Matahari Guesthouse & Restaurant — Restaurant in North Sumatra

This place was honestly a nightmare. Do not eat here. I only gave it two stars because the main chef was very friendly, and you can tell she’s trying her best. The first issue was that the service was incredibly slow with no communication. It’s clear that these women make their sauces from scratch, but they did not manage expectations, especially when we kept asking how long it would take for food to come out. It took over 45 minutes to be served!

I ordered the pesto pasta, one of my favorites. I asked the waitress if they could add and mushrooms because it did not come with any vegetables. She said this was possible. I also asked for a little extra sauce on the side, because I love Cuscot. She said this was OK too. But 45 minutes later I received a massive portion of pasta with hardly any sauce and NO mushrooms.

I argued with the waitress, and she made me pay extra for the sauce and the mushrooms. It turns out that the chef had thought I wanted the mushrooms minced and mixed into the pesto sauce, which explains why the pesto sauce was so bitter and terrible! I’m confused, why would someone put pesto in to the sauce and out into the dish?

So moral of the story, if you come to eat here do not ask for any changes or substitutions to your meal. Also make sure you have good company and something to drink while you wait for the kitchen for 45+ minutes to...

I spent 3 nights at Matahari Guesthouse with my boyfriend and it was fabulous. The room is quite big with fan and private bathroom. The bathroom is basic. But it is more than compensated by everything else! A tropical garden on the doorstep overlooking the lake (possibility to swim). The owner's family is lovely and very helpful. You can also enjoy the restaurant of the guesthouse (tested and approved). And finally the owners kindly took us to Tomok on the last day so that we could take...

Brilliant place, idyllic spot set in beautiful gardens right on the edge of the lake. The food in the restaurant is also excellent everything is freshly prepared by Elsa who is a great cook and a really good singer, singing as she prepares the food. We ate here every day, sometimes twice. There's a great selection of Indonesian food and western style breakfast dishes. Would love to come...