Waroeng SS Spesial Sambal, or simply Waroeng SS, is big in Indonesia. It has 100 branches, and employs 4000 people. Its success stems from one simple philosophy: make hot sambals. The first Australian branch opened on Lygon Street, Carlton in August.

The Waroeng SS story is intertwined with Java’s complex culinary history. In 1830, Dutch colonial administration forced Javanese farmers to grow sugar. This colonial legacy influenced Central Javanese cuisine, resulting in a preference for sweeter flavours, even in sambals.

In 2002 Waroeng SS founder Yoyok Hery Wahyono opened the first Waroeng SS in Yogyakarta, offering varieties of sambals – including non-sweet ones – that catered to diverse palates of university students from all over Indonesia.

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The Carlton branch, an Australia-first for the chain, brings its brand of casual comfort. The walls are adorned with bright posters, including one that lists the spiciness rating of the restaurant’s 20 types of sambal.

It took months to develop the plan and recipes for Melbourne. Two executive team members came to Australia to look at sites, bought local ingredients, and cooked, tasted and developed recipes for months in Yogyakarta.

There’s no such thing as an easy combo here. The menu encourages diners to curate their own rice table with individual items. For a solo meal, start with steamed rice, add a protein, a side-dish, then one (or more) of the signature sambals.

Some sambals are substantial enough to be meals in themselves – rice and anchovy sambal, for instance, is a satisfying lunch for less than $10.

Each item comes on separate plates, which is why eating with bare hands, Indonesian style, is recommended. “It’s like making your own sushi without a mat,” Michael Samsir, consultant for the Melbourne branch and owner of PBK Noodles in Clayton, tells Broadsheet. “There’s an art to it.”

Triyoso Kuncoro, the operation manager from Yogyakarta, offers expert combinations. Fluffy egg omelettes go well with either the gentle heat and tang of the tomato sambal or the robust umami of sweet soy sambal. Grilled tilapia pairs with the deeply savoury shrimp paste, shallot and tomato sambal, simply called “STBT” in Indonesian.

The bright green mango sambal goes with heavier proteins like twice-cooked fried chicken or duck. This is rated five chillies, so grab an avocado smoothie to cool your palate.

To adapt to Melbourne’s tastes Waroeng SS has added the familiar gado-gado (salad with peanut sauce) to the menu (note: do not eat gado-gado with bare hands). It has also decided not to include offal dishes, which are some of the tastiest dishes at its Indonesian branches.

The team is currently working on adding satays to the menu, even though Waroeng SS in Indonesia doesn’t offer them. And Samsir tells Broadsheet that more branches in Melbourne are in the works.

Waroeng SS Spesial Sambal
398–400 Lygon Street, Carlton

Hours:
Sat & Sun; Tue to Thu 11am–9pm
Fri 2pm–9pm
@waroengss.au