Seafood Dinner at Pondok Sedap Malam, Pluit

Everybody has their own favorite seafood place. This one is mine. A must must MUST visit destination for me. The foods are so fantastic, I am missing them already!

The crew's obviously happy (They kinda have to. They are exposed in an open working area. Hehe), no wonder they made such great food! This is something I can't get over in Indonesia. I pretty much didn't have to ask their permission to take pictures (although I did anyway), as once I took out my camera, they instantly arranged themselves neatly into poses, literally shoving each other, fighting to be in the frame. I love you guys! PEACE! OK! Rock & Roll!

Now....it's seafood time!!!

Udang Goreng Mentega (Stir Fried Prawns in Butter and Soy Sauce). Even after we finished the prawns, we didn't want the servers to remove the plate, we mopped the sauce squeaky clean!

Oh my gawd, is that something from Alien-Ressurection? Nah, this beats that. It's Gurame Goreng Kering (Super Crispy Deep Fried Gouramy - thanks for the correction, Pepy), served with Sambal Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Chilli Sauce). Its sore throat inducing power is so strong, remember take loads of liquid with it, and don't forget to pay the bathroom a visit before you hit Jakarta's notorious traffic. Believe us, holding your liquid in while being trapped in hours-long traffic jam is NO FUN!

All it took was forgetting to take the rice picture for a few moments, and the still hot and steamy rice was longgg gone. This is all I have for you guys, the wicker basket and banana leaf which held the rice.

Pondok Sedap Malam's specialty, Kepiting Lada Hitam (Black Pepper Crab). Spicy, tasty, and the crab roe...simply indescribable.

Just a plate of veggie? Kangkung cah Tauco (Stir Fried Water Spinach in Fermented Bean Sauce -thx, Rurie!). Yeah lots of protein and just a tiny bit of veggie. My version of balance diet, alright :)


This is something I always try to duplicate at home without using a proper grill. Surely, it ain't the same, baby! Gurame Bakar Kecap (Grilled Gouramy in Sweet Soy Sauce - thanks again, Pep!). The fish is perfectly cooked, velvety smooth, and the charred and caramelised skin....I think you got it.

Oh, crab! Here's another favorite. Kepiting Goreng Telur Asin (Crab Stir Fried in Spicy Salted Egg Yolk) In fact, my sis and I ate this the last, following our "Save the Best for Last" policy. I wanted to memorize the flavor...let it linger...that's until we were ready for dessert. Hehe.

It ain't just all food. You get some serious entertainment too! A few groups of singers/choirs paid us a visit and entertained us with songs of joyful rejoice, a little out of tune sometimes, but joyful still :)

A little tip: prepare some small change on the table. It was a little awkward having to dig our pockets/wallets for some money while we had seafood all over our fingers. To the singers: you might wanna consider places where we don't have to use our bare hands to wrestle with our food. You'd probably get more money ^_^

Remember...when you see this sign...

...you're in for a delicious ride.

What did I wear that night? Check it out here.

Pondok Sedap Malam, Pluit
(address and phone number coming soon)