A foodie's guide to East Jakarta

Mandi, traditional cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by freepik, from Freepik

While Yemen may not be the first country to come to your mind upon hearing “Arabian cuisine,” it did give the world a number of recipes that became universally acknowledged as culinary heritage. Mandi, a rice-and-meat dish, is one of them. For the Yemeni, it holds special significance as a meal to please all guests at weddings and holidays.

The key ingredients of mandi are rice, lamb or chicken, a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, etc., and a mixture of onions, garlic, and tomatoes. The meat is marinated beforehand in spices, then slow-cooked for several hours until it is tender and flavorful. Traditionally, the oven used for the purpose is a big underground version of tandoor. Middle Eastern cuisine restaurants of East Jakarta can give you mandi that’s in no way inferior to that served on the Arabian Peninsula. And if you had one there, all the more reason to eat this dish in Indonesia and see for yourself if students can be better than masters!

Mandi is a serious deal, so eating it in a serious restaurant is simply natural. Yes, you can find it on the menus of more modest establishments, but, since the process of cooking mandi is quite complex (underground ovens aren’t very common), we encourage you to try it at Hadramiah Restaurant Arabic & Indonesian Food, a highly praised place that, as the name suggests, serves staples of Betawi and Middle Eastern cuisines. Moreover, a number of reviewers mentioned privacy among the advantages of this restaurant, so you can probably arrange a business meeting here, since negotiations always flow easier after the parties have been filled with good food.

Ikan bakar, traditional Indonesian cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by lifeforstock, from Freepik

Did you know that Indonesia is the largest island nation in the world? The state includes 17,508 land masses of varying sizes, with New Guinea being the biggest (although Indonesia shares it with Papua New Guinea) and Miangas (mere 3.15 km², but there’s an airport there!) the smallest. As you understand, in such conditions, it’s only natural for Indonesian cuisine to have numerous seafood dishes.

One of the most common and beloved recipes is ikan bakar, which literally means “grilled fish.” Don’t let the name confuse you: it’s not just fish but any creature of the sea roaming the waters around the islands that can be burned roasted to perfection on a bed of red hot charcoal and called ikan bakar afterwards. As a matter of fact, that bed is the only constant component of the recipe, plus banana leaves the dish ultimately receives as wrapping. Everything else – spices, herbs, marinade mixture – changes region to region and cook to cook, even. Thus, if you’re not allergic to fish, eat ikan bakar several times in different East Jakarta restaurants.

If East Jakarta has a district that can be labeled touristy, it’s around Gama Ikan Bakar & Seafood TMII. Both the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and Indonesia Museum are around the corner from this establishment, so if you plan to do some sightseeing in East Jakarta, you can’t miss it. As of this writing, the Google Maps score of Gama Ikan Bakar & Seafood TMII is 4.4 at 1,920 appraisals, which is a good result. The name of the restaurant gives out the contents of its menu completely: all sorts of fish, squid, octopi, and other seafood dishes. And they know how to cook them, too.

Mie ayam, traditional Indonesian cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by lifeforstock, from Freepik

According to Joseph Needham, a prominent British scientist, the Four Great Inventions (capitalization of the first letters intentional and customary) Chinese gave the world are powder, paper, printing, and compass. In the culinary domain, the comparable contributions are noodles (pasta), soy sauce, ice cream, and ketchup. While the latter has transformed from fish sauce to a tomato deal, the former retained its original core and branched dozens, if not hundreds, of variations.

Mie ayam is one of those variations, and it’s thoroughly based on the Chinese original, including the pasta itself and the cooking method. In a more or less classic recipe, mie ayam revolves around egg noodles, chicken broth, shredded chicken, and an assortment of vegetables such as bok choy (brassica chinensis), carrots, and shallots. It can be served in stock or dry (stock in a separate bowl, then), with added toppings or further flavored by aromatic spice mixtures based on garlic, ginger, and star anise. Chicken noodles, which the name of this dish translates to, can be found literally anywhere in Indonesia, so we encourage you to eat it in an East Jakarta’s fancy restaurant and then try a bowl from a street vendor.

Located in the eastern part of East Jakarta, Mie Ayam Bangka Muhammad Yusuf Al Islami is a Chinese noodles shop frequented by locals. One of them expressed her opinion as follows:

“Name it: Place, Value, Portion, Taste, Cleanliness!!! Everything you would ask from Chinese Food.”

(words capitalized as intended by the author)

The outlet operates nearby Pondok Kopi Islamic Hospital, which means it gets a lot of foot traffic, and eliciting such glowing reviews when every business hour is a rush hour is no simple feat. Thus, if you’re looking to eat chicken noodles in East Jakarta, Mie Ayam Bangka Muhammad Yusuf Al Islami is one of the best options there.

Nasi kebuli, traditional Indonesian cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by KamranAydinov, from Freepik

Indonesia is an extremely diverse country in terms of the peoples inhabiting it: there are 1,340 officially recognised ethnic groups here. Moreover, it’s got a city – yes, Jakarta, – that can be called a birthplace of a bona fide ethnicity, Betawi, which emerged as recently as in the 17th century.

The indigenous people of Jakarta have a cuisine of their own, some staples of which we’ve covered in the Indonesian Cuisine in Jakarta: 5 Betawi Rice Dishes piece; rice, as you’ve already guessed, is nasi, and kebuli doesn’t have a single word equivalent in English, but it is used to label pilaf, give or take. Thus, nasi kebuli is a Betawi take on the rice-and-meat+vegetables concept. The meat is commonly goat, the cereal is cooked in its broth, the vegetables are carrots, onions, garlic, etc. Same as mie ayam, Indonesian pilaf is a dish you’ll find on the menus of fancy East Jakarta restaurants and on the counters of street stalls with huge steaming cauldrons behind them. There’s no reason to pick between the two opportunities, seize them both!

A small shop in East Jakarta’s Klender district, Nasi Kebuli Klender is a no-frills honest outlet of rice dishes that caters to locals. The menu of this spot is not extensive, but if you’re looking for kebuli rice, it’s got pretty much all bases covered. You can eat mutton, goat, chicken, and egg variations here; according to online reviews, the pricing policy is very merciful, and portions as generous as to satisfy an outrageously hungry foodie. What’s not to like?

Biryani, traditional cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by KamranAydinov, from Freepik

As you know, Indonesia is a thoroughly Muslim country, with about 90% of its population being followers of Mohammad. This religion was brought here back in the 14th century by traders from Arabia; some of them settled on Java and Sumatra, where their beliefs found fertile soil. Thus, it’s not surprising that biryani, an originally Indian dish currently associated with Muslim communities of Delhi, is very popular throughout the Equatorial Emerald (a nickname of Indonesia for you).

You could point to the resemblance between biryani and pilaf, and you wouldn’t be wrong. On the other hand, all recipes that mix rice and meat are alike, and it’s the details making all the difference. In case of Indonesian biryani you can eat in East Jakarta, the key source of animal protein is chicken, which is marinated in yogurt, spices, and herbs before being layered with basmati in a pot under a sealing lid. Finished with caramelized onions, this dish emits aroma that’s simply irresistible.

Although biryani is an Indian cuisine dish, one of the best places in East Jakarta to eat it at is a Middle Eastern establishment called Aljazeerah Restaurant & Function Hall. The space can be rented as a venue for weddings and similar ceremonies, which is an advantage from the culinary viewpoint: the kitchen here is experienced in cooking large quantities of food without compromising on the quality thereof. Biryani is a dish that’s typically made for a family/company, so this skill set ensures the resulting meals are savory, delicious, and filling.

Satay, traditional Indonesian cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by Elly Suhailee. Licence CCAA4.0. Cropped from original

Believed to have originated from Java, satay is a version of kebab that’s popular throughout all of Southeast Asia nowadays. There are dozens of recipes of this Indonesian cuisine staple revolving around regionally available spices and herbs. The concept, however, remains the same: put small pieces of meat (chicken, beef, pork) on short wooden skewers, roast them over a bed of hot charcoal, and serve on a banana leaf to the delight of your audience.

As opposed to larger pieces of meat roasted on skewers, satay is marinated only for several minutes, not hours; in some cases, it’s really a matter of dipping the meat in a bowl of sauce and then it is ready for cooking. This simplicity yields two effects: first off, you can eat satay on most corners of East Jakarta, and secondly, the taste of the meat is largely shaped by the sauce covering it, which means buying this national Indonesian dish from a dozen outlets is an exploration of a different flavor every time.

As of this writing, there are five Loving Hut restaurants scattered through the capital of Indonesia. The one we suggest as a spot to go to for satay is in East Jakarta. Don’t let the word “vegan” in the description of this place fool you: while offering more meatless dishes, this eatery carries a sufficient selection of chicken meals on the menu, including satay. And it’s actually quite good here, so if you’re around and feel like eating an authentic Indonesian kebab, drop in and enjoy.

Kabsa, traditional dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by Vengolis. Licence CCAA3.0. Cropped from original

One more staple from the Arabian Peninsula on our list of recipes to eat in East Jakarta is kabsa, also known as machboos. Its origins can be traced back to Yemen; the reason this dish caught on in Indonesia to the level of becoming one of the culinary mainstays is the shared Muslim faith.

Kabsa is often compared to the above-described biryani. As we are pointing out in item 5 of this piece, all rice-and-meat dishes are alike, but these two are almost similar. The difference is that biryani, being Indian, is hotter, while kabsa may welcome some more exquisite spices working in ways other than capsaicin. East Jakarta has a considerable number of Middle Eastern cuisine restaurants, so it won’t be difficult to find one and savor this culinary masterpiece.

Most Arabian restaurants in Jakarta are quite fancy. Alsadda is not an exception to this rule; the setting, the dishes and how they are served, and the pricing – everything is at a high level here. Kabsa is one of the highlights on the menu of this establishment, but it’s certainly not the only one: patrons of Alsadda point to mandi, fahsa, and kambing soup as other staples deserving a try, all paired with khubz mulawah, traditional Yemeni flatbread. This place also has private rooms, so if you need an alternative to Hadramiah Restaurant Arabic & Indonesian Food suggested above as a good spot to hold a business lunch at, this is it.

Pandan sponge cake, traditional Indonesian cuisine dish to eat in East Jakarta. Image by Supardisahabu. Licence CCAA4.0. Cropped from original

There’s a theory that Southeast Asian cuisines did not have cake recipes before Europeans landed there. Some varieties of bread and baking were in the cookbooks, of course, but they were not sweet and delightful treats per se. Pandan sponge cake is a good example of how an imported baking technique can be applied to create a dish that easily climbs up the ranks to stardom and spreads through the region like wildfire.

Pandan is an edible plant growing in Indonesia; its leaves contain flavorful juice that is at the core of this sponge cake. Other ingredients are quite mundane: flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. All together, they combine into a whirlwind of milky taste with a noticeable presence of vanilla and hazelnut. A perfect pair for a cup of Java coffee after a filling dinner in East Jakarta.

Majestyk Bakery & Cake Shop is a small chain in Jakarta that puts all things sweet on the table. Not equipped for a full-scale lunch or dinner, the outlets are certainly a good choice for breakfast in the capital of Indonesia. You’ll find all the international baking staples here, from croissants to cupcakes, and the original local pandan sponge cake, plus a good selection of coffee and tea. A dopamine and caffeine boost in a single package delivered.

East Jakarta is the largest of five districts making up the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (that’s the official name). It’s not even a district but a proper city, with a population exceeding 3 million people. With this many mouths to feed, the area can be nothing but filled with eateries of all sorts, from posh restaurants to noodle carts. For a gourmet looking to explore dishes enjoyed by locals, East Jakarta is just perfect: it’s not the touristy part of town, so what’s sold over the counters of street stalls and in finer dining establishments is the real deal, not something cooked to woo out-of-towners.