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Indonesia Bites (IndoBites)

“Great Food in Off-beat Indo places”

November 7, 2011 New Bakmie pertama krekot

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Ladies n gentleman behold one of the tastiest bowl of noodles in jakarta.  Noodles so curly n delicious that a plate makes you yearn for another a few hours later. Featured here is a non halal version with red pork and fried garlic. Add some of their red chili sauce and order a side of their fried pangsit (wontons) for a succulent meal. Save space for their complimentary dessert.

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July 17, 2011 Rumah Makan Aceh Seulawah Benhill

Our latest food adventure takes us to tiny restaurant situated deep in Bendungan hilir (Benhil) Jakarta. We had our eye on a 15 year old Acehnese eatery with quite the reputation. The restaurant is hidden behind some peddler carts so keep an eye out for it.

Anxious to experience their delicacies we started off with a rather typical Indonesian offering, the infamous Nasi Goreng (Fried rice.)  Seulawah’s Nasi Goreng comes with a fried omelette, emping (cracker) and the regular garnish of tomatoes and cucumber. The fried rice was a little heavy on the spice, which is naturally expected in Aceh cuisine.  It’s hard to go wrong with fried rice and Seulawahs hits the spot nice.

An item on the menu that stood out like a sore thumb was Sambal Ganja. Being the adventurer that we were, we had to try this. A quick taste of it revealed some shrimp in the sambal. A lot of green stuff is mixed into this however hold your horses as it is NOT ganja. It turned out to be Star fruit, which is used as a base in most of acehnese cuisine. Yes most of the houses in Aceh are lined with Star Fruit Trees. Coming back to the Sambal-G we were told that this dish did NOT contain any Ganja at all,  perhaps the law had something to do with this. Overall the sambal was rather bland, with the shrimp giving it a chewy texture and the star fruit rendering it rather tart and sour.

Next up was the Bebek Gule, duck cooked in a curry-like coconut milk soup. This was served cold and we had to request it to get warmed up. This was not their best dish as we had to struggle to separate the meat from the duck,  perhaps a result of the duck spending the entire day swimming in the serving pan.

Next up was the Mie Aceh. This was a tasty albeit salty treat. We ordered the Mie Special and this came with emping and fried shallots sprinkled over it. This is a dish that most people come into Aceh restaurants for and our plateful did not disappoint. Mie Aceh is different than other noodle dishes as it is cooked with almost a dozen different spices and has a strong complex taste.

We were then served the Ikay kayu, a traditional Aceh dish which involves drying up tuna fish until it is as hard as wood, hence the name. This was served cold at Seulawahs unfortunately. However its salty and spicy taste and texture makes it rather addictive and the perfect condiment for some of the other dishes we were partaking in.

Last and perhaps the star of the show was the Ayam tangkap. This was a plateful of deep fried pieces of Ayam kampung or Free range chicken covered with Curry leaves that had been fried in different herbs and spices. The leaves are crunchy almost cracker like and savory. We found ourselves fishing through the curry leaves in search for the tiny pieces of chicken. This is the must have dish at Seulawahs.

Seulawah’s also serves up Roti Canai with various toppings and a mean Teh Tarik. Our take on Suelawah’s food is mixed. Perhaps visiting this restaurant during the after hours  was a mistake as the food felt rather cold, it would be interesting to drop in during lunch time when everything should have been freshly made.

Rumah makan Aceh SEULAWAH
Jl. Bendungan Hilir no. 8
Jakarta Pusat.
Seberang Rumah Sakit TNI
021-5708660

July 17, 2011 Royce, Chocolate Made in Heaven

If you have ever tasted Royce Chocolate you have clearly tasted a slice of heaven. Imagine a chocolate bar covered in a thick layer of chocolate powder served using a tiny plastic spoon. A chocolate so soft, silky and delicate that consuming a piece is an occasion and for that 40 seconds when the taste buds in your tongue’s papillae ingest them, they want to scream out loud  in pleasure of confectionary celebration. This of course is the result of meticulous attention to detail and high quality ingredients from locally drawn Hokkaido milk to the clean air and climate of Sapporo, Japan.

My little blue box was a Cherry marnier Au Lait Nama Chocolate. It was purchased from a Royce shop in Kuala Lumpur. The next time a friend visiting Malaysia or Singapore asks what you need, don’t think twice.

Update:  Great news, Royce is now available in Plaza Indo’s Food Hall. Rp. 148,000 for a box of Nama chocolate. Go grab a box, we just did.

June 12, 2011 Joni Steak – Pasar Baru

Joni Steak Restaurant

Joni Steak is as offbeat as it gets. A modest steak house that started 6 years ago in a Tenda (Tent) by the side of the road has now become the destination of choice for getting a Meat fix in Jakarta. After refining their menu and learning their strengths, the owner an Indonesian with several years of cooking experience abroad decided to focus mainly on Steaks. They quickly build a reputation for serving good quality cuts at very reasonable prices and get a cult-like following. The Joni Steak location we dropped by is no longer just a roadside eatery. It is now a 2 story building with about 60 – 70 seats. They have now purchased the shop lot behind the old ‘Tenda’ and opened a second branch, something they had to do when demand for their steaks increased. They have also spawned a variety of Steak Houses in the neighborhood, none of which have achieved their level of success.

The first thing that greeted us as we pulled into the restaurant vicinity is the lack of parking. As frustrating as this can get, it is definitely a good sign when one is in search for good grub. Lucky for us, we spot a family pulling out after getting their fix. A few minutes later we were in the restaurant and faced with our next challenge of securing a table as the place was packed with all walks of life. This particular location had an air conditioned top floor and an open ‘smoke’ friendly ground floor. We took the first table available to us downstairs and quickly asked for recommendations from the server.

The first to arrive at the table was the Garlic Bread, a toasted hot dog bun split into half , generously coated with butter and a hint of garlic. The bun was toasted to the perfect temperature and was soft and creamy from the butter. It’s hard to get Garlic Bread wrong, however this particular version could have used more PIZAZZ!

Garlic Bread

Next up were the Potato Wedges. This was a full plate of hand cut, un-peeled wedges of potatoes that were deep fried. The wedges had been seasoned with spices, salt and pepper prior to being fried and as a result had really great flavor and crispy textured skin. They were served alongside a mixture of Mayonnaise and  Sweet and Sour Chili sauce, a unique combination that just tasted so great. If there was such a thing as a potato heaven we had found it. It was near impossible to stop munching these hot savory chips.

Potato Wedges to die forAn interesting item in the menu was Bubur Kacang Hijau (Mung Bean Porridge.) This is a local Indo dessert and a personal favorite so we could not resist ordering a bowl. On it’s arrival we were disappointed to find that it was missing coconut milk and sugar, essential ingredients that make this dish special. Upon further inquiry we find out that this was a ‘Diet’ version of the dessert, something that Joni Steak takes pride in. They have diet replacements for most things in the menu and this clearly explained the gym junkies visible in the crowd.  Nevertheless we ended up polishing off their light version of Bubur Kacang Hijau. The raisins and ground nut help give it a fresh twist so expect the unexpected.

Bubur Kacang Hijau @ Joni Steak

The star of the show was escorted out next. At around 200 grams Joni Steak’s Wagyu Beef is tender, juicy and delicious. ‘Wa’ means Japanese, ‘gyu’ means beef in Japanese. Wagyu is beef from special Japanese breeds of cow which are now not only reared in Japan but also in Australia and the USA.  Prized and craved for their marbled fat, which is due to genetics and the special feed and treatment, Wagyu has more mono-saturated fat than regular beef, meaning it is ‘healthier’ to eat than regular beef. Wagyu is the most expensive beef in the world, Kobe Wagyu (Wagyu from cows raised in Kobe) being the most famous.  Our choice of the black pepper sauce instead of the mushroom sauce was spot on for this secondary cut Wagyu. The black pepper sauce, traditionally the best companion for a good cut of red meat was savory and rich in taste. Each bite of this succulent meat was juicy and tender and at Rp. 50,000 a portion, a steal!

Wagyu Steak by Joni Steak

Next up was a gigantic piece of Norwegian Salmon with Sweet and Sour Sauce grilled to perfection. The mild, sweet flavor and smooth, buttery texture of salmon make it an ideal candidate for steak and Joni Steak’s version does not disappoint. The fish was lightly seasoned and cooked perfectly . You know this from the color of the opaque flesh, flesh flaking when twisted with a fork, and salmon flesh that springs back when pressed. The sweet and sour sauce was the perfect compliment to this delicate meat. Besides being delicious this steak is one of the healthiest food you can eat, its bursting with all the omega-3 acids, proteins and minerals and good for the bod.

Salmon Steak @ Joni Steak

Lastly we ordered the Chicken Schnitzel Steak with black pepper sauce. This was a piece of fried boneless chicken  coated with bread crumbs. This would have been perfect with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled over it however Joni steak chose to use grated Kraft Cheese. Some how it works and the crispy textured coating of the Schnitzel against the black pepper sauce gave us a tangy, soulful feeling with each bite. Big Thumbs up on this one, takes our ‘comfort food’ award.

Chicken Schnitzel @ Joni Steak

There is no denying that Joni Steak has made their mark in the culinary scene in Jakarta. Their concept of a a no-frills eatery with noble intentions of fulfilling your meat craving is flawless. With hundreds of daily satisfied customers they understand the local taste buds and know exactly how to cater for it. Some items in the menu that we wish we had room for was the Fish n Chips and Spaghetti, needless to say we have a good reason to come back.

For those looking to indulge in some ale, any of Joni Steak’s servers will gladly cross the street to purchase some fine Bintang from Indomart to wash down their food. Also expect to run into someone you know, we did and it was wonderful catching up. Nothing like good food with great company.

Food at Joni Steak is inexpensive, expect around Rp. 80,000 per person for a full meal. This is dirt cheap for the good and healthy food you get.  Overall our time at Joni’s was wonderful, can’t wait to go back and chow down again.

JONI STEAK
Jl. Samanhudi No. 65
Pasar Baru, Jakarta Pusat
Tel: 3500691

Jl. Gajah Mada No. 91
Kota, Jakarta
Tel: 91882500

May 21, 2011 Aji Hara – Kebayoran Baru

Aji Hara has been on our list for quite some time so when the opportunity for an extended sit down dinner presented itself this long weekend we headed down South to Kebayoran Baru to give this place a spin.  Ajihara’s  humble hole-in-the-wall shop is nested comfortably in the dodgy part of Melawai,  in the midst of  a  birage of Japanese Karaokes and Executive Lounges.  The recent emergence of Block M Square in the neighborhood has brightened things a bit however one cannot escape the feeling that you are trawling a strange part of town walking those streets. It is easy to miss the restaurant so don’t hesitate to question the nearest parking attendant, they should be able to give you credible directions.

Our first impression of the restaurant was that it was unpretentious. A huge book shelf of Manga (Japanese Comics) greets you by the doorway. Patrons are invited to pick a book here so as to enjoy the full Japanese experience – if only we understood the language. The place boasts a huge sushi bar as well as tatami seating on a raised platform. Despite looking a little run-down it doesn’t take long to feel the culinary magic in the air.  The place strangely felt perfectly Japanese ! We also observed that 90% of the patrons were Japanese, this was starting to look really good for us.

Since we spent considerable time on the drive and were starved we rushed our order. The menu is extensive and we required help from the server to narrow down the must trys. We started off with a house salad which was not so easy on the eye however turned out to be a delicious mix of textures and delicate flavors.

This was quickly followed up by the best Yaki Gyoza we have ever tried. These are Japanese style chicken dumplings stuffed with ground chicken and minced vegetables. These babies  were the kind that melted in your mouth. Unfortunately there was only five of them and they quickly disappeared.

Next up were the Tebasaki or Deep fried Chicken Wings. These were stuffed with minced meat and vegetables too. They were wonderfully tasty and a fantastic companion to the Bintang Beers we were indulging in.

The Unagi Sushi came next. Taste wise  it was the perfect balance between Fresh Eel and the Kabayaki (black) sauce. At this point in our meal we were shaking our heads, Aji Hara was proving to be a real GEM.

The Salmon Hako Sushi and Tamago was next and this did not let us down either. The salmon was fresh and bright pink and orange, the way it’s supposed to look. The portion size for this did not disappoint.  We had several moments where we felt we were in a little Sushi bar in an offbeat part of Tokyo indulging in authentic local delicacy after a long gruesome day of ‘Kaizen.’

The Beef Teriyaki was escorted out next. This was a beautiful plate of perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth beef steak, grilled to get a deeper smokier flavor. This dish had us smacking our lips for more.

We had the Soba Sushi next. These are over sized Rolls made out of Soba Noodle and meant to be eaten in one bite.  Perhaps we would have appreciated this last dish more had we not been stuffed.

Our time had Aji Hara had been perfect. We had experienced first hand its charm through its authentic cuisine and setting. This was a restaurant that the Japanese in Jakarta preferred for its straight forward food. If you are hoping for new age Japanese fusion food I would avoid this place. On a side note, we witnessed 2 of their staff members stand on the table next to us to empty water  from a leaking centralized air conditioned unit. Yes you can expect the unexpected as this is the REAL deal.

Food at Aji Hara is not inexpensive, expect Rp. 200,000 per person for a full meal. However it will be a meal you will remember and crave for repeatedly.

Aji Hara Restaurant
Jl. Melawai IX No. 3A. Blok M
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
Tel: 7201340

May 21, 2011 Salutations

Welcome to Indonesia Bites (IndoBites.com) The whole intention of starting this blog is to have a picturesque documentation of the various offbeat eateries that we come across in Indonesia. We hope this blog can be a source for the foodie looking for an alternative place to eat.  We promise to be as objective as possible. Keep in mind that Service, location and amneties are secondary to us, the food  is reason enough.  Feel free to suggest places, we are always on the look out for interesting grub in unconventional places.