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View all search resultsWeekly 5: Jakarta’s classic tastes that transcend generations
A number of old-time stalls and restaurants manage to attract customers with their classic atmospheres and signature dishes
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number of old-time stalls and restaurants manage to attract customers with their classic atmospheres and signature dishes. Some of them have kept their original recipes intact while adjusting other features to keep up with the demands of younger generations. Here are some legendary food stalls and restaurants that still reflect the good old days.
Ragusa
Italian brothers Luigi and Vincenzo Ragusa started the ice cream business in 1932. When they returned to their home country, they handed down the business to businesswoman and Betawi dancer Sias Mawarni in 1972.
JP/Indah Setiawati
The restaurant, which occupies an old Dutch building, is located on Jl. Veteran I in Central Jakarta near Transjakarta’s Juanda corridor, not far from the iconic Istiqlal Grand Mosque.
Getting a table can be a struggle during the lunch-hour rush, but customers come and go quickly. A waiter says the best-selling ice creams are cassata siciliana, banana split and tutti frutti.
A portion of tutti frutti costs Rp 25,000 (US$2.50). The ice cream is served in a stainless steel cup. Customers can also order Betawi dishes such as rujak juhi (fruit salad) and asinan (pickled vegetable or fruit dish) from a food vendor who parks his wooden food cart next to the restaurant.
Budi Utomo, a regular patron who visited Ragusa with his girlfriend, Indah Permata Sari, said on Thursday he learned about the restaurant five years ago from friends. “The ice cream here is delicious, but I don’t think the service is friendly.”
The ice-cream business now has two branches, one at Duta Food Hall at Duta Merlin Plaza, West Jakarta, and the other at Gambir Expo Bloc C No. 10 at the Jakarta Fair in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
Jun Njan
Food aficionados are aware that this restaurant is one of the oldest seafood restaurants in the capital. Husband and wife Tjoe Foek Lim and Wong Jjan Tjhoe opened their first restaurant in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, in 1956.
Now, the family’s third generation has expanded their business to 11 outlets operating in high-end shopping malls, including Gandaria City in South Jakarta and Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta. Steamed Live Prawns served with a special sauce is among their legendary dishes along with deep fried pigeon.
Rujak Shanghai Encim
Operating since the 1950s, the humble food stall is located on Jl. Pancoran in Glodok, West Jakarta. It is now run by Encim, a second generation owner. Rujak Shanghai consists of cold salad served with boiled squid and red sauce. They also serve rujak juhi.
Trio Restaurant
Established in 1951, the restaurant has been serving Chinese food and pampering its customers with old songs and ambiance. The restaurant, which is painted green, is located near the railroad on Jl. RP Soeroso No. 29A in Gondangdia, Central Jakarta. Effendi, the third generation owner of the restaurant, said the restaurant was open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m, then re-opened at 5 p.m. and closed at 10 p.m.
JP/Indah Setiawati
Sate Sederhana
The small food stall is located on Gg. Lele, next to the Jatinegara police precinct in East Jakarta. It has been selling lamb satay, gule (lamb curry) and tongseng (lamb cooked in spicy coconut) since 1959. Customers often refer to the stall as Sate Keroncong because they like to eat their food while listening to the stall’s live keroncong performances.
