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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Eating Hong Kong China 吃閎空

Welcome to Hong Kong, a city 1/4 the size of New York with 7 million bustling people.  Luckily for this chef I have cousins who have called this East meets West city home for nearly 25 years.  Slipping away from Shanghai like a fish that doesn’t want to get caught for dinner I picked up an early morning flight and flew to Hong Kong.

Facts that travelers should know about Hong Kong before they get there. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with an average of 6,250 people per square mile. This acorn size metropolis was under British rule for nearly 150 years.  And let me add the “Hong Kongers” are quite happy they have a sophisticated and unique place to call home.

My eyes turned around like a flounder once I stepped off the plane!  3 languages make up Hong Kong; English (thanks to the Brits), Mandarin, but the native tongue in the south is Cantonese.  Thank god I had my cousin “T” and bizarre foods eating partner to help out in the other two!

Hong Kong has a sophisticated system of public transportation and ways of doing basic day to day commerce with what they call the Octopus Card.  Swipe and go! We spent several days eating our way through Hong Kong and sadly we were only able to patron a small fraction of the bustling city’s food scene.  The day I arrived I was ready to EAT, so packed onto a boat like a sardine headed in on a food mission!  We went into one of Tammy’s favorite sit down joints where sampling shrimp sates, noodles, and other various dishes.  All were a huge hit and flavor profiles differed quite a bit from Mainland China food.

After we ordered 1/2 the menu at dinner my cousins took me around Hong Kong’s night markets and a variety of neighborhoods before heading home.  I found the entire city to be like the Las Vegas Strip but with hills and much better food!

Winding down and back in Discovery Bay it was time to drink some  Chinese tea and head off to bed.  I better get some sleep Tammy and I have some big bites to take tomorrow!  My rules for Eating Hong Kong are:  Street food, weird food, organs, brains, all okay, embrace me with all Hong Kong has to offer!  I sense the best street food stands in Hong Kong are in my future!

Please, no fermented tofu (stinky tofu)!

Stay tuned for Mission Food Scene, HONG KONG.

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The best way to enjoy a day of “Seafood, Suds, and Sucking”- Phuket (Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Patong Beach)

Paradise all over again in Phuket, Thailand!  I went to see my friend Lek remember her from last years post?  I gave her the best street food award of 2009?  Her pork and duck soup was the best I had ever had!  I went for dinner in Patong Beach with my good friend Hari (from Kata Beach).  The rain was piercing my arms, as we drove on Hari’s moped.  Yes, stupid idea, what one will do for great food!

Hari and I grabbed some seafood at the local restaurant, I did the ordering and per usual my eyes are bigger than my stomach!   I ordered one whole 450g Snapper, 2 massive prawns, and 1 squid weighing in around 400g.  Add the salad and veg to that and we had a food orgy!

After this massive meal, I introduced Hari to Lek and with the warmest hug and hello’s Lek not only remembered my name, but also got upset with me. She quickly reminded I promised her I would be back by summer 2010.  This is why I love Thailand, they are the kindest people but will give you a ton of grief if you don’t follow through, how she remembered blows my mind!

It rained EVERY SINGLE DAY, the Phuket weather is unpredictable. The sun was scarce this trip so spent the majority of my time  visiting friends and exploring areas of Phuket I did not make it to in 2009.  The blistering sun broke for a few hours so went to get some color on my pathetically pale skin!  (In Asia taking your shirt off and catching some rays is culturally unacceptable, unless at the beach)

I walked Kata Noi beach several times hoping to turn my “blanco skin” a few shades darker. In heaven I stumble upon one of the best local dives named Ska Bar.  Hmmm, do I stop in?  The thought of a frosty Chang beer sounded excellent, mental thought to self- make another lap then indulge.  Yeah, that didn’t work out so well…after a few quick camera shots I ended up just hanging at the bar and meeting a few Swedes (boy do they love their afternoon alcohol consumption!) At Ska Bar you can expect lots of reggae, dreadlocks, Bob Marley look-alikes and that ever so chill atmosphere. My kind of place, and for you future visitors to please add intoxicated Sweds to the list.

The clouds began to form again, rain soon to follow, it was time to bail or I was going to end up like Ernest Hemingway “aka Sloppy Joe” at the bar.  Thanks, but another time!

I headed back to my hotel and on the way passed a Thai massage shop that had this massive fish tank outside. The tank was filled with Garra rufa - doctor fish.  I had read about these little critters that nibble all your dead skin away… why not?  In go the feet, my eyes are bugging out and all the girls are laughing at me… as soon as my feet hit the water thousands upon thousands of these pulse sucking “guppies” start attaching themselves.  How do I get myself into these situations?  Finally, I accept the fact that there are fish sucking my legs and feet, I have a deep  internal thought, “Are my feet and legs really that bad?”

After all it was a fun experience, and it gave the group of employees something to laugh at… glad I could make their day! (Even if on my expense!)  Soon off to Koh Lanta for SCUBA diving, exploring, and most important EATING!

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Street Food- what rules?

My love of 3rd world countries just for this reason… or let me say almost all other countries aside from what is considered “Western Countries”! Most people who are not native to these countries or have not lived in a place where the best food exists on the street or in someone’s home is not comfortable with the idea of eating in this style… fair enough, but for people like me… it is a no brainer!

Here are some photos of recent street vendors I visited!

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Best Food in Ko Tao, Thailand. Mr. Shi Crazy Pancake Man of Ko Tao, Thailand.

I had the true pleasure of being introduced to Mr. Shi (ch-ai) by some local dive instructors.  His pancake stand (mobile unit connected to his electric bike) is located right outside of 7-11 just behind Ban’s Dive Resort.  He is a true master of his craft, serving pancakes in Ko Tao for over 10 years.  They are great, sober or not