If, like me, you’ve been experiencing a hankering for authentic Indonesian food in Canberra, look no further than the latest addition to Verity Lane Market, Rasa Rosa.
‘Rasa’ means flavour in Indonesian, but also ‘sense’ or ‘feeling’. Native speakers describe the word as a blank canvas on which you paint what you feel.
Rasa Rosa was similarly born when the empty space left by previous tenant, Ramen Daddy, was brought to life by 63-year-old Rosa Djapa’s long and profound journey with food.
“Some people say, ‘Starting a business here at 63? You’re mad’,” laughs Rosa.
The moment I arrived at Verity Lane, after the worst of the Thursday lunch rush, Rosa warmly exclaimed over the counter “Sit down! I’ll cook you satay.”
She sat with me as I enjoyed Rasa Rosa’s contribution to Verity Lane’s Wagyu Week (tender wagyu satay with nasi goreng), explaining that the beauty of satay sauce is that it doesn’t overpower the meat, it only elevates it.
She told me her love of food dates back to her childhood on the island of Lombok – Bali’s beautiful, quieter cousin.
“I grew up during the famine in Indonesia. As a child, I used to help my grandma, relatives, and neighbours cook, peeling potatoes and trying to see what they were putting in.”
The recipe for Rasa Rosa’s Gule Lemak, a complex curry of 29 spices that was once reserved for royal weddings, is her grandmother’s.
“My favourite place growing up was in the kitchen. Life wasn’t easy, but the kitchen was my happy place.”
For almost 30 years, Rosa dreamt of owning a restaurant in Australia, the home of her three daughters. “But my ex-husband rather live in Indonesia, so we moved back there in 1998.”
From then on, Rosa stayed in Lombok, running a successful hotel on the island. In 2020, her daughters called insisting she come to Australia.
“‘Mum, we bought you a ticket. You have to be on that flight tomorrow,’ they told me.
“I packed my bags for two weeks. When I arrived in Sydney Airport, I heard Scott Morrison on the TV announcing that he’s closing the border … I really wanted to go home but the borders were closed.”
Seeing their mother homesick, and very bored, Rosa’s daughters came up with a plan to keep her busy: selling Indonesian cakes online.
In the midst of the pandemic, Rosa’s culinary creations gained traction and she was offered a commercial kitchen at the Canberra Seniors Centre in Turner.
There she caught the attention of Lavanna Neal, manager at Verity Lane Market.
At 63, Rosa’s old dream of a brick-and-mortar restaurant was suddenly in reach.
They won the space with Rasa Rosa’s current menu of handmade spice pastes and sambals, fresh vegetables, tofu, and meats that tantalise the senses.
Her vision had always been to bring together dishes from all over Indonesia, educating Australian audiences on the breadth of Indonesian cuisine.
“The Gule Lemak is from my hometown. Nasi Uduk, which is deep-fried crispy beef with coconut rice, egg, and some sambal on top, is from Jakarta. Nasi Campur is well known everywhere.”
Next up on the menu is Serabi, eaten every morning by the Lombok people with grated coconut and palm sugar.
Although it took her by surprise, Rosa says she’s overjoyed that she hasn’t had to adjust the spice levels in her authentic recipes for her Australian customers.
“I’m sharing our family recipes handed down through the generations.”
Every dish served is made from scratch by Rosa, even during the craze of the Friday night dinner rush. She says her secret to keeping motivated comes from being a mum.
“Especially a single mum. I really want to show my kids that as a woman, you can do anything.
“Also, I want to show my daughters that at 63, I can start something. If I can do it, they can do it too.”
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