Spicing things up at Martabak Mesir Kubang
JAKARTA (JP): The streets are filled with vendors offering that favorite snack-time bite martabak, a rich pancake with either a sweet filling (take your pick from peanuts, cheese, chocolate sprinkles, or a devilish mix of them all) or minced beef or lamb.
It's usually a takeout meal, and rare is the place that provides an area to sit down and munch on it while it's still piping hot. We tried one of the few martabak eateries which does.
Martabak Mesir Kubang, Jl. Dr. Saharjo No. 98, South Jakarta (accessible from Casablanca), next to BRI, and near Manggarai, and Jl. Raya Kalimalang 14 B, East Jakarta.
Open: 11:30 a.m. to midnight.
What's it got: The restaurant has food from Padang, West Sumatra, such as soto Padang (a clear soup consisting of meat, usually liver or other offal, onion, crispy beef, fried potatoes and white noodles), satay Padang (spicy mutton satay), mutton curry and roti cane (a fried bread served with dips of mutton curry or ketchup).
But as to be expected from the name (mesir means Egypt in Indonesian), the main dishes are a large omelet filled with chopped meat and vegetables, served with a hot sweet and sour sauce, and spicy mutton curry served with rice or roti cane.
If you would rather do without the spice (but why eat here in the first place), there are fried rice, fried and boiled noodles. Rice and ketupat (rice steamed in coconut leaves) are also available.
There are the usual soft drinks and juices, plus some other beverages, including es tebak (a syrup of fermented cassava, bread and local fruit). Chocolate milk, tea and coffee are on offer.
Price Points: Martabak ranges from Rp 7,500 to Rp 15,000, satay Padang for a reasonable Rp 7,000, roti cane kari kambing for Rp 11,000 per serving, soto Padang at Rp 7,500 per serving, mutton curry for Rp 7,000 per serving, fried rice and noodles at Rp 7,000, rice at Rp 2000 per serving, and ketupat coming in at Rp 700.
Looks: A grade above the standard sidewalk eatery. The two- story restaurant has a restroom, a no-smoking area and a washbasin. Other little luxuries include air-conditioning, television and paintings -- and comfortable seats.
Owner Iwan Nasiswa, the younger brother of the restaurant's founder H. Yusri Darwis, has 12 uniformed workers who are quick on their feet. It took a minute for our beverage and soup orders, and no more than 10 minutes to get our main menu items of martabak and roti cane.
Popular with...: Office workers from Jl. Casablanca, shop workers from the businesses on Jl. Saharjo, civil servants from nearby government offices and residents of the surrounding Manggarai and Tebet areas.
Taste Factor: The pancake is delicious, but loaded with meat and spices, which will be a matter of taste for diners. It smelled heady with the aroma of chilies, which Iwan swore were brought all the way from chili country in the highlands of West Sumatra.
The roti cane, which owes its origins to India but is most commonly associated in this country with the pancakes served up in Medan, was thin, crisp but, again, potently spicy. Restaurant lore has it that Iwan's brother met an Indian cook in Medan and learned the recipe from him.
Minus Points: The noise pollution from busy Jl. Saharjo can be disturbing. As there is no parking area, customers' vehicles cause a traffic jam in busy daytime hours (it's no problem at night as they can park in the BRI parking lot, next to the restaurant).
Verdict: A taste of this martabak was enough to take me back to fond culinary memories of my hometown Bandung, which is famous for its variation of the dish. Although a bit too highly spiced for my liking, it was tempting enough to forget all the best intentions about laying off high-caloric fare. (Sri Ramadani)