Valhalla Table Coming To The Camp in Costa Mesa

Edwin Goei

It's been three months since I checked in on the progress of Valhalla at The Camp, a new eatery slated to offer "artisan brats and craft beer".

When I did, I wasn't surprised to find that it wasn't open yet, but what I did discover was a delectable hint printed on a new banner.  Along with a short summary of what they plan to serve, there was this cookie crumb of a sentence: "Don't forget desserts which will be made by our sister company, Layer Cake Bakery in Irvine."

This, I thought, just got interesting. 

Being Indonesian, I knew that Layer Cake was owned by two Indonesian sisters.  So I called up Liz Karnaga, one of the owners, (who seemed surprised that there was an Indonesian dude from the OC Weekly who wanted to chat), and confirmed that they are, indeed, behind this new place.

All the sausages will be homemade, she said.  And there will be different toppings and dips.  One of them will be (wait for it) SAMBAL!  That's right, Indonesian chili paste, which, if you want to get technical, can mean a lot of things.  It's basically the Bahasa Indonesia word for salsa.  But one thing is certain: it's going to be scorching hot!

Speaking of salsa, she revealed that in addition to sausage sandwiches, they were going to do sausage tacos.  Their aim, in her words, is going to be "global".

Whatever the genre, I'm much more intrigued now than I was previously. Think of it: Indonesians doing German sausages slathered in Indonesian sambal, served with Belgian fries, chased by American microbew and followed by French pastries for dessert.  I said it was going to be interesting didn't I? 

They're hoping to open late August or early September.  No sense waiting for Octoberfest!