Geprek Wareg @ Jakarta, Indonesia

Geprek Wareg is a chain of restaurants that is available in a number of locations in Jakarta and this particular outlet that I am visiting is located in Terminal 2, Soekarno Hatta International Airport. It is in the Departure Terminal, not too far from the gates. As for this trip, this would be my last meal in Indonesia and I really missed my Sambal Hijau. 

The Outlet Located Towards The End, Near The Gates

A Variety Of Sambal Packages

A Variety Of Sambal's to Choose From

I was delighted to find this outlet as it would be my chance to have more Sambal Hijau and the beauty of this restaurant is that they have a variety of five different sambal's to choose from. Some are on the sweet side and some extremely spicy. Depending on your preference, you could go for your choice of package. 

Hot Tea

Ayam Geprek Sambal Ijo @ IDR 35,000

This set comes with Rice and a relatively large chunk of Fried Chicken with a generous portion of Sambal Ijo spread on it. On the side, you have some cucumber and tomato just in case it is too spicy. 

White Rice

Ayam Geprek Sambal Ijo

The White Rice was good and I loved the fragrance. The Ayam Geprek was super crispy and the spread of Sambal Ijo was heavenly. And yes, it was really spicy, just the way it should be and I absolutely loved it. My rating for this heavenly preparations would  be 9/10. 

An excellent place for Ayam Geprek would be Geprek Wareg and the best part is that it comes with a choice of five Sambals to choose from depending on your taste buds and spice tolerance levels. Excellent food and very reasonably priced. 

Address: Terminal 2, Bandara Soekarno Hatta, Benda, Tangerang City, Banten 15126                                 Indonesia.

Business Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Warung Sate H. Maksudi @ Jakarta, Indonesia

Sate H. Maksudi is one of those humble establishments that is very famous among the locals in Jakarta and the speciality here is their Sate Kambing (Lamb Satay). Finding this place wasn't difficult as they were listed in both Waze as well as Google Maps. We took a Grab Car and it brought us right to their doorstep. 

The Home Like Restaurant

Grilling Happens Outdoors

Signage

Verandah 

Simple Decorations

I believe this is a home that has been converted in to a restaurant. In fact, the owners still live on the first floor of this very same building. This establishment is located along Jalan Karang Tengah, Jakarta Selatan and they are open daily from 8 am till 9 pm. The grilling happens outdoors and that makes perfect sense due to the traditional methods of grilling and the amount of smoke that it emits. By the time you walk in to the restaurant, you would end up smelling like Sate. The restaurant itself is quite basic, nevertheless, it was very clean. 

The Menu & Order Chit

Sambal Merah

Pickled Cucumber, Carrots & Onions

The Botol

Basically, ordering here is quite straightforward. All the available items are listed on their order chit and they all come in sets. In Indonesia, Sate is usually paired with rice and that's why you also find their Sambal Merah and Pickled Vegetables. Their Sambal Merah was awesome and so were the Pickled Vegetables. My rating for the previous would be 9/10 and the latter would be 7/10. The Botol is always my favourite drink in Indonesia and if you have never tried that, I would recommend doing so at least once. 

Sate Kambing (Lamb Sate) @ IDR 50,000

Sate Ayam (Chicken Sate) @ IDR 50,000

We ordered one portion of Lamb Sate and one portion of Chicken Sate. Each portion comes with 10 sticks. The sauces used for both are different and the Lamb Sate comes with additional vegetables and some chilli. Both meats were so tender and along with the sauces, they had such a lovely taste. If only I could eat more, I would have ordered another round of both. 10/10 would be my rating for both the Sate varieties. 

Sup Kambing @ IDR 50,000

Light But Delicious

A Mix of Bones & Meat

Sup Kambing (Mutton Soup) is another must try dish here and they are famous for this dish too. It comes with a mix of bones and meat and topped with some vegetable crackers. The soup itself is much lighter when compared to the Malaysian Indian Muslim version. However, the flavours were very unique and delicious. It's mildly spicy too and I totally loved it. 9/10 would be my rating for this. 

The Bill

For some excellent Sate Kambing (Mutton Sate) and Sup Kambing (Mutton Soup) in South Jakarta, I would recommend visiting Warung Sate H. Maksudi that is located along Jl. Kareng Tengah. Their Sate's are excellent, authentic Javanese preparation and the prices are reasonable. 

Address: Jl. Kareng Tengah 1, No. 89, Lb. Bulus, Cilandak, Kota Jakarta Selatan, 

                Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta, 12440 Indonesia.

Business Hours: 0800 - 2100 Daily

Room Service at Mercure Hotel Jakarta Simatupang @ Jakarta, Indonesia

Finally, landed safely and reached my favourite hotel in Jakarta. I somehow like the Arcor group and most often when I travel, I would prefer to stay in any one of their hotel brands. This time around, it was back to my favourite hotel in Jakarta, Mercure Hotel Jakarta Simatupang. 

Their Standard Room

As always, the check in had been smooth and their rooms are always up to my expectations. If you're work is located around South Jakarta, then this hotel would just be the perfect place to stay.If it is elsewhere, then you could choose from a range of other hotels that this group has to offer. 

It was a late flight and by the time I was in the hotel, it was close to midnight. Not wanting to go out anywhere, I decided to go for their room service. I have stayed at this hotel numerous times and the food has been good. Of course, you would be paying four star prices but it is still better than heading out at this hour. The menu has not changed a bit and the prices seemed reasonable for the setup. In terms of variety, that too was good as they had both western and asian dishes. I then placed the orders and waited for it to be sent over to the room. 

Bintang Beer @ IDR 65,000

This is one of my favourite Pilsener's and and is a must have every time I am in Indonesia. Of course, it's much more expensive in the hotel but you actually pay for the convenience. A very light bodied beer that would refresh you. Highly recommend to give this a try if you're into it. 

Rice with Peanut Dip & Pineapple Acar 

Sate Ayam (Chicken Sate) @ IDR 94,000

This set of Chicken Sate was supposed to come with Lontong which is similar to ourNasi Impit. They were out of it but they did not inform me over the phone. When it was served, they served this with white rice. That was something that is not acceptable to me. On the other hand, the Sate itself was a tad too dry and the meat was way too stiff. I am not sure if they had just removed it from the freezer but it was surely nowhere close to what I had expected. A quality that I would not accept from such a reputable hotel. My rating for this shall be 3/10. 

Buffalo Chicken Wings @ IDR 74,000

Their Buffalo Chicken Wings too was not up to my expectations. The Chicken Wings didn't seem fresh and they had clearly been frozen for a while. The barbecue sauce used too was a tad too bland. 2/10 shall be my rating for this dish. 

This hotel had always been serving some extremely good food but sadly, this time around, I was very unhappy with the food. The meat was stiff, marination wasn't even near what it should have been and even the Sate which is apparently a local dish, was not up to my expectations. I do hope that they improve soon and bounce back to what they used to be. 

Address: Jl. R.A. Kartini, Bulus, Cilandak, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Jawa Barat, 12440 Indonesia.

Business Hours: 24 Hours Daily

Warung Sate Tegal Al-Barokah @ Medan, Indonesia

Warung Sate Tegal Al-Barokah is a Sate Restaurant in Medan that is very famous among the locals. Once again, it's not a set up that is designed for luxury style eating, nevertheless it's a typical Indonesian neighborhood restaurant that has a decently clean and comfortable dining space. 

The Restaurant in Pondok Kelapa Area

Young Goat Meat is Freshly Grilled To Order

The Menu

Dining Hall

Us At The Restaurant

This restaurant is famous for their Mutton Sate and specifically the ones that is made from young goat meat. Right outside the restaurant, they have a huge parking space which makes it convenient for diners. Do note that this restaurant only opens at noon. When I checked Google, it indicated that they start at 10 am and when we arrived here at 11 am, they refused to open the doors saying that their business hours only starts at 12 pm. Well, being a family owned restaurant, I can understand that. Even at that time, their family members were seen sleeping and I knew for a fact that they were definitely not going to invite us in when the rest have not even woken up. Their menu is simple and is built around a number of mutton dishes that are native to Indonesia. After having gone through the menu, we then placed our orders. 

Teh Manis Dingin @ IDR 7,000

Complimentary Clear Soup

Extremely Tasty

My drink which was a glass of Iced Tea was sent over soon after placing the orders and it was priced at IDR 7,000 which equals to RM 2.00 . I was good and not too sweet. My rating for the drink shall be 8/10. The wait time for the food was slightly longer since each dish is made to order. Shortly after that, the food started arriving. The above seen Clear Soup comes complimentary with the Tongseng Kambing. The soup was really good and it was boiled with mutton bones. That, gave it a lovely taste and moreover, there were so much spices in it. Loved it and my rating for this shall be 9/10. 

Tongseng Kambing @ IDR 30,000 (RM 8.60)

Sate Kambing @ IDR 38,000 (RM 10.90)

Usually, Indonesians would go for either Tongseng or Sate and pair it with rice. Since I wanted to taste both, I had avoided the rice and that gives me some room to taste both. Their Tongseng Kambing was again pretty good. This is a Javanese dish and I have tasted it many times before in Java. Just like the best ones found in Central Java, this too was on par with those. Thick, spicy and mildly sweet and the mutton cuts were so soft and lovely. Definitely one that deserves a 8/10. Their Sate Kambing comes with some thick Sweet Soy Sauce, pickled vegetables and bird eye chilies. This is how Javanese Sate is like. Peanut Sauce Sate is from other provinces and is found across Indonesia as well. Nevertheless, those are not quite like the Malaysian Satay. Those too are spicy and mostly not sweet. Coming back to this preparation, it was awesome. The best part was the tender goat's meat and it went so well with the chili and sauces. 10/10 would be my rating for this.  

If you fancy mutton, then you have got to visit Warung Sate Tegal Al-Barokah in Medan. They are located in Pondok Kelapa area and their specialty would be their Sate Kambing, Tongseng Kambing and Mutton Soup. Definitely one of the best Mutton Sate that you would get in Medan, Indonesia. 

Address: Jl. Asrama No 10 Pondok Kelapa, Sei Sikambing C. II, Medan Helvetia,

                Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara 20123, Indonesia.

Business Hours: 1200 - 2200 Daily