Muara Angke fish market haven for fish lovers

JAKARTA (JP): A woman repeated her question to the vendor on the sidewalk in front of the fish market in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, to make sure he was offering the correct price for the fish she wanted to buy.

"Do you mean Rp 20,000 (US$2.3) each?" 30-year-old Melani asked while examining a bawal fish the size of a frisbee that she had taken from the vendor's plastic tub.

"No, I mean Rp 20,000 for four fish, bu (madam)," the vendor replied.

Without bargaining, Melani, who claimed to have come to the market for the first time, bought all four fish.

"They are fresh, and cheap!"

Melani was one of many Jakartans who came to the market to buy fresh fish and have them cooked at nearby restaurants.

She looked delighted each time she asked the price of one of the various kinds of fish available. Her husband, who was tagging along, kept reminding her that they had bought enough fish.

"Oh, I'm in fish heaven," Melani said cheerfully while moving to another vendor.

The 24-hour market, which supplies some 200 tons of fresh fish daily to the capital, is busiest during the fish auction at midnight when fish traders make their purchases to resell in traditional markets all over the city.

Some of the fish are neatly packed and later sold to supermarkets.

Many kinds of fish, including baby sharks, are offered at relatively low prices. Traders also offer lobsters, shrimps, crabs, squids, even baby octopus.

However, prices are not always the same at the market.

"It depends on the weather," a 28-year-old fish trader, Eman, told The Jakarta Post last weekend.

"When the weather is good and fishermen have a good catch, then prices will be low, and vice versa," Eman said while serving a woman who was bargaining for the fish to get the lowest price.

Just like other traditional markets in the capital, bargaining skills are required to get the best deal.

Fifty percent of the initial price offered by vendors is a good price to start to bargain. The price can go down as low as 50 percent of the initial asking price.

The place is popular among Jakartans from various backgrounds including celebrities and politicians.

A few days before the presidential election last year, Abdurrahman Wahid had dinner with Amien Rais and other politicians at restaurants near the fish market, before they became President and Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Each restaurant is an open four-by-10-meter hut that is not really separated from adjacent restaurants.

Hawkers stand in front of each restaurant suggesting to visitors that they can cook fish better than any others.

Besides grilled, fish are also prepared in various traditional dishes.

"Our buttered fried fish are the best, pak (sir)," one of the men greeted.

"We have a special sauce that is perfect with squids," another said.

Most restaurants charge only between Rp 3,500 to Rp 4,500 per person, including unlimited rice and sauce. Some restaurants charge between Rp 2,000 to Rp 3,000 per kilogram of fish if they are fried with butter.

Despite the fact that the smell of fish is overpowering in the area, and the place is full of smoke and slightly dirty, visitors mostly have no complaints.

"Never wear your fancy clothes when you come to this place, they will smell like roasted fish and it is hard to get rid of," a customer named Rudy said.

Every restaurant has two sitting areas. One is the typical long table and chairs and the other is a raised platform covered with cushions.

Diners can order many kinds of fruit juices or whole young coconuts for Rp 2,500 each.

Several venders sell otak-otak, a traditional food made of fish and flour, offering them individually for Rp 500 each.

Visitors have only to wait for about half an hour before they can enjoy their fish.

While diners enjoy their meal, compliments such as, "Oh, this is so delicious," or "Oh there is so much food," are often heard.

Some of the restaurants also provide diners with the chance to sing on karaoke sets.

"Oh my God, this is so much fun," one visitor said.

"It's much more fun than eating in an expensive restaurant downtown." (jaw)