Traditional Jakarta Street Food You Must Try! Nasi Padang and Jakarta's BEST Fried Rice!

No time has elapsed since they brought all this food here. Let's just eat. Today we're in Jakarta, where all the best flavors of Indonesia have gathered in one place. In this city of over 10 million people and countless restaurants, I'm here to hunt down the must-try traditional foods of Jakarta. Oh my god, that is so delicious. Already I've begun noticing some patterns in the way people here eat. In any kind of meals in Indonesia, you need to have something crunchy for a better texture. And with the help of my guide, I'll experience a whole new side of Indonesian cuisine. This is safe for your hand. All right, this is a good hand sambal. We'll learn what special ingredient helped this street food stall make a killing for over five decades. That is a nice bite, look at that. And we'll try bakso like you have never seen before. I love that they have four kinds of noodles. So put on your eating pants and let's get ready to feast. Today we're starting big with nasi pedang. Jakarta native Kevin is behind the wheel. Full-time food lover, part-time chauffeur, and a die-hard fan of the Best Ever Food Review show. Your show is funny, but sometimes like you're just trying it to look funny while actually you just let it go. Okay, just let it go. What's going on here? Nasi pedang has a unique serving style with dozens of pre-cooked foods to choose from. What are some of your favorite dishes that come to you when you eat this? Instead of going to the buffet, the buffet is coming to us. You don't order in here, you just sit down and then they'll bring the food to you. They're bringing everything. Okay, let's do it. Now what do we do? Just wait here. Okay, how long does it take? I'm really hungry. Nasi pedang starts with steamed rice. Okay, I've seen this one before. There's a lot of other food though, right? And then it gets crazy. Oh, you are a rock star, man. Even when I worked at Applebee's, which I've never mentioned on this show, I could only carry like three plates. Servers load up the table with a huge selection of dishes, but you only pay for what you eat. What if I just took one? Do not touch. If you touch something, it means you pay. Exactly. If we ate everything here, how much would it be? It's around $40 to $50. That's pretty good. Let's start with something on top. Okay, what's this? It's an omelette. It's kind of bready, eggy, very greasy. Let's try it out. Very similar to like a quiche. That is delicious. What is it? It's chicken and spicy sauce with basil leaves. Whoa, that's a load of sambal on there. Do you ever eat food that's too spicy for your hands? I know the feeling, but it's safe for your hand. All right, this is a good hand sambal. We're gonna put some rice on there. All right, so we got a nice little bite right there. Very spicy. Tons of fresh herbs in there. Eating with your hands is a real skill. Ooh, nice big pieces of beef. That looks heavenly. It smells like coconut. Oh, you're so fast. Okay, hold on. Put a little rice on there. That's a big piece. Very big piece. What is in there? It's so delicious. Mainly the coconut milk that makes it savory and very tasty. I agree with that. There are so many flavor possibilities when you're eating nasi pedang. Like squid coated in turmeric. Oh, look at that teamwork. Oh, you gotta take whatever comes with it. Nice chewy squid. Crispy beef lungs. Crispy beef lungs? I'm a big fan of crunch. These stinky beans. It won't stink in your mouth, but your toilet later on. Very dense. I love the texture though. And Indonesia's famous beef rendang. When we walked in, we saw this one. And it's almost like a beef pate. I've got a piece of meat here. I'm gonna put on some sauce. Do you want some too? I thought you'll never ask me. Let's try it out. Very firm, but very rich. Tons of coconut flavor. I love this concept. In Indonesia, the buffet comes to you. You just chill out. Let's finish up here. We're gonna eat everything. I'm gonna eat everything. And then we're going to the next location, yeah? Yes. Our next food is legendary in Jakarta. They call it bakso, which literally means meatball. But there is so much more going on here than just balls. She's the owner. Ah, hello. Nice to meet you. How do you say nice to meet you in the local language? Great. So what he said, right to you. Yeah, nice to meet you. Here they're specializing in bakso. Yes, it's a typical Indonesian meatball. We put tapioca starch in it, so it's a little bit chewy and bouncy. Her signature bakso comes with four kinds of noodles. Egg noodles, flat noodles, udon, and vermicelli. The noodles are blanched with bean sprouts and cabbage. Then two types of meatballs. The bigger, more typical bakso. And a smaller variety that includes tendon, making it more chewy. All soaking inside a simple, light broth made with coconut water. Top it with fried onions and scallions, and you've got Jakarta's favorite dish. This looks awesome. I've never effed with four kinds of noodles. I've effed with like maybe two noodles. Let's go for it. That is so delicious. This dish is amazing, but it's not why we came here. You see, this restaurant has only been around for about four years, and already they're changing the meatball game by putting bakso in a coconut. Oh, it is the bakso reveal. That is nice. Excuse me, sir. Does it taste better in a coconut? So basically, if you will like it, you're going to like it. Mix it a bit, and then we're going to soak up some of that delicious broth. It's very delicious. Clean, a little salty, kind of naturally sweet, and I noticed there's a million sauces over here. Is that allowed? Of course. First with the sambal, putting in a calamansi, and a little bit of sweet soy sauce on there. We're going to mix in all that deliciousness. Try the new broth. It's really spicy. We're going to get some of these meatballs, some nudes. You ready for this? That is so yummy. Bouncy noodles, chewy meatballs with a perfect broth. You can scrape the coconut flesh in that with the bakso. Hold on. This is a game changer here. The flesh is coming off pretty easily. You got some flesh, a ball, and some noodles. Try it out. Little crunchy, but really unique fresh flavor inside this really savory dish. Final thoughts, why eat noodles in a bowl when you can eat them in a coconut? This is one of the most famous street food joints in Jakarta. It started as a small stall in 1962, and now it's still pretty compact. This one is special because it's very famous in Jakarta. Packing in hungry patrons on just a few tables and chairs. Some even choose to eat in their car. It's a tiny place. Butt to butt, it's 15 seats about. Today, we're trying ketoprak. This is a peanut lover's dream. Each day, they're making fresh, creamy, savory peanut sauce. Anything it's smothered on becomes instantly irresistible. This is like rice cake within the peanut sauce. It's kind of sweet and savory. Ketoprak starts with pieces of rice cake. Sir, how many of these have you made in your life? A million, maybe. Slices of fried tofu, bean sprouts, then vermicelli noodles. It's all ingredients you would never think to throw together. But when they smother it in their peanut sauce, it really doesn't matter anymore. Oh, and that's just straight peanut sauce. Then soy sauce and fried onions. Toss on an egg for some protein, and throw in some crackers, because in Jakarta, almost every dish has crackers nearby. What are these called again? Krupuk. Yes. I love crunch. Crunch is like one of my favorite parts of any meal. So salty. But you mix that with the food? Yeah, you can mix it or just like it as it is. I got some noodles, some tofu, a little bit of cake, and some bean sprouts. That is a nice bite. Look at that. He's going for it already. I didn't even say, let's go for it. Like I always do. Let's go for it. It's so yummy. It's very peanut buttery. What do you call the sauce again? It's saos kacang. Saos kacang, which is a peanut sauce. The rice cake is very chewy. It's a nice accompaniment to the peanut butteriness. But lots of different textures in there. This is a pretty common meal here. It's very common in here. Don't forget your crackers. You don't need to use it like a nacho? No. That's my thinking. I was going to like put some cake on there, throw some egg on it, make a little nacho. I used to do that when I was a kid. As a kid? Well, I'm still a kid. That's a winner. What started as a small roadside operation 60 years ago, now occupies this entire alley. And it's all because of this one food. This is nasi goreng kambing. Fried rice with goat. Not with goat, goat meat. Can you just be like proud of me for once? That was pretty good. That was three words. Each night, over 500 people fill their plates and fill their bellies with some of the best fried rice in Jakarta. They're making these huge pans full. How many are they making each day? Its weight is around 10 kilograms of rice. Five to six pots per day. Depends on the customer. Over 100 pounds of food a day. Honestly, it almost smells Indian to me. It is Indonesian, but has influence of Middle East and Indian as well. So they put a lot of spices to overcome the gumminess of the goat. This nasi goreng kambing is loaded with flavors and spices. Blend that with plenty of butter and tender goat meat, and you'll be craving for this dish. What is this one? It's a pickle. Is that cucumber? Yes, cucumber, some of cabbage, and sambal. The cucumber has been pickled? Yes. You can have it all. It's more pickly than it is cucumbery. Before we get into it, I do want to get just a nice big bite of goat and rice. Oh my lord, look at that. Let's try it out. Oh my god, that is so delicious. So many spices coming together. I wouldn't say it's over seasoned, but it's a very complete seasoning. Like strong flavors in there. This one is different type of pickle. It's called amping. It's really cool to use them as like a nacho, like you're eating nachos, right? It's your style, not mine. You can't tell me that doesn't look yummy. A little bit of goat meat and rice. The cracker is very crunchy. I think it's a great partner to all this food on here. The goat meat, it's very tender. Do they braise the meat or cook the meat before this? No, they actually like putting the fresh meat before they're putting the rice. So it's cooking at the same time. I'm gonna try your way. What do you think? You look more happy, I'll tell you that. No, it tastes the same. It's a very simple meal, but inside they just masterfully put together these spices to make something so delicious. I've never tasted anything better. It's so good. Before I came to Jakarta, if you asked me what Indonesian food was, I would have no idea. I feel like I'm only scratching the surface and there's still so much more left to see. I want to say thank you so much for going with me today and showing me all these awesome foods. And for you guys, this video was made possible by One Trip Vietnam. One Trip is the highest rated tour company in Vietnam doing tours from north to south. Right now in Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, and Saigon, you can experience food tours, adventure tours, and more. To learn more about One Trip, check out the links in the description down below. I will see you next time. Peace. Okay, can we finish eating this now? You have to go. Turn off the camera.