KEDAI Indonesian Café

🇮🇩 INDONESIA
📍 110 S. Mountain Avenue, Upland, Inland Empire
🅿️ Ample parking in plaza
🥤 No Alcohol

The word kedai roughly translates to "a shop that sells goods" and can be used for a broad range of businesses. Here in Upland, a few blocks south of where the old Route 66 passes through San Bernardino County, the word at this new café is always written in capital letters and the goods sold inside are worth noting and maybe worthy of a more exciting word.

If you have ever traveled through Indonesia and enjoy coffee, you have probably sampled many cups from a roadside warung kopi. Warung is a stand and probably a step down (in scale, not quality) from a kedai, and they are everywhere in the nation's cities and towns in addition to larger shinier chains. There is no country in Southeast Asia more into coffee, so it is a pleasure to have a new business focusing on this culture and bringing it to the Inland Empire.

In addition to espresso drinks, the shop also sells premium pour-over ($4.25 small, below) options of Balinese, Javanese, and Sumatran beans, which are also available in bags to go. Coffee from Bali tends to be more on the fruity side for those that enjoy that, while Java descriptions would be more earthy and Sumatra somewhere in between, although this is of course too general.

In addition to your daily caffeine fix(es) the kitchen here also has Indonesian favorites available for lunch and dinner, but where they truly excel is with all the goodies that pair well with coffee and tea. The refrigerated cases in front of the coffee bar are filled with different types of Indonesian cakes and breads that are all nicely heavy on the butter and often coconut.

A small cup of pour-over Javanese coffee.

One of two sweets cases.

Savories case, the pastels arrived moments later.

On this visit, a combination of both sweet and savory was chosen (below). From left to right on the sweets plates, they include two kue lumpur (2 for $4), pandan-infused bika ambon ($3.50), three pukis (3 for $4), and one slice of lapis legit ($4). Seen further below in a solo photo, the bika ambon is an interesting tapioca treat that they call honeycomb cake because of the pattern the flour makes, but the winner of this round was the delicious kue lumpur, round coconut custard cakes that are made with raisins.

The savory plate included one each of a pastel, a fried pastry filled with chicken, vermicelli and potatoes, risoles, a rolled egg crêpe with chicken ragout, and lemper, coconut milk infused sticky rice stuffed with citrus-y chicken. These are all priced at $3.50, along with other savory treats like kroket, Dutch rolls, and roti goreng.

Indonesians and lovers of the food that live in western San Bernardino County are very lucky to have this new café move into their neighborhood, but it is also the type of experience that is worth making plans to visit even if you do not live nearby. KEDAI is still finding its legs since opening in April of this year, but come and tell your friends who live close.

The sweet couple that operate the business will be happy to welcome you into their new store, which has plenty of room for people to slowly (or quickly) enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee and some of their treats. Come in the first hour of business and you will see the savory pastries arrive from the kitchen and be able to enjoy them as fresh as possible.

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