We had soto ayam Lamongan for dinner yesterday at a place that Ari has been eyeing for quite some time. His bike buddies have been raving about this place for quite some time, and even though Ari and I usually go to the area for breakfast at Restoran Rose, it was always early in the morning when this place is still closed. Yesterday was a “perfect time” for a bowl of hot soto, as Indonesians usually say: “Soto weather.”

The place is kiiiinda tucked in from the main road. It’s located on the ground floor of a housing complex (People’s Housing Program/PPR) next to some local businesses and laundry.

Lamongan is a regency in East Java province in Indonesia, and one of their championed dish is, yes, soto ayam. Do note that there are different types of soto in Indonesia, from Jakarta’s thick and savory soto Betawi to Lamongan’s light and refreshing soto ayam. When eating soto ayam Lamongan, give it a good squeeze of lime juice to bring out all the flavors.

The kids ordered sate; sate kambing for Rey and sate ayam for Wira, which they polished off in no time.

The rain persisted well into the late evening.