Padang, Bukit Tinggi and Mandeh Islands : A feast for the taste buds, the eyes and soul

There’s a craze in Malaysia for Padang food. Viral videos on social media everywhere will show you the best spots to get traditional Padang cuisine. I went a little extreme. Instead of going to these spots, I decided to take a 40-minute flight to where else, but Padang, West Sumatera itself.

The city of Padang reminded me a lot of Bali. Probably due to the small busy roads. If you stay in the middle of the city center most tourist spots are within walking distance. One thing that I noticed is the café culture in the city. Teenagers and young adults seemed to swarm at these cafes at night. It’s the kind of cafe that is worth taking pictures for your social media posts. That is basically how I sum up the nightlife in Padang.

The next day, we headed to Bukit Tinggi. It is a must-see place for Malaysian tourists. Along the way, we stopped at as many local restaurants as possible to get a taste of the ever-famous Padang food.

I was a skeptic. For me, rendang is rendang. It will always taste like rendang which most of the time will be served during Hari Raya in Malaysia. To be perfectly honest am not a fan of rendang. But when I got to a restaurant in the middle of Bukit Tinggi town, I became a newborn rendang fan.

To me, rendang is not just a rendang anymore. It tasted heavenly in my mouth, with its perfectly blended coconut taste, soft tender meat, and the smell, how can I ever forget about the smell, delicious. I had my first ayam pop which is a steamed chicken marinated in herbs and all those chilies paste that goes with other dishes, I savored every moment of eating every cuisine on the table. I have fallen for Padang food.

Even a simple dish like Satay Padang and durian and coconut milk with glutinous rice tasted so satisfying. All the ingredients just balanced out each other the sweetness, and saltiness it was perfect. My taste buds were in heaven.

But this place is not all about its glorious food. The lush forests, the beautiful hills and terrain, and the waterfalls beside the road you will be awed by the magnificent landscape and nature that this place has to offer.

Along the road in Bukit Tinggi, you will see acres and acres of paddy fields with hills and mountains in the background. It looked like a painting only this time it was real. I was fortunate enough to stay at Padi Ecolodge where the villas are in the middle of paddy fields and next to a stream river.

The lodge was everything that I would have hoped for because it still maintains the Minang Kabau elements with its buffalo horns roof which is a signature architecture there. Staying there was blissful.

The next day we drove to Mandeh Islands. A true soul-healing destination. One can either snorkel at Cubadak Island or if you feel a bit more adventurous you can do cliff diving at Si Ronjong Island, chilling and sunbathing at Sutan Island, or paddle boarding at Sultan Tarusan. You can do all this in a one-day trip with Govana Adventure.

If people ask me, how would I rate my travel to these places, I would say I can’t even rate it. It was too beautiful to put a measurement on such an amazing view, heavenly tasting food, and serene and peaceful ambiance. What I can do though is tell everyone to take that 40-minute flight to Padang and experience it yourselves.

Wan Azfarozza is a communication and media lecturer at a local university. Her quest to discover new cultures and people led to her passion to travel and share her experiences through her writings in various media outlets.