Ketoprak

Ketoprak is a vegetarian Indonesian dish which consists of lontong (rice cake), tofu, rice, rice vermicelli in peanut sauce and topped with krupuk (crackers). This is a very delicious meal which is actually really simple but the flavors all work for each other to create a blast in your mouth. You can find these vendors all around Jakarta and each will taste a little different but when you find the one. It will be amazing. It also doesn’t cost that much, around Rp. 12000 a portion and you can enjoy yourself while not thinking about spending a lot of money.

A Ketoprak stall in Gelora Bung Karno

What a take-away Ketoprak looks like

Gado-Gado

Gado-gado is an Indonesian salad of slightly boiled,blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs served with a peanut sauce dressing. Gado-gado in Indonesian literary means "mix-mix" since it is made of rich mixture of vegetables such as potatoes, string beans,bean sprouts, spinach, chayote, bitter gourd, corn and cabbage, with tofu, tempe and hard-boiled eggs, all mixed in peanut sauce dressing, sometimes also topped with krupuk (crackers) and sprinkles of fried shallots. Gado-gado is different from lotkaredok which uses raw vegetables. It is also not that expensive when you go to a warung (a small eating space in side of roads) which is around Rp. 10000-15000 while at restaurants it can go up to Rp. 25000 and upwards.

Gado-gado being made

What a gado-gado looks like

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Tahu Gejrot

Tahu Gejrot is a spicy tofu dish food from Cirebon, a port town in West Java, Indonesia. Tahu gejrot consists of tahu pong, a type of hollow tahu goreng (fried tofu) cut into small pieces. It is served with a thin and watery dressing that is made by blending palm sugar, vinegar and sweet soy sauce. It is usually served in a small earthenware bowl or layah, with ground garlic, pounded shallot and hot cabe rawit (bird's eye chili) cut into pieces to add spiciness. Again you can find this in major tourist spots and are not that expensive, around Rp. 12000 per portion and you are welcome to have seconds since it is that good! And cheap!

A Tahu Gejrot cart in Kota Tua

The sauce being prepared!

How Tahu Gejrot is served on streets

Es Potong

What’s better when you are walking in a hot Jakarta afternoon? Well munching on a piece of Es Potong seems appropriate! Es potong is sort of an ice cream stick. It is cylindrical and has a length of around 10 cm, it comes in a lot of different flavors. Some famous flavors are durian, chocolate, green beans (may not seem appealing but it’s a must try!), black sticky rice and avocado! A whole lot of choices and why not buy one if it’s only Rp. 3000?! It is that cheap for a stick of deliciousness. You can find this Es Potong in tourist spots and you cannot miss it. The cart has “Es Potong” written on it and is pushed by a person behind it, or in a bicycle form. To know if your ice cream is legit, you can check with this checklist:

1.       Natural freezes which consists of whole ice and salt

2.       The ice cream is long and cut into smaller pieces

3.       Has a little taste of salt from the salted ice which is used for keeping the ice cream cold

4.       Not in already cut sizes

A very nice Es Potong seller in Kota Tua

How it looks, left is chocolate and right is black sticky rice

Cilok Isi

This is a traditional street food that we remember eating as kids. It is mostly made of wheat flour and starch that gives it that chewy texture, and it usually has a filling of either sweets (chocolate, cheese, etc) or savory food such as beef, sausage or any other delicious filling. This food is originated from Bandung and since it is so popular, it began to appear all over Indonesia. You can find this food in food carts all over Kota Tua or any other famous historical attractions. Cilok isi has a price of Rp. 7000 for around 5 pieces and it really is worth it since it is quite unique how some of the foods are here.

A Cilok Isi Cart in Kota Tua

How a Cilok Isi looks like

Kota Tua

Kota is a neighborhood comprising the original downtown area of Jakarta, Indonesia. It is also known as Old Jakarta and Old Batavia. Kota is the Indonesian word for city, a reminder of the walled settlement Batavia which gained importance during the 17th-19th century as the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies. This inner city contrasted with the surrounding villages, orchards, and rice fields. It spans 1.3 square kilometers of North Jakarta. Batavia was named by the Dutch and once a center of commerce for the whole archipelago due to its strategic location and abundant resources. Nowadays this place is use for a one of the tour side in Jakarta which is really famous. this place is also located near museum Fatahilah, meseum wayang and museum ceramic which is open from 09.00 am to 3.00pm . In kota tua there are some street foods that you can’t get from other place in Jakarta.

Museum Fatahillah

Kota Tua

National Museum of Indonesia

The National Museum of Indonesia is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, right on the west side of Merdeka Square. Popularly known as museum Gajah after the elephant statue is in front the forecourt. Its broad collections cover all of Indonesia's territory and almost all of its history. The museum has preserve Indonesia's heritage for two centuries. The museum has a collection of 61,600 prehistoric and anthropological artifacts, and 5,000 archeological artifacts from all over Indonesia and Asia. The museum collection is among the richest and most complete in Indonesia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia. There are the stone sculpture collection, ceramics collection, ethnography collections and many more.

The National Museum

The Stone Sculpture Collections