A Taste of Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia holds a mystique and mystery to chefs from around the world.  This stems from the countries gastronomic history, volcanic formations (for agriculture), and their geographical location during the spice trade.  Jakarta, the nations capitol, is nestled on the north western tip of Java (West Java). Indonesia is a nation comprised of some 1,200 islands, each with its own distinct character.  136 million Indonesians call Java home, makes sense why it is the world’s most populated island.  Java houses 60% of the country’s total population.

Have you ever been in traffic before?

I don’t think so, not until you go to Jakarta, Indonesia. The traffic in Jakarta was the worst I have ever experienced, it made the 405 in L.A. seem like the autobahn in Germany!

Jakarta, am I going to like you?

I was greeted by a close friend and chef, “Frenchy”, the Executive Chef at The Dharmawangsa, a 5 star hotel in Jakarta. Remember him from 2009 Thailand adventure?  We caught up for a bit that night and he gave me a crash course in all things Jakarta. Not sure what to make of it, but knew there was a lot to explore in Indonesia.  My time was limited so will plan to travel to Indonesia again in the future.

Was Jakarta going to have that exciting vibe, great street food, and energy of Bangkok or Shanghai?

Jakarta Street Food:

The smell of palm oil fills the narrow city streets of Jakarta.  These aromas are carried through the air from the street food vendors.  Unfortunately we did not see more than a handful of street food carts that were not frying something.  I am all for grabbing a little fried food but when you have no other options in hot & humid weather it can quickly turn to be a bust for foreigners.

We snacked on tofu & tuna fish (sorry, no blue fin here!) fried wontons covered or more like smothered in peanut and chili sauce. Caught off guard by the tangy flavor of the chili sauce, I had to do a double take. The Indonesian style chili sauce carried a sweet-tangy flavor and had the viscosity of a thin ketchup. Tasty, yes, but after only 4 bites could not stomach any more. Looking back on that moment I am asking myself why our driver did not care for any (I offered to pay), maybe he knew something? hmmm….

The following evening Frenchy had the Indonesian chefs from the Dharmawangsa Hotel prepare us an authentic Indonesian meal. Curious, after two days of Eating  Jakarta, what is an “authentic” Indonesian meal?  I get it, sate & peanut sauce, but there had to be more! I asked a dozen or so locals to tell me about Indonesian cuisine and they all gave me a mumbo-jumbo answer that was essentially a bunch of bullshit.  Ask any Thai, Chinese, European, American, Australian, South American, and you get a dissertation about their nations food.  Where was the disconnect?

The chefs prepared a large spread for us to sample.  Dishes ranged from fresh vegetables with grated coconut, coconut “Bali” beef, braised beef with curry, pulled chicken with local chili, beef sate, shrimp sate (on lemongrass), corn fritters, tofu with chili, and 4 dipping sauces used as condiments. Yes, the infamous peanut sauce made its appearance. My personal favorite was the coconut “Bali” beef, or was it the pulled chicken, or the Kobe Beef Sates? That was an excellent evening with friends and by far the best meal I ate in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Unfortunately, I had to cancel a trip to Bandung, Indonesia due to time constraints.  Bandung is another city on the island of Java. Bandung, Indonesia is known for its fresh cuisine and produce.  I pledged to EAT BANDUNG on the next Indonesian trip, but for now will have to live vicariously through my friend & chef, Maria.

See photo gallery below:

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