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Jinson Purba has worked at Lapo Ni Tondongta, a Batak restaurant, for 17 years. Besides supervising the kitchen of one of the busiest eating places in the city, he’s happy to pick up a microphone and belt out a few Batak tunes.

Here, he tells us about some of the distinctly non-halal foods served up on the premises and why he has no ambitions to move on.

This restaurant in Senayan is the main Lapo Ni Tondongta. How many other branches are there here in the city?

Three. We have places in Tanjung Duren, Depok and BSD City. Plus, my brother has a “satellite” branch in Ambassador Mall.

What’s with the karaoke at 3 o’clock in the afternoon?

Batak people love to sing. People come here to sing, relax, enjoy good food. We have all kinds of music for all kinds of people. We have Batak, Manado and Japanese music.

What are your favorite tunes that you croon for your fans?

I have a few. “Boru Panggoaran,” or “My Oldest Daughter,” and “Ujuni Ngolukku Ma Wian,” meaning “At the End of My Life.”

How did you get a job here?

My in-laws own it. I work here in shifts with my brother-in-law. We work in straight two-week shifts. It’s a rotation thing. We are always moving between branches.

Do any Muslims work here?

Sure. There are only two Christians working here. Look, work is work. Most of the guys who work here are Javanese and Sundanese, not Batak. The Muslims working here don’t eat pork at first but they learn to love it. Heck, they even eat dog.

Dog? What breed of dog do you serve here? Please don’t say chocolate labrador.

I have no idea what kind of dog it is. It comes to us dressed. We get it from a company in Cilitan, near UKI [Indonesian Christian University]. We don’t kill any animals here.

How much is the dog?

It’s Rp 15,000 [$1.60]. We saute it and then serve it in a soup dish. The pork is Rp 11,000 a portion. That’s without the white rice.

Do you have horse?

No. That’s just for special events in Sumatra.

What’s the most bizarre thing you have on the menu here?

Bizarre, huh, maybe the smoked carp with lime?

Which dish is the most popular here?

The roasted pork has to be the house favorite.

What’s the roasted sangsang?

That is pork in blood curry. It’s fresh blood; it has to be, otherwise it will curdle. But don’t worry, every drop is inspected by the health inspector. But it’s not the blood that makes it popular, it’s the andaliman [a type of spice]. You can’t find it anywhere else but in Medan.

Do you ever run out of pork?

No, we always have some on standby so we can just pick up the telephone and make a call to get some more.

How many people can you get in this place?

Maybe 60. On a Friday we have people lining up at 11 a.m. and it’s packed all day. The weekends are mostly family, but Fridays everyone eats here before they take off to go home for the weekend.

You’ve been around roasted pig for 17 years. What do you eat when you get bored?

I love mie goreng seafood.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Watch movies, hang out with my kids. I never see them. I leave home at 4 o’clock in the morning and I don’t get back home until 10 p.m.

If you could have any job in Jakarta, what would it be?

This is where it’s at, I don’t want anything else. Well, maybe my own Lapo chain, but if I owned my own place it would be too much work. I’d never get any rest. Plus, I’m the only one who knows the recipe here. I feel comfortable teaching the cooks our secrets because they’re Javanese and I know they won’t run off and start their own place.

So are you the Colonel Sanders of Jakarta?

Ha! No. Anyone can cook chicken. We’re not that big of a deal. We’ll never be as big as KFC.