Sorry took me a while to tabulate all these info and pictures together. Only manage 30 items but trust me, there are more than 30 items easily in Medan to savour on. Hope you enjoy the gastronomical read and perhaps attract you to visit Medan one day!
1. Indomie/Ifumie Goreng
Indomie Goreng Indomie Goreng Basa – The wet versionThis is something like our Maggie Goreng except that Indomie/Ifumie most of the time they would use the seasoning that comes with the instant noodle pack. It is probably the staple in whole of Indonesia, reason is it is affordable for everyone. However different stalls/locations have their own special sauce or chilli paste which makes customers come back for more. 2. Kueh Kueh
Look at the colours of the kueh kuehs! Yam Cake This glutinous rice thing with sri kaya is really damn good…
Lemper Ayam. One of my favourites and will tapao a lot for mum. Just too many varietiesKueh kueh is available in most Asian countries and in Medan, they are very important as some of these kuehs are used for praying to the Gods or Ancestors. There are a lot of kueh kueh varieties here and it’ll take some more one to try them all. My favourites are shown below. 3. Martabak
Martabak Piring… That’s how they cook it! To be honest, I prefer the ones below… Comes in a slab like this Look at the amount of cheese! This one we ordered the first night. It has all the works inside… Nutella, grounded peanuts, choc rice, cheese! Last slab we had for our trip. Damn good. Loads of cheese and butter. Yums! Heavenly! Probably the best now in Medan, Martabak Yurich!This is prolly trending very much now in Medan. Not to be confused with the martabak we have here in Singapore, there are basically 2 types of martabak in Medan; The thin or the thick one. Personally I prefer the thick one cos it comes with a lot of fillings and coated with loads of butter. I would highly recommend Martabak Yurich because theirs are really yummy!
4. Bihun Bebek (Duck Beehoon)
Me and boss of Asie Bihun Bebek, showing how much ducks he use for his broth. Bihun Bebek served dry and a bowl of soup on the side. Broth is super rich and tasty, result of boiling with a lot of ducks in it. Another Bihun Bebek place I visit which belongs to my Medan mummy. Bihun Bebek Akien has their followers and to be honest, has a different touch from the one at Asie. Akien’s Bihun Bebek comes with veg, home made shrimp balls and a chunk of braised pork belly. I really miss this right now. Specially reserved this bowl of goodness for me…. Finished!This is prolly the first stop everytime I’m in Medan. A must eat and it’s truly da bomb! There are 2 types in Medan; the strong herbal or light herbal one. However, either or is damn rich in broth and really a great way to start the day with! My favourite stalls are Bihun Bebek Kumango (Asie) and my god mother’s stall Bihun Bebek Akien!
5. Mie Pangsit
Mie TiongsimThis is prolly the wanton mee of Medan. Everywhere cooks differently like the wanton mee in SG. My favourite so far is Mie Tiongsim at Jln Selat Panjang. Still good even though they are super popular. 6. Mie Hokkien
Mie Hokkien at Jln Selat Panjang Friend’s parents’ Mie Hokkien. See the lard and amount of ingredients. Yums!The distinct difference between Mie Pangsit and Mie Hokkien is Mie Pangsit has char siew and wantons, while Mie Hokkien has braised egg, prawns, fish balls and prawn balls. 7. Coffees Locals vs Specialty
Latte from Pilastro Cafe Latte from Geodang Latte from Macehat Latte from The Thirty SixCoffee is grown in most parts of Indonesia and North Sumatra is one of the places. The presence of local coffee is definitely a hindrance to the growth of specialty coffee stores such as Pilastro and The Thirty Six. So while you’re there, go support these business, and enjoy some really good local single origins! 8. Nasi Ayam
Nasi Ayam from Nasi Ayam SP3 of Jalan Selat Panjang. With the owners of Nasi Ayam SP3Chicken Rice here in Medan is really different. Again, every stall has different side dishes. I like the one at Jalan Selat Panjang, Nasi Ayam SP3, their chicken rice comes with sides like braised egg, sambal shrimps, veg, etc. Owner couple are very nice people and you can literally order anything just sitting at their stall. 9. Big R Burger
The Big ‘R’ Burger Big Roy eyeing on Big R Burger hahaHaha I placed this as a must eat because this burger is created in my name! Thick 200g beef patty with steak slices and beef bacon laid on top of it and topped it off with a runny sunny-side-up! Really yummy this one! Only at The Thirty Six! 10. Putu Bambu
Steamed bamboo kueh Very yummy Miss this!This is something like our tutu kueh but it’s longish and steamed inside a bamboo, giving it a distinctive bamboo fragrance. You can get this everywhere. 11. Kweu Tiau
The Legend GLORIOUS DUCKS EGGS!!! Fry until the wok also got hole… imagine how many years is that gonna take?!?!! Try making her smile, anyone can do that let me know and prove it with a selfie! Tapao best cos the banana leaf gives off a different taste! Damn I miss this so much! Using duck eggs! Add your own pork lard at Kwetiau Ahong Kwetiau AhongKweu Tiau is actually Fried Kway Teow and they only have the light coloured portion which is very similar to Penang ones. I totally love the Fried Kway Teow here cos some of the Kway Teow like Kwetiau Ong’s is homemade! Best of all, they use duck eggs!!! Makes a lot of difference to the dish! Kwetiau Ong is definitely my favourite stall, which is a Golden Legendary stall since 1914… that’s 103 years of history!!! Close to this will prolly be Kwetiau Ahong’s. 12. Sate Padang
Legendary stall beside Bata. Sate Padang from the Bata stall. The chicken one is definitely better cos mutton is tough Had this at one of the markets… tough like mad This one looks promising Chicken sate is very nice and tender… Love how much fried shallots they used! So good we ordered round 2! Burp!Sate Padang is literally satay in SG. The satay here is not as tender as what we have back home but definitely flavourful. Sauce wise is a little more on the savoury side instead of the sweeter version in SG. This is a must have when you’re at any food street at night. You can order like 5 sticks if you’re alone. 13. Nasi Padang
Usually laid on the table like that and you only have to pay for what you eat… The rest of the dishes they will put back… Love the fried chicken here! How locals would eat, pack in a banana pack and then eat it after 5 mins. The fragrance of the leaf will surface. Yummy! Garuda’s Padang Serdahana’s PadangNasi Padang is big business in Medan! So many places for good Nasi Padang and some big brands like Garuda is already in Singapore. The best thing about this Nasi Padang is that the variety is huge and they will place loads of dishes on the table. You’ll only be charged for what you eat, not what you’ve touched. So you can take the curry sauce but not eat the chicken…then they will put back the chicken to the main display pot. Hygiene is definitely questionable here… but no one seems to care. Love most of the outlets here, Muay orders are the beef rendang, ayam goreng and ayam pop. 14. He Ci
He Ci is the same as the Ngoh Hiang stalls in Singapore with the crispy prawn crackers and the floury prawn cakes. Except that the items offered differs from ours.
15. Tok Tok
Tok Tok stall Pig’s blood… no more in SG Intestines…. still got a little smell…A very local dish of pig’s blood and intestines. Not everyone’s cup of tea and the taste is really acquired. Worth a try if you encounter this. 16. Popia
Atak Popia or rather more known as Popia Jose Rizal, opens only in the evening. All handmade on the spot upon orders. Steam or fried? I like the steam one better! So yummy!In our context, it’s Popiah. I only know one place that has this and they sell by the thousands daily! Check out the stall at Jose Rizal and you can choose from the steam or deep fried ones. I definitely preferred the steamed ones! Not cheap at 7000 rupiah each but it has crab meat inside and extremely tasty! 17. Avocado Shake
Regular Avocado juice Avocado juice with espresso shots at MacehatAvocado is grown locally in Brastagi region and naturally drinks are made out of these. Avocado shake with chocolate sauce is truly yummy here and a must drink when in Indonesia. You may wanna check out the Avocado Juice with Espresso shots at Macehat. Their signature drink there. 18. Curry Chicken & Beef Bihun/Rice
The famous curry at Tabona Curry Chicken… The gravy is very watery but never lacks of flavour. Beef is damn yummy. Love the brisket parts Bihun texture so different from ours in Singapore Featured on a local magazine lately. Boss and meRumah Makan Tabona. This is a household brand that has been selling this for decades. Love the curry chicken and beef to go with the beehoon. Very yummy! Some Medanese said do not leave Medan if you haven’t tried this! I must say it’s not bad, and their business is blardy good! 19. Chee Cheong Fun
This is how the chee cheong fun is laid out Then chopped into pieces upon orders and drench with a little sauce and fried shallots.This is one of my favourites. Simple, plain looking but damn yummy! The secret is in the sauce and all the fried onions on top. The best I’ve tried so far is from Jalan Selat Panjang from the big guy’s stall.
20. Nasi Goreng
Nasi Goreng Petai See the fire they use… power!There are many places for fried rice. I kinda like the Nasi Goreng Petai at 134A Jalan Singa. The fire is damn power, hence wok heat is amazingly good! 21. Goreng Pisang
Goreng Pisang with a whole lot of cheese and chocolate at Geodang Pilastro’s version of Goreng PisangIn most cafes, they usually have Goreng Pisang for sides that is drouse with loads of chocolate rice and cheese! Good to try but too much a little jelak! 22. Durian
The man, Ucok Durian piled up here for selectionYes, durians do grow in Medan. But the seeds are big and flesh not as much. But at the price of 35k and 50k rupiah, it’s ok to try the taste of it. Ucok durian is the biggest player in the durian market which operates 24/7! So if you’re craving for durians at 4am, you can get some by taking a Grab car there! 23. BPK
Babi Panggang Karo… If they BBQ the pork well, the meat will be tender. If not, good luck to your teeth. Blood gravy to go with your riceBabi Panggang Karo is a traditional Karo tribe cuisine of BBQ pork slices which is usually served with rice and a bowl of blood mixture spicy sauce thingy. At some places, the meat can get really tough… the better ones are in the mountains so branded doesn’t mean good. 24. Kueh Lapis/Ambon
With chocolate chips Yummy plain onesHome of Kueh Lapis and more likely the Kueh Ambon. Indonesians generally agree the Kueh Ambon in Medan is the best in the whole of Indonesia. But I kinda like the Kueh Lapis, very good souvenir gift to bring back for family and friends. There is a street full of kueh lapis, just go sample all of them and tell me which ones you like! 25. Teh Susu Telor
Da eggy teh tarik drink,… not bad but damn sweet This street has loads of different styles of indomie goreng and the egg tehThis is a very local drink. Egg is added to the milk tea and seriously damn sweet. But the egg adds a nice fragrance to the drink. Dunno if there are any medical boost drinking this but it’s worth a try! 26. Snake Meat
Snake meat… Taste like chickenSnake meat is available at food streets like Jalan Semarang. Fried in some rempah and seriously taste like chicken. Quite appetising! 27. Chao Lo
Spicy but acquired taste…This is a typical before dinner snack in Medan which actually are snails cook in some spicy soup. Totally an acquired taste dish, not many people can take it. 28. Badak
Sarsi made in Medan. Medanese pride and joy. Has Sarsi taste definitely but with some herbal tones too. Not bad, interesting. 29. Es Campur
Literally like our ice kacang but the ice is a lot coarser and helluva lot more sweet! But they are super generous with the ingredients too! 30. Corn Rojak Keju
This is an interesting snack which I found at Brastagi market area. They slice the corn off the cob and then mix in butter, salt and pepper before topping with shredded cheese. Quite yummy actually.
Actually there are a lot more food to feature in Medan but this list is taking just too long. But I have included some of the pictures for you all to see below. Happy munching!
Nasi Tim… Basically steamed rice with the ingredients… like our Fan Choy or Lor Mai Kai. Available at Nasi Ayam SP3 Sio bak available at Jalan Semarang. Yummy! A drink I swear by everywhere I go… plain ice tea no sugar and it’s cheap I think these are called Apom… Served with kaya-like gravy. Simple stall like this is long queue every morning at the market Yummy porridge with intestines Market has interesting foods too! Nasi Campur but the rice was a little cold. A little like our sayur lodeh not bad.
Ok it’s Day 2 in Medan when I went around with the driver and trust me, this day I ate nothing less of that of Day 1! Let’s get started!
Woke up to a nice buffet brekkie. Simple foods make me happy… as long as they have an egg station to make my omelette! With more cheese please!Ok this egg plant sambal is BLARDY GOOD! I went back for 2 rounds of just egg plant!Left the hotel, spotted this and I was told this is actually a landmark in Medan… It’s a water tank and will light up at night.Can get quite jammyRailway tracks run through the back of some housing… Reminds me of a lot of places… Thailand, India, etc…Chinatown… full of business activities… just like our Hong Kong Street in the morning.Cybercafe… Singapore kids don’t know how lucky they are….My first stop… Thirty Six Cafe. Came earlier but not opened, so went to get my SIM card first.Love the ambience. One of the bosses at the machine.See the space…Behind is a stage where local bands will perform on weekends.Wow chillax seats and watch the performance! I need to lie on this the next time I’m there!Had 2 cups of coffee there.Their own private roasting roomWith in house roaster Billy!Wanted to check out this curry noodles but I have another place in mindSomewhere on this roadFirst you find this thing then turn left!Seems like some private housing placeHmmm seems like I got the wrong placeThere is the stall!Bihun Bebek Akien (Duck Beehoon… Akien is the name of the owner) Wonder nice or notPlaced my ordersThese fatty pork belly just melts in the mouth. Remind me to order the whole bowl next time!Wow looks goodSo good I emptied the bowl… #worldcleanplateCoffee here is not bad. Aunty made this specially for me.Aunty owner ask me to call her mama! I have a mother in Medan! Very very hospitable and I felt really at home with her!Came here to buy the Kueh Lapis for home. End up only the lapis is nice, Kueh Ambon is bad. Can skip. Attitude of staff also need a little fine tuning.Kueh Lapis sampling… I must say it’s really good.Bought one lapis and one ambon. Ambon is sucky.The street of kueh lapis, Jalan MoejopahitGoedang KoffieQuite crowdedBar counterNon-aircon seatingMy latteCheese with banana fritters and loads of chocolate! #fatdiemeYumsAt the supermarket to buy some stuffsBought these for friendThis jar of Gila Sambal is damn spicy! Love it!5th stop. Macehat Cafe. Pronounced as Mah-Cha-Hut. Highly recommended by friend.Inside is compact man…Many tables and crampy.Walls many things…Outside equally crowded and lots of smokersOrdered the Avocado Choc with ice cream and espresso shot. Pretty good.Ordered a latte takeaway. Typical dark roasted, same ol’ taste profile.6th Stop. Kwetiau Ong. Spelt as Kway Teow in Singapore and Malaysia. Since 1914! Father passed to the daughter and old aunty is frying this darn good!Fry until got hole the wokDuck eggs!!! #whysgnoduckeggsKway Tiao Ong… Damn good even tapao!I shall conquer Jalan Selat Panjang! Famous food street in Medan! SPARTA!!!Famous Mie Tiong Sim.Mie Tiong Sim’s Mie Pangsit. which is actually our Wanton Mee. Pretty good actually. Must eat.Mie Hokkien is actually quite good!Kueh galore man….This glutinous rice chicken is damn good. Next trip must tapao this!More kuehsYam cake looks damn goodPandan kuehs will be dressed with grated coconutMedan chee cheong fun… yeah spreaded over a pan.This Medan style chee cheong fun is damn blardy good. There are 2 stalls at Selat Panjang, go for the one who is same size as me… if not bigger…This is known as Murtabak in Medan… yeah I also scratch head… but apparently this pancake is very common snack among the locals. Common toppings are chocolate, cheese, peanut and coconut. Same same.MurtabakThis is the bamboo version of our Kueh Tutu… Didn’t buy this cos you eat one, you’ll be full… then cannot eat anything else!This glutinous rice thingy has got coconut peanut fillings inside. It’s alright can skip though.This purple glutinous rice cake with kaya is blardy good. another must try!Can’t remember what this is but the sauce isn’t that tasty. The prawn crackers were crispy though.Something like kumquat (honeyed lime) drinkBadak drink is like Sarsi… only available in Medan.Sate padang looks good but had it the day before so didn’t order.After dinner we headed to the night marketBlack sugar cane juice. Very sweet.Meet Bob, the civet cat! No I didn’t look for his poop for kopi luwak!Me with the owner of Bob. Cute right? ;PBehind every big guy is a small civet cat.I think Bob just kissed me…HeheSo cute right!!!!The mother of the stall owner offered us nonya kueh while we were waiting for the rain to stop… So nice and warm the people here!Rain rain rain suddenly lahThe makan gang… Thanks for the hospitality guys!
That ended my second day in Medan. Yes I did ate that much. Everyone had food coma after that…. haha… Day 3 was pretty much rushing to the airport and head back to SG. So that ended my whole short Medan trip. I promise I’ll be back for more good food! Till then Medan, I’ll see you guys soon!
Ever since I started BLACK&INK, I never thought I would have time to actually travel. So the opportunity came during our National Day where it was a long weekend and hence we decided to rest during this period as we reckon many people would have left the country. So I quickly booked my tickets from Jetstar, booked a hotel at random and then off I flew to Medan on National Day itself. I was fortunate to have foodie friends in Medan to bring me around as Medan is totally non-accessible by public transport. Thanks to Wiwi (@zhoueats) and friends Leo, Tahbar and Mimi for your kind hospitality!
As usual I will post pics and describe below every pic what I experienced throughout the trip, day to day manner. Every pic was shot with my iPhone 5S. So let’s start.
Boarding planeLanding Medan. Many farms.Landed MedanMedan airport. Very new.Decor around the airport.Gents hahaaMy driver heheRoads of Medan outskirtsArrived at hotel Swiss Bellin.Dusting will be helluva job man!BedroomLong walkway to bathroom and small windowShowerBathroomRoom from the other side.I hand carried all these on board… don’t ask me how. ;PFirst stop. Satay with more than 40 years of history!Satay or Sate spelt in Indon. Check out the pot of peanut sauce! Damn awesome!No fine dining tables lah but street food is what I dig y’all!Ok maybe not this street food on a hot day…. This is cockles sate or Sata Kerang… gulp! LS galore on first meal? SKIP!!!Ordered chicken and mutton sates and one stick of intestines. Mutton was tough like hell but chicken and intestine were good. Love the sauce and fried shallots on top. Yums!I dunno what went through my mind when I ordered this float from the roadside. But I survived. So can order!The stall ownerProceeding to 2nd stopBPK Olakisat. BPK is Babi Panggang Karo which means BBQ Pig House and Olakisat is basically the name of the shop or area.2pm+… so crowded… almost couldn’t get a table. Oh and one thing in Medan… no one shares table! You might get stares if you ask to share table hahahaBBQ pork… tough like shit… Even bak kwa is more tender.Pigs’ blood sauce to go with your rice. Taste very spicy and sour. Can try for one time. Indonesians fav.Mashed Cassava Leaves. How come SG don’t have leh? Maybe it’s a little rougher than sweet potato leaves but it’s still full of nutrients!Rice was uncooked. Quite bad. I had to add soup and hope it softened. No, it didn’t.Damage around S$5.90. Not too bad but food wasn’t up to expectations.3rd stop. Pilastro Cafe (@pilastro_mdn). One of the pioneers in specialty coffee in Medan and it was a great honour to visit this place.Boss Benny is at the counterOrdered a pour over. Pretty decent, something different from the regular dark roasts.Deep fried cassava sticks. Quite yummy.Wefie with Wiwi and me.Enjoying my second cuppa of their in house ESP Blend espresso.Ambience of Pilastro. Nice and chill. Leo and Mimi on the left.Benny and me.4th stop is an interval from all that eating and basically checking out this orpahange recommended to me by Leo.Care takers are Pastor and his wife. Not much funding from the government.Now they have about 90+ orphans and growing still.Facade.Incomplete building cos lack of funding. This is proposed for the less than 3 year olds so they don’t fall down easily cos of the high steps.There are bricks and cement but somehow still insufficient to complete the building. Seems like they need help in construction also.Rain came down like my heavy heart.Worship placeKids, some can tell not normal.So many of themAll the young ones the older orphans help to take care.Wiwi cuddling an orphan who was left at the doorstep of the orphanageWith some of the kids5th stop. Garuda Nasi Padang for dinner. SG also have one branch but not as good as this original one.So many dishes to choose from.Fried chicken on the spot is a MUST-ORDER!Avocado juice with chocolate!Some choose packet style cos they feel it’s more tasty.Packet style… really damn good lah…While others chose the share style and those you don’t eat they put back… When eating there, don’t consider any hygiene lah, just whack!The beef rendang is da bomb man! Very very good!Awesome fried chicken!!! Total damage came up to around S$25 which is considered expensive in Medan!6th stop. Famous Poh Piah Jose Rizal. Located at Jalan Jose Rizal, for 40 years already!Managed to find some seats but need to wait. Many orders!Preparation in progressFried or steamed, each S$0.70. About 10cm long.Steamed ones are really nice.Drove around to see the other eating places. This is the famous Nasi Goreng place which is on Youtube. But didn’t get to try cos reserving stomach for next stop.Famous restaurant for local food. Skip. ;P7th stop. Ucok (pronounced as Wu Chock) Durian. You see the amount of durian, you know they are the monopoly. If you wanna eat durian in Medan, Ucok is the only place locals will recommend. And this place opens 24hrs!!! 3am you feel like some durians, take a drive and whack one your own or have some durian pancakes!With the Durian King Ucok himself!Durians are a cross between XO durian and D24. Bittersweet and texture is not bad. Only set back is that their seeds are big. And here, only 2 prices. S$3.50 for small or S$5.00 for big ones. So don’t complain lah, cravings satisfied. My first Medan durian!Frozen durian and durian pancakes wrapped nicely for bringing home.Wefie with Wiwi, Tahbar and Mimi.
Ok that ended my Day 1 in Medan. Gimme some time to write on Day 2, which is another day full of FOOD!!!
Was wondering what to do one of my off days so I decided to head to Batam cos it has been a long time since I’ve last visited. So I called up my food buddy Chandra (@batamliciouz) and just so nice Charlene was also off that day, and off we went!
So early in the morning in the train and so many peopleThe new ferryWoohoo!Chandra and me with his cool ride.Chandra’s cool ride interiorCharlene and me ready to rock and roll!Spotted wreaths for opening ceremonies or funerals, are all on boards like these.Arrived at this place called Kedai Kopi Sudi Manpir, only known to locals. This sloppy looking stall you must wondering what the old couple is selling right? Make a guess?A closer look… they can sell a few hundred plates a day!Yes, it’s Mee Rebus! And it’s only 10000rupiah (S$1!) One of the best in Batam already!The Mee Goreng guy…Wanted to order the Fried Maggi Mee but came this instead. Still, this is pretty darn good cos of the wok hei. This Mie Goreng Tg Pinang costed only 20000 rupiah ($2)Wanton Mee otherwise known as Mie Pangsit in Indonesia. This one is ok at 16000 ($1.60)Teh large cup is 11000Rp ($1.10)Kopi small cup is 5000 rp ($0.50)After that headed to Caffein at Nagoya Mall area, met up with my friend Joe who owns the place.Nice deco on the ground floorAll bakes are done in house. Caffein is prolly the first cafe in Batam to do specialty coffee, macarons and artisan cakes.2nd floorRochester 32000Rp ($3.20). Pretty awesome with a wafer base and layers of choc and hazelnut mousse. Yums!Latte 23800Rp ($2.38). Beans are from Liberty Roasters in Singapore.Awesome hospitality from Caffein! You guys should visit when you’re at Nagoya Mall. They are opposite Matahari exit only.Next stop, Shuang Hong Bak Kut Teh!Interesting way to rent out advertising space.Teh Botol… Indon’s number 1 herbal tea.Es Jeruk Manis 10000Rp ($1). Some fruit juice cordial thing. Forgot what this is… heheBak Kut Teh 32727Rp ($3.20). They have versions like this in minced pork and pork slices. Soup is herbal but not too strong. Not bad.Ayam Rojak 54545Rp ($5.50). Imagine boneless fried chicken mixed in a rojak salad. Quite yummy!Their version of hor fun 15000Rp. Not as tasty as SG ones.Fried Kway Teow 17272 ($1.72) Soso only, not as good as the morning one.After that we went to visit this old friend of mine, Singapore’s famous Fish Head Steamboat, Whampoa Keng!Wah got alfresco seating and also band playing on weekends!Love the decor!Inside the restaurant.They can’t use charcoal there hence these avante garde table stoves!The legendary Ah Keng! Haven’t taken any photos with him after knowing him for so long!Back to Nagoya MallSeems like the trend here…Never tried this before
