When it comes to street food Sorong, West Papua, the overall scene is not all that bad, with the pinnacle according to locals being Tambok Berlin, AKA The Berlin Wall.
Before you get too excited though and start envisaging a momentous wall that protects us good communists from Capitalist Roaders, it is in fact just a port wall protecting containers from people choring shit.
For whatever reason though the place comes alive at night as Indonesian style street food tents go up and people start cooking up a storm. And if that were not enough there are also a bunch of cool restaurants opposite the road, perfect for when it rains and believe me it rains a lot.
So, is it worth visiting Tambok Berlin?
The Street Food Sorong scene
Sorong is not some cultural capital of West Papua. It is first and foremost a working port city, the hub that connects Raja Ampat to the rest of Indonesia and where most people only stop off for a night before heading somewhere more exotic. This is what gives the place its grit, and also its food culture. You will find street food across Sorong, from ramshackle roadside stalls to small family-run warungs, but the majority of what is sold is not Papuan. It is standard Javanese fare, nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles), ayam bakar (grilled chicken), sate ayam (chicken skewers) the kind of food you can get in any other Indonesian city. And you know my thoughts on Indonesian food.
The Papuan majority, with their love of sago and more local proteins like fish, wild game and taro, are not particularly represented here. Instead, Javanese migrants dominate the food trade, shaping the culinary landscape. That does not mean it is bad though. Far from it. Compared to somewhere like Ambon, where food can be surprisingly thin on the ground, Sorong does a pretty decen enought job of offering late night meals, cheap snacks and enough variety to keep you fed.
If you go looking you can also find Papuan grilled fish, betel nut chewers selling their wares, and the occasional surprise. But make no mistake, this is a city where you eat for fuel, not for innovation.
What the Tambok Berlin?
So, as stated Tambok Berlin does not refer to something Cold Waresque, but rather to a wave-retaining seawall along Pantai Dofior, locally nicknamed “Tembok Berlin” because its long, straight shape and indeed barbed wire looks a fair bit like the old Berlin Wall.
There is no visible data on when it started, but for years it has been a popular gathering spot, especially in the evenings, where locals and tourists alike sit atop the wall to enjoy the sunset.
And this traffic led street food vendors to set up stalls and turn it into what it is today – a street food Sorong hub where the cool kids, and allegedly some seedy types, come to hang out.
Eating at Tambok Berlin
The main reason to come here though is to eat street food in Sorong. I’d estimate on the Sunday that I went there were about 20–30 stalls. What do they all sell? Well, pretty much they are all clones of each other.
The bulk of the offerings are seafood. Whole ikan bakar (grilled fish), ikan kuah kuning (fish in yellow turmeric broth), grilled squid, and prawns done over hot charcoal. These are served with rice, sambal (chili sauce) and the obligatory side of kangkung cah bawang putih (water spinach fried with garlic). You can also get ayam goreng (fried chicken) or ayam bakar (grilled chicken) if fish is not your thing, though it seems almost criminal not to eat seafood when you are literally sitting on the seawall watching fishing boats bob in the harbour.
Wash it down with a plastic bag of es teh manis (iced sweet tea) or kopi susu (coffee with condensed milk) and you’ve got the perfect Sorong dinner experience . Nothing groundbreaking, but fresh, cheap and full of atmosphere.
What else do they have?
On the street opposite there were a number of good, as well as interesting, basic Indonesian style restaurants. One of said restaurants sold bat and dog, but alas it closed by the time that I managed to get back there.
I also discovered and ate at the Arbonex Seafood Restaurant which not only had great service and ambience, but served a curry crab feast fit for a king. Pretty much indoor street food with better plates.
Vice at Tambok Berlin?
Sorong is not exactly Las Vegas, but it has a reputation. The city’s main red-light zone is Malanu, which is a short ride away from central Sorong and very much not hidden. Locals are not shy about talking about it either. Everyone from taxi drivers to street vendors will tell you that Malanu is “the place” if you want a drink, karaoke, or company of a more adult nature. There are brothels dressed up as karaoke joints, bars that never seem to close, and well brothels that pretend to be nothing else than what they are.
Tambok Berlin is seen as the second option. While not officially a red-light district, plenty of people in Sorong are quite vocal about what goes on there after dark. They will tell you there are freelancers wandering the wall, small-time hustlers, and secret bars tucked away behind the food stalls. The whisper is that you can eat your ikan bakar and then, if you know the right person, find a cold Bintang and some extracurricular entertainment. Some claim the police keep a blind eye because it is mostly harmless and part of the local economy.
When I went on a Sunday, I saw nothing more than mostly empty joints with the odd group of Papuan guys just out for food. I was told this massively changes on a Friday and Saturday night, but it is hard to imagine.
Final thoughts
Therefore, while Tambok Berlin is not going to change your life, it is still well worth going to for some good Indonesian seafood and street food. Add in the sunset, the local gossip, and maybe a bit of vice if you scratch below the surface, and you have yourself one of Sorong’s most memorable nights out.
You can check out Sorong as part of one of YPT’s West Papua Tours