You can find roadside food vendors in almost every corner of Jakarta. Some of them have become very famous among the residents that long queue is not unusual. I used to enjoy the simple ‘nasi goreng pete’ (fried rice with stinky beans) from a roadside vendor near my wife’s grandma’s place. Just like a restaurant, the guy has name for his roadside food cart too, and it’s “Nasi Goreng Kang Benny” (Kang Benny’s Fried Rice). Kang or Akang means elder brother in Sundanese language. I liked mine to be spicy when I ordered.
I shot the above photo near my wife’s grandma’s place just now. It was already quiet and I didn’t see anyone eating. I asked if any of them had hot drink, but unfortunately no. I was already full hence didn’t have appetite to eat, otherwise I may have ordered the chicken congee.
When I was a university student in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, having dinner at roadside food vendor at Simpang Dago was almost an everyday thing. Fried rice, chicken satay, lamb satay, soto ayam (shredded chicken in yellow soup), soto babat (tripes soup), pecel lele (deep fried cat fish with spicy prawn paste) and many more … I miss them all. For breakfast, I used to enjoy a roadside food vendor selling bubur ayam (chicken congee) at Jalan H Wasyid, “Bubur Ayam Mang Oyo”.
One of the food vendors that I still visit every time I go to Bandung nowadays is the Mie Kocok. I can’t translate this one as literally it means “shaky noodle”. 🙂 I used to eat at the one at Jalan Haji Akbar, near the train station, but now I usually go to the one at Jalan Kebon Jukut.
I am salivating now. 🙂