Soeboer: the Indonesian diamond of the Hague
When I think about authentic Indonesian food with immense historical significance, I think about Soeboer. Soeboer, which stands for fertility in Indonesian, isn’t just any Indonesian restaurant; it’s a true phenomenon. From the moment it opened its doors in 1958, the restaurant has enjoyed tremendous success. With two successful establishments in the Hague, Soeboer’s name resonates through the streets of my city. But what makes Soeboer so special? I talked to Salma Ettahiri (manager of Soeboer) to discuss the story behind Soeboer, and its significance to the old as well as the new generations.
Salma Ettahiri
Salma Ettahiri has been the manager of all the Soeboer establishments for the last 3,5 years. Before she started working for Soeboer she had no experience in hospitality, but by coincidence she ended up as the manager. Salma: “Before I got this managerial job, I worked for the justice department, which is a completely different field of work. After working there for 6 years, I knew I needed a change. Coincidentally I got in touch with the proud owners of Soeboer, Mr. Flink and Mrs. Pols, who offered me the position of manager. I left my job at the justice department and I’ve been dedicated to Soeboer ever since.” Even though Salma isn’t Indonesian, she has a deep love for Indonesian cuisine. Salma: “I was seven years old when I tasted Indonesian food for the first time. We were having dinner at my sister’s friend’s house and I still remember how much I loved the food. I also never lost that love for Indonesian cuisine. In fact, it has only grown stronger over the years.”
The founders of Soeboer
Soeboer was founded by the Kajat family, who are originally from the island of Java. Aminah Kajat comes from Magalang and Mohammed Kajat comes from Tulung Agung. Both Aminah and Mohammed were one of the first Indonesians to move to the Netherlands for work purposes. They met each other when they were both working in the Netherlands and not long after they met, they decided to get married. Once they settled in Amsterdam, they decided to adopt sisters Martina and Maria. Both sisters were born in Amsterdam, but are fully Indonesian. Aminah and Mohammed raised both sisters as their own and together they formed a loving family.
Before the Kajat family decided to open Soeboer, Mohammed worked at a small diner named ‘Bali’ in Scheveningen. In the year 1958 the Kajat family opened restaurant Soeboer in the Koningsstraat in the Hague. The restaurant was a great success from the moment it opened its doors. Aminah and Mohammed prepared all the food themselves and made sure the food was authentic Javanese. Salma: “During the 60s people would come to the restaurant with an empty pot, which the Kajat family would fill with their homemade food. The bigger your pot, the more food you’d get.” As soon as Martina and Maria were old enough to work, they started helping out in the restaurant. Until today, Martina is still volunteering at restaurant Soeboer.
Expanding business
With the Soeboer restaurant doing so well, the Kajat family decided to expand their business. They moved their restaurant from the Koningstraat to the Brouwersgracht, because the municipality of the Hague decided to build high-rise buildings throughout the Koningstraat. Up until now their restaurant at the Brouwersgracht is still their most visited establishment. Salma: “Many people from the older generation, so people who are now in their 90s, come to the restaurant to eat our food and talk about the old days. They still remember and respect the Kajat family and the restaurant feels like home to them.” Apart from the older generations, the Soeboer restaurant is also visited by our very own Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Salma: “It’s a well known fact that our Prime Minister eats at Soeboer once a week. He loves our food!”
Soeboer opened its second establishment, Waroeng Soeboer, four years ago. This small but cozy diner is located in the Piet Heijnstraat, right in the heart of the Hague. Ever since this small diner opened its doors it has enjoyed great success. People often come to the diner to order one of Soeboer’s takeaway menu’s, but many people also stay at the diner to enjoy Soeboer’s delicious food while chatting with the friendly staff.
With business going so well, Soeboer has decided to open its third establishment at the Assenburgweg in Moerwijk. The new establishment, which is called Soeboer garden, is scheduled to open in august 2016 and serves the exact same food as the restaurant at the Brouwersgracht. What makes Soeboer garden different from the restaurant at the Brouwersgracht is its magnificent location. Visitors of Soeboer garden will have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful serene garden that is located next to the restaurant while enjoying Soeboer’s magnificent cuisine. When contemplating the success of Soeboer’s first two establishments, I have no doubt that Soeboer Garden will be just as successful as its predecessors.
The Kajat hospitality
The one thing that the Kajat family was famous for was their hospitality. Salma: “Back in the day there was this rugby team of young boys who would always get free meals from the Kajat family. Those same boys, who are now men, still come to our restaurant with their entire families to enjoy our food.” Martina, who is the only person that’s left of the Kajat family, is also known for her incredible hospitality. Every Friday she works as the hostess at the restaurant and most of the people that come to the restaurant go there to enjoy her hospitality. Even though she’s already 66 years old, Martina continues to work hard and pours her heart and soul into Soeboer.
Besides Martina, the other staff members are also known for their hospitality. Salma: “Apart from our food, it’s also our staff that makes Soeboer unique. Our staff members are like a real family; we see each other as brothers and sisters and we also treat our customers like family, because that is what they are to us. We often get emails from clients saying how happy they are with the staff and how they feel at home at our restaurant."
Authentic kitchen
Soeboer’s kitchen can be summed up in two words: gorgeously authentic! With a focus on Central Java’s cuisine, Soeboer’s food is incredibly diverse in flavors. Salma: “Indonesian cuisine is very tasteful. When you taste an Indonesian dish it’s like a bomb of flavors explode in your mouth; different flavors that really compliment each other. Indonesia is a huge country and each district has its own type of food. In certain districts the food is spicier whereas in other districts the food is far milder. Central Java cuisine has both mild and spicy elements and is therefore very diverse. Our goal is to make authentic Indonesian food that is appreciated by the community.”
In order to guarantee authenticity in her food, Soeboer’s kitchen is run by Indonesian cooks only. All of these cooks have grown up with the Indonesian cuisine and know its flavors by heart. This has also been noticed by many of Soeboer’s customers. Salma: “Once we had an Indonesian lady in the store who had tried our sajoer lodeh. She was so excited about the dish that she immediately called her family in Indonesia to tell them that the sajoer lodeh she had just tried, tasted the same as the sajoer lodeh from her home country. There’s really no better compliment than to hear that your food tastes the same as the food that’s served in Indonesia."
Popular dishes
Each Soeboer establishment has its own popular dishes. Salma: “The most ordered dish at our takeaway at the Brouwersgracht is nasi rames. It’s normal for each customer to order 3 to 4 portions of nasi rames and these portions are fairly big. At our diner and takeaway at the Piet Heijnstraat ayam katjang monyet (chicken cashew) and terong blado (spicy eggplant) are the two most popular dishes. Also our lapis legit (spekkoek) gets ordered a lot!” Soeboer also offers little menus for 6,50 euro’s that include rice as well as a vegetable an egg and meat of your choice.
Wishes for the Future
With Soeboer’s incredible success, is there anything left to wish for in the future? Salma: “We would really love for Soeboer to go international. I’ve gotten many requests to open a restaurant in London as well as in Germany, which is definitely something we’re considering. However, if we do go international, we want to make sure that we can still cook with fresh ingredients. Soeboer’s success is dependent on the use of the best and most fresh ingredients for our dishes and we want to make sure that our food is of the quality at all our establishments.”
Indonesian Restaurant Soeboer Brouwersgracht 29, 2512 EP Den Haag 070 - 3883737
Waroeng Soeboer Piet Heinstraat 114, 2518 CM Den Haag 070 - 364 57 80 Restaurant / Waroeng Soeboer Garden Assumburgweg 2, 2531 RX Den Haag 070 - 336 11 78
Contact: info@soeboer.nl
Website: www.soeboer.nl
Facebook Soeboer 1958: https://www.facebook.com/Soeboer1958/