Nasi Uduk “Warung Jakarta”
Jl. Raya Kerobokan, in front of Pepito Kerobokan
If you’ve read my last post, you’d know that I was let down by nasi uduk Kerobokan. (If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out! Click here to read about it).
The very next week, I decided to re-visit the place, this time on a Saturday. At around ten, I arrived. As soon as I saw the warung was up and running, my eyes lit up. To add to my excitement, the cakwe stall beside it was also open. I nearly drooled at the prospect of the combination.
I took a seat in front of the warung, and had a short conversation with the vendor, who happened to be from the same hometown as I was. They’ve been making and selling nasi uduk in this very spot for the past 5 years. I made sure to tell them about my mishap last week, and we both laughed. I then made my orders, and not long after, the plate arrived.
I left my plate for a while to get some cakwe, took some quick snaps of it, and indulged myself into it.
Nasi uduk is a traditional Betawi-style dish that features rice, infuse-cooked with coconut-milk, pandan leaves, and an array of local spices, yet keeping the flavor very mellow and lightly savory. (Hell, I could eat a basket of just the rice alone). The rice is served with various sides, the most common being spicy fried tempe (tempe orek), fried rice-noodles (bihun goreng), fried chicken (ayam goreng kuning), an omelette (cut up into strings), sambal, and kerupuk bawang. Some nasi uduk (places) even call for beef briskets and fried potato balls.
Each spoonful was a bomb of flavors. The sweet and spicy tempe combined well with the nasi uduk, the saltiness of the fried chicken unified with the tangy sambal, and the kerupuk, well kerupuks are perfect for everything. There was remarkable balance between the sweet, the spicy, the umami. The addition of cakwe, well that put the dish on a totally different level. It was out of this world. (To be honest, I don’t think anyone has ever tried this combination before).
It was a perfect meal, and at only IDR 17k, it was a damn cheap one. The place was rightfully named “Warung Jakarta”, for it reminded me exactly of what home tasted like.
