Asli Soto Medan 1930

        

This 'Soto Medan' is a well known eatery amongst the Medan community in Jakarta, especially in Muara Karang, Pluit & Pantai Indah Kapuk area. The original branch was opened way back in 1930 in Medan (obviously hehe) and the address was painted on the front facade. Well, stereotyped as ''thrifty'', the painted writing instead of a pretty neon box further emphasize on that hahaha ...oopps! Nevertheless, they stood tall for 83 years and counting on. They stand through the world war and the proclamation of our Independence day and all that history milestones, which equates to ' legendary delicious food'. How good? Read the following post below...

Menu : Soto Medan Daging Ayam

Price : Rp 20,000 ( If you order 'Soto Special, it'll cost Rp 25,000 )

Score : 7.5 / 10 

>> Well, a good solid tasty broth. You can see from the dark color and pretty much figure out the mixture of herbs, spices and the hours spent laboring in making the broth to get beautiful color. Look, the broth wasn't too salty and for those fanatic about salty food, you'll definitely feel bland on your taste buds but then again, they prepared this without MSG and with additional splash of 'kecap manis', a good pour of their home made green chili, a handful of extra 'daun bawang, bawang goreng' and many squeezes of 'jeruk nipis'; given on the table side, you will be slurping the broth away with a smile. But there is still an issue. I said bravo to the broth but the chicken meat was tough as hell, taste like rubber tire. It was too tough to chew on. Well the meat given was generous but was a let down to the broth.

Will I come back? Hmm...I might but will try the beef instead...

Soto Medan 1930

Jl. Muara Karang Raya No 17 (Exactly across Superindo supermarket)

Phone : 021 - 6679963

Bakmi Khek

Bakmi Khek when translated to English means 'Hakka Noodle'. I'm a Hakka and it just feels right whenever I ate this. It might be the silent brain washing, taste adjuster that my parents and grandparents had instilled in my taste buds. But Hakka food just has a soft spot in my tummy. Remembering my childhood, my grandmother always cooks Hakka dishes and I thought Hakka was only the type of variety in Chinese dishes. When I grow up, I became more 'smarter' of course, but Hakka cuisine still is my old time favorite dish.

Menu : Bakmi Khek Special

Price : Rp 22,000 (Small Portion)

Score : 7.5 / 10

>> The difference between Special and Regular is the amount of meat. Regular is a choice of pork of chicken, while you get both meat the pork and chicken in the special. And the price of a large portion is an additional Rp 10,000 on top of the small one.

They hand made all of the noodles and the claimed to used a secret sauce that has been in their family since 1969, brought down generations to generations. How true? I don't know. But I'm sure of the fact that this food stall had been 'forever' in Muara Karang; since I was a child and with regards to the taste. It's goooood! The texture has that springy feeling and the amount of the sauce isn't over salty. The additional meat gives it an additional kick to the entire dish.

Menu : Sui Kiaw

Price : Rp 20,000 (5 pcs)

Score : 6.5 / 10

>> Thickness of the skin is good. Not too thick at all. What was a slight let down for me was the seasoning of the broth and the fillings.

The soup was a slight bland, maybe this was a purpose as eaters usually adds their own special mix of sauces and condiments such as soy sauce, chili and pepper.  Not a big deal though.

The amount of the fillings were generous. They used pork and vegetables as usual. A good size and was quite filling to the tummy if you had 10 pieces of this. But again a small issue with the seasoning. A little more sprinkle of salt might made of the big changes to this dish. But overall a solid meal and you should definitely pay here a visit!

I will be doing a post on another Noodle stall in Pluit area which I think is better and deserves a 9 out of 10. Curious? Stay tune and hooked on noodles ^_^

Bakmi Khek

Muara Karang B7 Utara No 115 (Pusat)

Phone : 021 - 6680048 / 6604328

Cabang Kelapa Gading                            Cabang Taman Palem Lestari

Boulevard raya Blok WB No 2                 Taman Palem Lestari AA2 No 3 Cengkareng Jkt Barat

Phone : 021 - 97960704 / 4508906        Phone : 021 - 80739935

Tabona

From the head sign it's pretty obvious about the menu that Tabona has to offer. The menu only consist of 'Rice & Thin Vermicelli with Chicken & Beef Curry'. Their menu is very simple, straight to point, no mucking around with fancy menu books, nor fancy menu titles. But their cooking were serious! They're really good with their house name curry. I got to the place on a Sunday at slightly off peak lunch hours; somewhere around 2 pm and the crowd was still buzzing in and out. A very very simple establishment, nothing glamorous, your typical food stalls in Pluit area that serves good Medan food.

Menu : Rice with Beef Curry
Price : RP 33,000
Score : 8.5 / 10

>>  I brought FW to this place and he claimed that this might be one of the best food Muara Karang & Pluit has to offer. As I had mentioned before, this place only serves gooooood curry. The consistency wasn't too thick, thus even with the coconut milk and all the pungent spices and herbs inside the broth, you won't feel sick after having this. I have to mention the smart move taken by the owner to serve the rice is a smaller portion than usual. This actually helps in leaving your tummy less bloated after all the magical broth you had just consumed.

Both the beef and the chicken meat was just as good. Not too tough, well cooked and it merely acts as an 'accessory' in comparison to the broth. The broth is the bomb !

Tabona 
Jl. Pluit Sakti Raya No. 65
Phone : 021 - 6691559 / 6621956

Guo Tie - San Tung

It's been a quiet April month for TryThisMenu, not so much reviews been posted on here. I've been really busy with work (due to all the Tax month thingy : SPT, PPh 29, bla bla bla) but that doesn't mean I've not been eating. To think about it, I've been eating just as much or not, more than usual. This May, there will be more reviews on 'Street Food'. It will be a compilation of road side food ('Kaki Lima') and more simple 'local food'. You know, your well known food stalls in Muara Karang & Pluit area. Begin reading and get ready to salivate !!

Menu : Guo Tie San Tung
Price : Rp 3.500 Per Piece
Score : 7.5 / 10

>> Who don't know the well known name 'San Tung'. The very first branch is in Central, Kota area in Jakarta. This brand is very much a big part of my childhood memory and it never fails to bring a smile whenever I came back and pop some in my mouth. 

Thickness of skin is neither too thin, nor too thick. The amount of pork fillings with vegetables was just perfect. The pork meat wasn't over oily at all. With additional condiments such as ; garlic, chili, soy sauce and sesame oil, you'll soon be having at least 20 pieces all to yourself. I had this beauties in the Muara Karang branch, even though it's still good, I definitely think the one in Kota branch is way better !

Menu : Tahu Kecap

Price : Rp 10,000  per piece

Score : 6.0 / 10

>> A simple dish that usually goes together with Guo Tie dishes. They usually sells this as 'Sek Ba'. A big pot that includes Pig's organ such as intestines, blood cubes, trotter, etc, cooked together with hard boil eggs and tofu in a heavy dense soy sauce mixture.

It taste a little bit sweet with a hint of 'herbal' sense. Difficult to explain but has that Chinese herbs smell that is quite soothing to the palate. This dish is common among Chinese tables and even though I had better than San Tung had to offer, it's not bad at all. Mountains of Guo Tie with slices of Tahu Kecap is definitely the 'must eat' menu over here!!

 

Guo Tie San Tung

Cabang Muara Karang ; 

- Along the stretch of eateries across Eaten Restaurant. 

Rumah Makan Apollo

Menu : Nasi Ayam Hainam
Price : Unknown
Score : 7.0 / 10

It was a pleasant take away that my uncle sometimes bring over to the office and gave me. I haven't ordered lunch and this was very much welcomed. I had myself ready to tuck into the dish when suddenly there was a quarrel in the office. Nevertheless, it didn't spoil my appetite. I would have to say the rice was the star of the entire dish, it was very fragrant. The combination of chicken stock and ginger smell simply made my tummy roar. The boiled chicken's soy sauce is good too! The soy sauce definitely combine harmoniously with the splash of their home made chili sauce.

RUMAH MAKAN APOLLO

Address : Jl. Muara Karang Blok D VII Timur No. 98 Jakarta Utara

Phone : 021 - 6611238, 6625554