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In some parts of the world, the best food is sold by street vendors on the side of the road. Jakarta is no exception, but unfortunately comfort and hygiene rarely match the flavor of the food.

For those who want the best of both worlds — good food and restaurant-level comfort — Kemiri, located at Pejaten Village Mall in South Jakarta, is a good option.

Kemiri, which is the Indonesian word for hazelnut, adheres to a food-court concept, with many tenants gathered in one place and offering different dishes. But unlike a normal food court, where the different tenants are managed by different owners, the 20 tenants in Kemiri are owned by a single entity.

It makes for a combination of the traditional and modern. The spacious restaurant is well air-conditioned and neatly kept. It’s also filled with rich, traditional touches.

Customers at the entrance are greeted by a becak , a traditional pedal-powered rickshaw, and an onthel bicycle, an antique from the colonial era. The cash register has been decorated to resemble a warung, a streetside food stall.

Decorative plants and flowers scattered among the wooden tables and chairs make the venue feel like a peaceful green sanctuary. The Javanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling create a romantic atmosphere. On the walls, there are large posters of traditional-looking food sellers.

The choices were overwhelming, so I stuck with what I knew. A plate of gado-gado sounded like a perfect start. In less than 10 minutes my gado-gado was served. I was not disappointed.

Accompanied by a small bowl of kerupuk , a deep-f ried cracker snack, I found the gado-gado to be very tasty. It wasn’t the best I’d ever had, but I enjoyed the fresh mix of cabbage, bean sprouts, string beans and cucumbers. Though cooked, all the vegetables still retained a bit of crunch.

Besides vegetables, the gado-gado also included lontong — a type of compressed rice cut into small cakes — boiled egg and tofu. Meanwhile, the peanut sauce had the right thickness and richness, even though it turned out to be a bit spicier than I had ordered it.

After I finished my gado-gado, I was ready to move on to the next dish. Still confused by all the choices, I finally picked an iconic Solo dish, nasi liwet , or rice cooked in coconut milk. This is the traditional Javanese way of cooking.

I have had nasi liwet before but I had forgotten that it has so many ingredients — curried chicken, tofu, tempeh, chicken liver and boiled egg.

Kerupuk krecek, crackers made of cow skin, and a vegetable soup, which was also cooked with coconut milk, were served with the dish.

Compared to the gado-gado, I think the nasi liwet was slightly better. The soft, steamed rice tasted just right when I mixed it with the coconut milk sauce. And the dish was rounded off by a touch of spicy sambal.

The lamb satay, which I shared with a friend, also didn’t disappoint. The meat was tender and grilled to perfection, while the peanut sauce was delicious.

For noodle lovers, Kemiri recommends the mie Jawa godok , or Javanese noodle soup. The dish, which is commonly sold by street vendors in Yogyakarta, is a favorite among Kemiri’s customers.

There are all kinds of fried rice variants available, with nasi goreng ikan asin (salty fish fried rice) being highly recommended.

Kemiri was fun. The good food and cozy atmosphere, combined with the fact that I only tasted three of the numerous dishes on offer, might just be reason enough to pay this food court another visit soon.
Kemiri

Pejaten Village 3rd Floor
Jl. Warung Jati Barat No. 39
South Jakarta
Tel. 0217819860