Pertokoan Taman Hijau Baru @ Pondok Indah, Jakarta

Pertokoan Taman Hijau Baru is a cluster of stalls that open at different times but generally all day long serving a variety of Indonesian and Indonesian Chinese food. These stalls are located in Taman Hijau Baru which falls within the Pondon Indah area in South Jakarta. 

A Row of stalls offering a variety of food

Seems to be quite pack at most times

Some of these stalls start as early as 7 am and some only for lunch. There are some stalls like Satay that only open for dinner. The variety and options available at this place makes it a favourite all day dining spot for the people working and living around this area. It is a common practice to walk around and order your preferred dishes. Unlike Malaysians, Indonesians prefer to stick to one dish per person but me being a Malaysian, decided to uphold the Malaysian tradition of ordering a number of dishes and trying them out. The flexibility found at this place is that despite you have ordered at different stalls, the payment can be made to one stall that is closest to where you sit and they would then distribute it accordingly. 

Sate Ayam Stall

Busy Preparing the Orders

Busy Preparing The Orders

Chicken Satay per set (Sate Ayam 1 Porsi) @ IDR 21,000.00

Closer Look at The Lontong

Spicy Chili Paste

I was told by my friend that this place serves the best Sate Ayam in the whole of South Jakarta. As it is common in Indonesia, you order the Sate by the portion size. It could be one portion, or even half a portion if you are a small eater. We ordered one portion which comes with 10 sticks of Chicken Sate topped with a sweet and thick peanut sauce and some chili paste on the side.We ordered additional Lontong which is typically called Nasi Impit in Malaysia. For those who do not know, Lontong is pressed rice which is quite nice to be eaten with the peanut sauce. The Chicken here was quite good and the meat was very tender. The sauce was made of finely ground peanuts with added sugar and chili. As Indonesians tend to eat a lot of chili, there is also an additional chili paste served on the side and this was super spicy. I found this dish to be really good, in fact it was one of the best Sate's that I have had in Indonesia. I would rate this Sate at 9/10 .

Stall Specialising in Sup Kaki Kambing

The Menu

Mutton Leg Soup (Sop Kaki Kambing) @ IDR 20,000.00

A Closer Look At The Dish

This comes with an option of having it with White Rice or not and we choose to have it on it's own. Priced at IDR 20,000 , this dish was another huge dish that came with loads of mutton, tomato's and emping in a piping hot thick and delicious soup. Emping is a fruit that is smashed and fried and I was told that it has very high cholesterol and so it is not something that should be eaten often. This soup was definitely a different kind of preparation. I have tried this soup in Central Java as well as in Riau and they all tasted different. I think the best that I have tried was the one in Riau and this is second to that. Definitely a good preparation though.  It was neither spicy not oily but tasted just good. I would rate this at 8.5/10 .

Dim Sum Stall

Chicken Dim Sum (Dim Sum Ayam) @ IDR 13,000.00

Closer Look At The Dim Sum

Vinegar on the left and Spicy Chili Paste on the Right

Dim Sum is a common street food in Jakarta and you find even peddlers selling them on bicycles or even at traffic stops. Do note that although this looks like the Chinese dumpling, it tastes nowhere close to it. The taste has been customised to the local taste buds and that means that it is more spicy and perhaps has loads of black pepper in it and even the meat tastes slightly different. If you are used to the Dim Sum in Malaysia or Singapore and would want to try this with the same expectations, then you would be disappointed. You should try this with an open mind as a new dish that you are about to discover and that way you would learn to appreciate it. For me, I would rate this Dim Sum at 6.5/10 .

Since it was only the two of us, there was not much more that we could try as by the time we were done with the above, we were already quite stuffed. Generally, this is a great place to dine as it is a one stop place where you get a variety of local food at very cheap prices. They generally start at 7 am daily and this goes on till around 9 pm. Definitely worth a try if you are in the neighbourhood. 

Address: Pertokoan Taman Hijau Baru, Jalan Bukit Hijau, Pondok Indah,

                Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Opening Hours: 0700 - 2100 Daily