Even though I put up a major post about Warung Bintang back in November, soon after it first opened, at that point I wasn't totally convinced by it. I wanted to like this friendly little canteen and the people running it, but something about it didn't quite add up.
The idea was fantastic — the Bali street stall decor to go with the basic street stall food — but it was still early days. The staff were still finding their feet, and somehow the look felt a bit contrived. Now, 4 or 5 months later, it's really starting to come together, accruing its own patina and personality.
In my recent Japan Times column, the photos focused on the food. Here are a few more showing the interior, and how Warung Bintang has evolved over the last half year.
The decor and layout have been rearranged. It's just as quirky, maybe more so, but it has been lightened up and the seating arrangements have been rethought.
Just about everything in the entire premises has been shipped in from Indonesia: the plastic stools, tabletops and colourful tablecloths; the posters decorating the wall...
...the packages of snack foods, noodles, instant coffee and cigarettes that fill the window separating the dining room from the kitchen…
…even the air freshener in the restroom…
Did I mention the posters on the wall? This one's my favourite...
Quirkiest of all are the hand-made wooden scale models of the gerobak street carts (also brought in from Bali). Cute, yes, but also a measure of how much the folks at Warung Bintang are putting their own personality into the place.
I was playing around with the idea of a "street cart named desire" headline for the JT column (I'm glad now we didn't go down that avenue). However, I've got to say, these little models are definitely desirable...
UPDATE: Waung Bintang is now closed.
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