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Blibli, 'noodle king' Tirta Lie serve up 'first' online noodle festival
The noodle festival is being held partly to satisfy noodle lovers' hankering for their favorite dishes during the COVID-19 restrictions, as well as to help small culinary businesses to grow during the pandemic economy.
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Whether instant or handmade, served with soup or dry, noodles are extremely popular in Indonesia, where they are known as 'bakmi' or simply 'mie' and are eaten at all hours of the day. (Shutterstock/Khaoniewping )
N
o fewer than 1,000 noodle dishes and 101 restaurants are featured at the Festival Mie Online (online noodle festival), which opened on Aug. 12 and runs through Aug. 30.
The festival, which claims to be the first of its kind in Indonesia, is organized by online marketplace Blibli in collaboration with food blogger Tirta Lie, who has been dubbed Jakarta's "noodle expert".
Blibli initiated the festival in part to cater to people who were hankering for their favorite noodle dishes and eateries in self-isolation during the COVID-19 restrictions.
“Festival Mie Online is Blibli’s effort to push the growth of small enterprises, especially in the culinary industry that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Geoffrey L Dermawan, Blibli senior vice president of merchant sales, development and operations, said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.
Noodle enthusiasts can order dishes from the 101 featured restaurants through the dedicated webpage, Festival Mie Online Blibli X Tirta Lie, or on the Blibli app.
Read also: Approved by Tirta Lie: Best frozen noodles in Jakarta
Some restaurants sell ready-to-eat noodle meals in collaboration with home delivery services, while others are offering frozen meals for customers to prepare at home, to ensure quality and hygiene. Still other restaurants are offering special discounts for the duration of the festival.
All featured restaurants were curated by Tirta and carry the "Tirta Lie Approved" seal.
Tirta started his food blog in 2011, when he recorded his experience of visiting noodle outlets for breakfast after cycling. The blog caught on quickly among fellow noodle lovers. By 2019, he had eaten noodles at more than 1,000 eateries, which earned him entry to the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI).
Tirta has hosted several food festivals in the capital, most recently the "first" halal bakmi (halal noodle) festival on Jan. 29-Feb. 2 at Plaza Atrium in Blok M, South Jakarta. (gis/wng)
