TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Hunting for good food
Lily is on a mission to track down good restaurants
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Lily is on a mission to track down good restaurants.
'It's so fun having all the new restaurants in Jakarta. It means I have plenty of chances to seek out my favorite dishes,' said the 28-year-old, who dines out once to twice a week.
Lily mostly chooses restaurants based on recommendations and she has singled out the area along Jl. Senopati and Jl. Gunawarman in South Jakarta as her favorite for finding hip but affordable eateries.
Another diner, Ami, refers to the growing Jakarta gastronomy scene as an amusement park, offering
a wide array of attractions. 'You've got many ways to amuse your palate,' said the 33-year-old Bogor resident.
Catering to some 15 million people during the day and around 8 million at night, cuisine is a promising business in town.
The Central Statistics Agency reported that Jakarta had 1,359 culinary establishments in 2010. In 2012, the number nearly tripled with the Jakarta's tourism office recorded some 3,500 food outlets in the city.
Food business mogul Ronald E.P. Mullers noted that young Indonesians prefer culinary variety.
'They also enjoy eating in different atmospheres,' said the American-Indonesian restaurateur, who under the company PT Eatertainment Indonesia owns Papa Ron's Pizza, Amigos Bar & Cantina and Spanky's Ribs.
He said that the average Jakartan is becoming more sophisticated in his or her preferences and is eating out more often.
'Before, they may have been eating out once a month. Now, it can be up to three times a week,' he said.
The increased purchasing power of Jakarta's middle class is fueling an increase in competition, which is making it harder to survive in the business.
'It's good for business that more people are eating out. But the problem is that with the greater number of restaurants, there's a lot more competition. It's going to be survival of the fittest,' said Mullers, who has been in the food industry for some 35 years.
While price matters, diners increasingly care about the quality of their food ' a fact presenter Lucy Wiryono and her husband Afit Dwi Purwanto found out when establishing their two restaurants, Holycow! Steakhouse and newly launched Loobie Lobsters and Shrimps.
'Jakartans are really concerned with food quality. It is no longer just about an affordable price but also a well-brought dish,' said Lucy.
Jakarta's burgeoning middle class, she said, is causing the gastronomy sector to boom.
'As a matter of fact, one of their biggest areas of spending is on food,' she said.
At the Holycow! Steakhouse, which is popular for its Wagyu steak, many diners are regulars who come in two to three times a week.
'Our customers mainly come for our Wagyu steaks, which range from basic grade all the way up to marble grade nine plus,' Lucy explained.
With many options out there, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, Khrisnadi, said all kinds of dishes hold potential in the food market.
'The thing is, you cannot be a follower. If you don't have your own characteristics and a good concept, then the restaurant won't stay around for long,' he said.
