Unlike many countries in Europe where milk is part and parcel of everyone's daily diet, milk in Indonesia is considered somewhat of a specialty. For many years, breast feeding has not been very popular and most babies were raised with powder milk. In recent times, this is changing and slowly the public stance towards mother's milk as the most healthy thing for the lil' ones is spreading.

The government plays a big role in advertising dairy as a daily necessity but milk and cheese intake in general is still low. Milk and cheese are relatively expensive, one reason being that cows are not held on a big scale.

Lembang is known as a horticultural center of West Java and fresh products overflow the markets. A peculiar but very popular product in this specific reason is susu murni, fresh cow milk. Glasses of sweetened milk are sold everywhere by the roadside and are considered a healthy and wanted specialty of Lembang.

Restaurant Lembang Kencana is a large family establishment that is packed with families and groups on weekends and they crave one thing, milk. Seating is situated in old cow stables to provide that authentic ‘moo' factor. The menu offers milk and yoghurts in all kinds of flavours as well as regular Sundanese fares. The seemingly odd combination of yoghurt and chocolate is surprisingly tasty and the regular milk is fresh although sweetened to a degree that unfortunately combats the before mentioned healthiness. Asking for an unsweetened version might therefore be a better option.

All milk is fresh from their own stables and if you want proof of that, just walk out to the back. The cows graze and digest on the spot to deliver the wanted white stuff to the customers. Cows are apparently quite rare in Indonesia so kids enjoy themselves by feeding them and petting them as Europeans would probably gawk at giraffes and elephants. You can also witness the milking process in the morning if you're keen on that. And of course, several cow related souvenirs and toys are on offer if you really can't get enough of it.