpose) sat prominently in the kitchen. Further investigation (purely in the name of hygiene, of course) revealed this to be…margarine. Intriguing…

The menu, a delightful jumble of Western comfort food and Indonesian staples, thoughtfully included a disclaimer for our halal friends about the potential presence of pork and lard. Good on them.

For refreshments, I chose a banana milkshake – perfectly priced and delicious. Susan, ever the adventurous eater, opted for the capcay. Unfortunately, this "local favorite" turned out to be a fiery love letter to sambal, fish sauce, and peanuts. Two valiant spoonfuls later, it was escorted back to the kitchen.

The pizzas, made fresh before our eyes, boasted a certain rustic aroma. The toppings were as Sumbanese as it gets (think suspiciously rubbery pepperoni-ham slices), and the generous flour dusting that occasionally obscured the view of the actual pizza base. A true textural adventure.

On a brighter note, we met the owner, Louis, a Frenchman with Portuguese roots. A fascinating fellow who regaled us with the debate of Sumba's untapped goat cheese potential. His lovely wife, the mastermind behind my delightful (though perhaps slightly under-molten) lava cake, also graced us with her presence.

Attached to the restaurant is a charming boutique – perfectly priced for lovely posters and wood carvings. The same ones where it would cost you an arm and a leg in Bali. Even had multiple card payment options, one of which allowed me to sport and boast my brand new Livin' Mandiri card!

Overall, Warung Gula Garam offered a quirky, if slightly perplexing, dining experience. We'll definitely be back (the kids will insist!), and to Louis, we offer our best wishes – semoga sukses (may you succeed). Perhaps in your goat...

Looking for a break from hotel food, we ventured to Warung Gula Garam, a cozy spot just 5 minutes from Tambolaka Airport. This place, affectionately known as Warung GG, welcomed us under its charming straw alang-alang roof. The place was quiet, but the atmosphere was pleasant.

We casually found our tables and were greeted by a kind lady offering us a menu with a wide range of appetizers and mains. Everything from burgers with plenty of fries to sandwiches, carbonara, Grupa fish from Bali, and local Indonesian delights. After some tough deliberation, I went with the classic Pepperoni Pizza.

The owner, Louis, popped out to oversee the kitchen as the ovens roared to life. It was a treat to see them roll the dough and prep fresh ingredients before frisbee-ing them into the oven. Meanwhile, the edamame arrived in a generous portion, fresh enough to peel the lather off each pod. With the Cap Cay for the Ibu, it became the maximum Sayur.

Service was prompt, and we had a strategic view into the kitchen. I kept a good eye on the bright neon bucket of Blue Band margarine 🧈. Though it got shuffled around a few times, we were fortunate enough that the spoon never departed the can bucket. Some might say this is silly and nothing to worry about, but we were relieved to not have it whipped into any of our dishes 😂.

The pizza was tasty, and we happily shared slices with our kin sitting nearby. So far, so good on the tummy, a few hours later. Louis recommended a chocolate and vanilla dessert, which was a crisp delight that felt almost like a reward for enduring the abrasive heat outside.

Warung GG is a great spot for lunch or dinner with a laid-back atmosphere and friendly staff. Quite a reasonable price for dinner for four. Happy to recommend this place to any tourists visiting the Northwest area of Sumba near Tambolaka. You could practically walk from the airport and be greeted with smiles.

Thank you, Louis, and the team of kitchen sparkies. Please enjoy the gallery below.

Makanan yang terbaik di sekitar Tambolaka. Harus coba di sini kak. Terima...

A lovely place to enjoy food. The ambience is so calm, quiet, and warm. They have a nice seating area with small tables and chairs in a chic design. They also put nice decorations that shows Sumba culture. Green grass and plants in front of the restaurant that will give you a good feeling when entering the dining room. The staffs will greet and let you pick the tables you want. They are very friendly and well-trained and speak English very well.

They have a good variation of foods, Indonesian and or western foods. Some said that their best seller is pizza. But we also like the fish meals and nasi bakar. The taste is amazing.

The serving is quite slow as the food is prepared very thoroughly. So please wait patiently while waiting for the food. Sit and enjoy the ambience before eating is the best option.

Wifi is provided here, also a clean restroom, although the restroom is not in the same building as the restaurant, so when it rains you need to use an umbrella to go to the restroom.

What I like here is that they allow pets at the restaurant. There is a pretty white dog who greet and sit around our tables when we dined...