Pecel Lele Lela @ Palembang, Indonesia

This is about a chain of restaurants called Pecel Lele Lela that is famous in Indonesia and of late I have seen quite a number of branches in Kuala Lumpur too. In Indonesia, they are specifically found on the islands of Jawa, Sumatra and Bali. They specialise in a Cat Fish dish that is deep fried with their special sauces. As this is our last night in Palembang for this trip, we decided to give this place a try tonight.

Pecel Lele Lela in Palembang

Their 63rd Branch in Indonesia

This restaurant has a very interesting concept. Whenever a new customer walks in, all their waiters in unison would wish them Good Evening and welcome like a classroom and when a customer leaves, again in unison, they wish them thank you and this is done seamlessly even when they are attending to other chores and customers. Initially as we walked in, it felt a little embarrassed when they did this but then we got used to it. Another point to note is that these guys also do home delivery to neighboring areas for a minimal order size. As this is our first time here, I did not want to take charge of the ordering and let my friend do the ordering for us. 

Deep Fried Catfish

This is their signature dish here and it is the deep fried Cat Fish. I must say that it looks rather simple but taste wise, it was very nice. The fish was very crispy and this comes with a very spicy dip sauce. Your could just eat it without the dip sauce and it tasted lovely. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . A must try dish here.

BBQ Chicken Thigh

Another interesting dish. It is Chicken Thigh that is marinated in sweet BBQ sauce and then is grilled. This again is served with the Chili Paste. I am not sure how they do the grilling but it was very nice and even the bones were soft and juicy. I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Black Pepper Fish Fillet

This dish was just average. It was deep fried Cat Fish fillets and then topped with Black Pepper Sauce. Not a very great dish when compared to the others that we had tried. I would only rate this at 5/10. Even though they were fish fillets, they had bones in them and one would need to be cautious while eating.

Spinach with Tauchu

This dish was very good. In fact we had three plates of this. The Spinach was cooked with Tauchu paste an it was heavenly. It was well spiced with a slightly salty taste and I personally found this dish to be very good. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

My Friend Serving The Rice

It is interesting to observe here that the rice was served in a single plate and we would have to apportion it accordingly to the others.

Us Having Dinner

Overall it was a simple yet nice dinner. The total bill for the meal came about USD 5. This meal was definitely a great opener to this restaurant and we liked it. It is convenient for us here in Kuala Lumpur that we have a number of outlets available but I am not sure if the taste is the same or if it has been modified to the Malaysian taste buds. And I am also sure that it would cost us much more to have this in Kuala Lumpur. If you are in Indonesia, I would recommend you to try this restaurant. 

Address: No. 1335 A-B, Jl. R Sukamto, Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia.

Telephone: +62 711 70 6666 3

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2300 Daily

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pecel-Lele-Lela-Palembang/130960306984878

Restoran Bakmi Aloi @ Palembang, Indonesia

Another famous Palembang dish is the Mee Aloi. This generally has two variations to it. The first being Mee Aloi and the other being Bakmi Aloi. The previous is the Halal version of the said dish and the latter is the non Halal version as minced pork is added into the dish. As all of us eat pork, my friend brought us to another one of his classmates place to try the Bakmi Aloi. I was also told that mostly at night, only the Bakmi Aloi is found as most of the Mee Aloi vendors only open their business during the day. This restaurant is located in the Chinese area of Jalan Dempo Luar. 

The Staff Boiling the Noodles

Once we arrived at the restaurant, we took a sneak peak at the noodles station to see how it is done. Typically, there are two types of noodles used for this dish, the egg noodles and the flat noodles. This noodles is then boiled in the soup and then it is topped with minced pork meat and with that, it is ready to be served. 

Choosing Our Yong Tau Foo items

Here, they also have something similar to our Yong Tau Foo in Malaysia. You can choose the various items that you would like to have in a plain soup but please bear in mind that in Bakmi places, all the items are mostly made from pork and not fish.

Waiting For the Dishes

Ordering here is pretty simple and rather quick. After being done with it, we head over to the table and just waited for the dishes to arrive. 

Our Yong Tau Foo Dish

We both had one each of the above soup dish. This came with an assortment of meat and fish which we had each chosen earlier. I would say that the above dish was good. I was pretty greedy with the items and ended up eating more than what I could eat By the time I was finished with the soup, I was already quite full but still I have another dish to try, the Bakmi Aloi. As for this dish, I would rate it at 8.5/10 .

Just About To Start Dinner

Bakmi Aloi

The above dish, comes with a topping of minced pork meat and then you would top it again with chili paste according to your liking and then mix the whole thing up. Only then it is consumed. Most Indonesians prefer this dish to be very spicy but I went with moderate spicy. We did enjoy this dish and the egg noodles went very well with the minced meat and chili paste. Definitely a great local delicacy. I would rate this dish at 8.9/10 .

I would like to suggest that this is also another must try dish for anyone coming to Palembang. It has two options. So if you do not eat pork, you could then go for the Halal version and it is easily available. Just to find the best places, you may need to get the insight of a local. I was told that for the Bakmi Aloi, this is one of the best places and this owner has also a number of branches in Jakarta and other regions in Indonesia.

Address: No. 410 A, Jalan Dempo Luar, 30111 Palembang, Indonesia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: 0711 354934

Rumah Makan Musi Pindang Sekanak @ Palembang, Indonesia

Located along Jalan Depaten Baru in the old city side of Palembang, lies this humble restaurant that serves an authentic dish from Palembang called Pindang Sekanak. This side of the city is quite close to the Musi river bank and is also the main wet market site where fishermen unload their daily catch and it goes directly to the markets. Being the rough side of the city, none will expect that there is such a good restaurant here that serves great food.

Rumah Makan Musi Pindang Sekanak in Palembang

However, this place is very famous among the locals as well as people from the nearby regions. Once we were here today, we had to wait a while before we got a table as it was full house. The place is quite simple and having zinc roof, the place can get quite hot at times, especially noon. 

Scenes in front of this restaurant

This Pindang Sekanak dish is basically a fish dish that is cooked in a dark sauce. There is only two variety of fish used here, either Patin or Baung and both are common fishes from the Musi River. Being located right next to the market ensures that the supply of fish is done daily and the fish is also ensured of it's freshness. 

The Pindang Sekanan Dish

This is the dish that we were waiting to try and today we choose Patin Fish. This is to be eaten with rice. The fish I must say was very delicious, spicy and fresh. It may seem like a simple meal but it was an absolutely delicious one. I am not sure as to what is used for the base soup but for sure there were loads of ground Bird's Eye chili in it. If you would ask me to rate this dish, I would say 10/10 . 

Steamed Cockles

As a side dish, we ordered the above Steamed Cockles in Chili Paste. This is definitely not for those with a sensitive stomach as the cockles are not cooked very thoroughly in the normal way that we would expect them to be. As I am used to Malay / Indonesian style of cooking, I was able to have the above dish but my father was rather hesitant. It is somewhat similar to having Sashimi the first time. The chili paste again was very spicy and the dish was rather nice. I would rate this at 8/10 . 

Us Enjoying Lunch

Overall, I must say that the Pindang Sekanak dish was lovely and was beyond what I expected it to be. In a single glance, the restaurant may seem very simple but once you have tried the food, you can get hooked on to it. I guess I would be definitely coming back again in the course of the next few days to have this dish again.

Address: No. 241, Jl. Depaten Baru, Palembang, Indonesia.

Telephone: 0711 314980

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Rumah Makan Deli Seafood @ Palembang, Indonesia

Today we were more in the mood for Indonesian Style Chinese Food and when I voiced that to my friend, he decided to take us to a restaurant called Rumah Makan Deli Seafood. Chinese Food in Indonesia is mostly Halal and no Pork is served in the restaurants. The taste is also slightly different to the Chinese Food found in Malaysia or Singapore. 

This restaurant is quite simple but seems pretty famous among the locals. I was informed that it belongs to my friend's ex classmate. My friend has the tendency to order too much and today we had to stop him after three dishes as it's only the three of us and there is a limit as to what we can have in a single seating. Ordering here was quite simple. They have a menu which lists all their dishes and we would just have to choose from them. Within fifteen minutes, the dishes started arriving. 

Stir Fried Spinach with Dried Shrimps

For tonight, we had plain rice with the dishes listed here. The above Stir Fried Spinach with Dried Shrimps was the very first dish to arrive. It was served in a hot pot and the aroma was truly great. It was excellently prepared, with the right amount of sauces and the dried shrimps gave a wonderful touch to the dish. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . 

Crab with Salted Duck Eggs

This dish was heavenly!!! It was wonderfully prepared and the gravy had seeped in well into the crab meat making it very juicy and delicious. I would just rate this dish at 10/10 . It was truly finger licking good!!!

Sweet & Sour Fish

This dish was also good. But the preparation was slightly different to that in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the entire fish is cooked in a single piece but here, the meat is removed, dipped into the floor individually, fried and then decorated on the fish and then the sweet and sour sauce is poured on top of that. This gives the individual meat chunks a crispy taste and you do not have to worry about bones amidst the meat. There is also no need to turn the fish over after one side is consumed. Just imagine that when the meat is all consumed from the top, all that remains at the base is the fish skeleton with the head and tail intact. Though the preparation is different, we still enjoyed this fish. I would rate this at 8.3/10 .

Us Enjoying Our Dinner

Overall, this is a very good place to have great Chinese Food in Palembang and I am glad that my friend introduced us to this place tonight. The total meal today came to a mere USD 9.00 . I would strongly recommend this restaurant as the food is great, environment was fantastic and the price is very reasonable. 

Address: 216, Jl. Dr. Sutomo, Lubuk Linggau, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Telephone: 0761 7953 678

Pempek Beringin @ Palembang, Indonesia

Today we were introduced to another local delicacy known as Pempek. Pempek has it's origins in Palembang and today is found abundantly all over Indonesia. We were brought to one of the famous restaurants here which is called Rumah Makan Pempek Beringin. 

Us at Rumah Makan Pempek Beringin

This restaurant is just simple in its set up but seems to be very famous with both locals and tourists. There seems to be a lot of pre-packed food items which I believe is mainly for the tourists that come here to buy stuffs which they can then take back home. I just let my friend handle the ordering as I have never had any experience with this food. 

Variety of Pempek

Pempek is typically fish cake and is made from fish and tapioca as the main ingredients and then a variety of other items are added based on the variation preferred. The common one is plain Pempek and the other variations may have eggs, shrimp paste, noodles etc. Pempek can be had by by itself or in soup. The above photo shows the dry type and it is dipped into Soy Sauce that is boiled with Bird's Eye chili and stored in bottles to give it a prolonged spiciness. We did enjoy this dish and it is very cheap here. Though it looks small, you can only have a few pieces as it fills the stomach quite easily. 

Trying The Soup Pempek

This is the soup type and between the two, I would prefer the dry type as it gives a greater taste. I was also advised that although this seems easy to make, it is difficult to make perfect ones and there are only a few places in Palembang where you can get excellent and fresh Pempek and most of these places are cottage industries. To me, this place was not bad too and we really liked it. I could have this a few times a week and would not get bored with it. Anyone who visits Palembang, must try this dish and this is another excellent local cuisine!

Address: No. 20, Jl. Lingkaran 1, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

Telephone: (0711) 371685

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily

Rumah Makan HAR (Martabak HAR) @ Palembang, Indonesia

Located in Jl. Jenderal Sudirman in Palmebang is this interesting restaurant called Rumah Makan Haji Abdul Razak that sells Martabak that is unique to Palembang. Having migrated from South India to Palembang, Haji Abdul Razak started this restaurant on the 7th of July 1947. Today this dish is commonly known as Martabak HAR. HAR being an abbreviation of the founders name. They just sell a number of dishes here but the most famous one is the Martabak. Being an Indian in origin, all the food here is typically Indian style but has an Indonesian touch to it. The Martabak here is slightly similar to the Roti Telur in Malaysia but varies greatly from the Murtabak of Malaysia, though both are of Indian origin. Today this restaurant is run by his son and grandson. 

Workers Preparing The Martabak

As you can see from the above photo, there is a lot of oil involved and it fried to make it crispy which is greatly different to the Malaysian one. It comes with a choice of chicken and duck eggs.

Checking Out The Curry

Other Dishes Here

There are also a number of other dishes that is available here. I heard that the Fried Rice is quite good too. The man in the above photo is the founder himself.

Us Trying The Dish

Our Meal Today

Well, to speak of the dish, it was nice and definitely very different to our way of having it in Malaysia. As it was somewhat  fried, the Martabak was also very crispy. The filling is also very thick and it is just Duck Eggs. Must be more than 2 eggs inside one Martabak. This is also served with Dhall Curry that is in itself very spicy and spiciness is very common in Indonesia. As you can see from the above photo, there is also a small dish with bird's eye chili and that is used to add the spiciness according to taste. The set is priced at around USD 1 each. Besides this we also had a plate of Sate that was quite nice too. If you happen to be in Palembang, trying this dish at least once is a must. Ask any local, and they would guide you to this restaurant.

Address: Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

Telephone: +62 0711 351914

Mie Celor HM Syafei @ Palembang, Indonesia

Having just arrived in Palembang this morning, I asked my friend "Where do the locals have their breakfast?" and to that question he just answered "Come, I will take you there." . And after a 30 minutes drive, we came to the wet market area called Pasar 26 Ilir and to a small stall called Mie Celor HM Syafei. I was made to understand that they only serve a single dish here and this dish is authentic to Palembang and is not found elsewhere in Indonesia. I let him do all the ordering and we just waited for the food to arrive. I was also made to understand that though you get this dish in a number of places in Palembang, this outlet is the best and most famous. There were a number of photographs hanging on the walls and they were typically VVIP's who have visited this restaurant which includes a number of the past Presidents and Ministers. I was also told that during long holidays, this stall sells about 900 plates a day and on usual days, it is around 400 plates a day and that is a massive amount for such a small stall. He also has an ongoing contract with a Mie factory to deliver the noodles twice a day i.e. once at 0900 and again at 1200 to maintain its freshness. In total, his daily orders of noodles is close to 50 Kilograms. 

This stall is just a very simple set up cramped with tables to seat as many people as possible. Cleanliness was very basic but by observing the number of people that were coming and going, I was certain that my friend knew what he was talking about. Within 10 minutes, the dishes arrived. 

Us Trying Out The Mie Celor

Mie Celor

This is the Mie Celor. At a single glance it may seem like our Malaysian Mee Rebus but it tastes no where close to that. Added into this dish is basically Egg Noodles, Prawns, Bean Sprouts, Sliced Boiled Eggs, Onions and Garlic. 

The broth is made from the following ingredients: Prawn Head, Rock Sugar, Salt, Starch Flour, Eggs and Onions boiled together for at least four hours.The key ingredient here is the Prawn Head and I was told by the owner that on an ordinary day, he buys on average 5 Kilograms of Prawn Head from the local market.  A very simple dish as it may seem but it was delicious. I would admit that this was way better then any of the continental breakfast that the hotel would have served us. 

It tasted slightly slimy and it was also sweet and salty with a strong influence from the onions and garlic. We definitely loved the dish. For the three of us, the total bill came less than USD 3.00 including the drinks and it was a fantastic breakfast. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . Definitely a must try dish when you are in Palembang, South Sumatra. 

Address: HM Syafei, Pasar 26 Ilir, Palembang, South Sumatra,
                Sumatra, Indonesia.

Telephone: 081 3675 71 888