Another traditional thing to do for Indonesians staying overseas who are going back home is to savor all the yummy food that cannot be found outside of Indonesia. Since Indonesia is a very big and diverse country, the term “Indonesian food” cannot be really explained. Each city/area has their own specialty. Ask any Indonesian and I bet you he/she will boast about some kind of specialty food from their hometown that will make you wet (I know what you’re thinking….. I meant your mouth, you pervert!)
For this trip, I was lucky to have my flatmate (who is pure-bred Jakartan) to show me around his favourite eating places in Jakarta. So, without further adue, here’s the lowdown of what I managed to stuff my tummy with when I was there :
Mie Ayam Abadi
One of the specialty food in Jakarta is mie. Mie is noodle, or 面 in chinese. Whatever you wanna call it, it is a staple food for chinese anywhere in the world.
Main dish : noodle. Side dish : pirated DVDs.
Rating : 3/5
The noodles in Bandung (where I grew up) are smooth and thin, while people in Jakarta likes them thick and a little rubbery. Overall it’s still good (and cheap) food, but not my favourite.
Rating : 5/5
If you only have time to eat 1 food in Jakarta, then this has to be it. It has been around for generations. My father was originally from Jakarta, so we go to Jakarta quite often, and we almost always eat this everytime we go there. Now it has become a chain and there are many outlets in shopping malls.
Sop Kambing (mutton soup) M.Sani
Rating : 3/5
Not really a big fan of kambing (mutton) since it’s very heaty and can shoot your cholesterol level up to the roof.
Cold Rock Ice Creamery
[picture]
Rating : 3.5/5
Good ice cream (there’s an outlet in Holland Village, Singapore too), but our tummy were already a bit too full to enjoy the yummyness :P
Kwetiaw A Chiap
That’s babat (cow’s intestine skin), in case you’re wondering…
Rating : 5/5
Although it was already 10.30pm (and ate tons of food during the day) when I ate this, it is by far the best kwetiaw (rice noodle) I have ever tasted!! There are 2 kinds of kwetiaw : fried and non-dry (I don’t think there’s an English term for this composition). The specialty here is the non-dry type. Definitely a die die must try.
There’s only so much food that my tummy can take in one day….. by the end of the day my waistline has grown by another inch…. OH NO!!!
The next day it was my turn to show my friends what my hometown (Bandung) has to offer. But, before we left, it was breakfast time, and my flatmate insisted to stuff my tummy with another must try mie.
Bakmi Aboen
Dodgy alley where the shop is located. Not recommended to wear nice shoes here.
Rating : 4/5.
Good choice for breakfast. The only downturn is the quite remote location.
Arriving at Bandung, the first food that we tried is….
Ikan Bakar (grilled fish) Pak Chi Met
Rating : 4.5/5
I’ve always liked this place. Nice, relaxing ambience with equally nice food. Love the different kinds of sambal there.
For dinner, we had traditional Sundanese food at my house, but unfortunately we were too eager to eat and forgot to take pictures….
The next day for breakfast, it was time for Bandung’s must try mie…
Mie Naripan
This noodle place has been around since I was an innocent young boy :P
Rating : 5/5
Still as good as I remember it…..
Afterwards, we stop by another Bandung’s landmark bakery…. Sumber Hidangan. This bakery shop has been around since the colonial times, when Indonesia was still governed by the Dutch. It is still very very traditionally decorated on the inside, and the taste is still very very nice.
Next stop is Kampung Daun (leaf village, literally), which is a restaurant/café right in the middle of a cliff. When it first open back in 2000, it was the place to be. At that time, you need to make reservations in advance, otherwise you won’t get a place. It’s not that crazy nowadays but is still a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The main attraction is, of course, the ambience (the food is not that great). Very cozy and relaxing… you’ll feel like you don’t want to go home….
Last stop before my friends head home is a rather new and popular place to sample all the famous local food in one place. At this place, we tried the ever-popular Bakut Ahon (pork ribs soup).
Rating : 3.5/5
Not too bad, but not as good as I remember it…
And that ended the crazy 48 hours - 12 meals culinary tour. And the chinese new year feasts has not even started yet……. I think I need to buy a bigger size jeans.
