Menteng a place to dine under the stars
Menteng a place to dine under the stars
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With its well-planned homes set in spacious grounds, Menteng
was the model suburb for the Dutch. That was then; Jakartans today
find its side streets are a great spot to grab an evening bite and
let the night pass into morning.
With the rainy season back in full force, dining out al fresco is
not an option for many.
Yet, on one evening last week, visitors still flocked to the
lane off Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto, Central Jakarta, although their
numbers have dropped slightly from before the rains hit.
Amid an occasionally gusty wind and intermittent drizzle, they
sat on the plastic chairs provided on the pedestrian sidewalk, or
occupied the porch of a closed office building, while ordering
meals from the dozens of street vendors there.
Forget Jl. Sabang or the Cikini area, other popular street
hangout spots in Central Jakarta.
Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto has so much to offer, including cheap and
tasty meals, entertainment (pirated DVD haven) and a more
convenient space, to bring back wayward diners.
Regular visitors simply refer to the spot as Menteng; it is
located between the Jl. Prof. Moch. Yamin and Jl. Imam Bonjol
intersections, and is the street where the Plaza Menteng can be
found.
The strategic spot smack in the center of capital is one of
the most important reasons why people flock there every night.
The number of visitors doubles on weekends; it is then impossible
for vehicles to pass the around 500-meter-long stretch without
getting stuck in a traffic jam on the two-way street.
But it does not deter people like Krisna, 30, who has been a
regular visitor since 1997.
"The place is easy to reach, the food's great and cheap, and
it's open until early morning. But I think the location, which is
practically near to everywhere, is what matters most," said the
employee of a private company in nearby Jl. Proklamasi.
The area is not exactly deserted during the day with the
banks, restaurants, department store Keris Gallery -- the hippest
place before the advent of grandiose malls -- and several shops,
as well as a photography studio.
But things really get going at dusk, and continue that way
until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m..
Vendor Hendi, 45, said the area began to develop into a
popular hangout around 1985, six years after he first opened his
business selling siomay (a type of dim sum).
In the past three years, the popularity of the area has
increased as a safe haven for pirated DVD/MP3.
It's an area of contrasts; along with the once swank
department story feeling the squeeze of street vendors, there is
Mario's Place club, offering alcohol and loud music, almost
facing a mosque.
If you are coming from Jl. Prof. Moch. Yamin, there will be a
soccer stadium on your left where the line of street vendors
begins.
On offer are noodles, satay, fried rice to toast, with prices
ranging from Rp 1,500 (for a piece of siomay) to around Rp 20,000
for larger dishes. But each group of vendors has its own
respective attractions.
Beside Plaza Menteng, alongside Jl. Sidoarjo, is the most
comfortable place, with long tables and benches. The highlights
of the meals are, yes, hot dogs/burger/steak, with easy-on-the-
wallet prices ranging from about Rp 15,000 to Rp 20,000.
Move to the vendors in front of Lippo Bank for tasty nasi uduk
(rice cooked in coconut milk) with side dishes like grilled
chicken and fried tofu, Hendi's yummy Siomay 1001, dim sum,
Padang-style satay and many other choices.
Across the street, in front of the Al Hakim mosque, is pempek
(fish dumplings) and es podeng dessert.
A little bit further, almost at Jl. Imam Bonjol, is an open,
well-lit box car selling a variety of seafood snacks on sticks,
where you dip them in boiled water and eat with different kinds
of sauces.
Vendors are organized and cooperative so that you do not have
to go to each one to order or to pay for the meal. Just find a
comfortable spot to sit, and somebody will take your order and
later give you the bill.
Pirated DVD sellers are all over the place, but the man who
really knows what he sells and the quality of the picture is
stationed several meters to the right of the mosque.
Last week, however, DVD sellers were nowhere in sight. A food
vendor said they were having a quiet week because of a police
raid. "They will reopen again on Sunday," he said.
As with other street hangouts, there are plenty of beggars and
street singers trying to cut in on the action. Once in a while,
there are some artists or even a full band with a loud
microphone, all performing on a corner, tying up the traffic some
more and seemingly oblivious to the existence of the nearby
mosque.
If only the city tourism office was a bit more creative -- and
inclusive of what it means to live in the city of Jakarta -- the
place should be listed as a tourist destination. Visitors will be
able to see how some Jakartans live and get a good meal, just
like other cities in the region have done (although there could a
bit more attention to hygiene).
They would find out that Menteng is a nice place to hang out,
dine, do a bit of shopping and pass the time with friends.