Tom Pepinsky

Author: tompepinsky

  • I Just Ran into a Goat

    I was walking down the street in downtown Jakarta and I ran into a goat.  A real live goat being led down the street by a guy.  And I mean, I ran right into it (I was busy sending a text message to JM and I wasn’t paying attention).  This was in the center of town, way far away from the fields where the goats roam.  I said "whoops" and the goat said "baaaaaa."  I think that the goat knew that he was on the way to becoming some satay.

    In other weird news I happened to be out in BSD doing an interview this morning, so I stopped by JM’s music school.  The guys working there were having a heck of a time with what they were doing.  Which was: trying to move a grand piano onto a truck.  They had a little micro-pickup truck there and they wanted to move the grand piano to downtown Jakarta, where JM’s students will be playing it this evening.  Moving a piano is hard enough as it is, but doing so into a tiny pickup truck (and then expecting to drive it 30 miles to downtown without destroying it) makes it nearly impossible.  JM will report how it all went when she arrives.

  • The Best Satay in Menteng (Sate yang paling enak di Menteng)

    Satay is very important to me when I travel to Indonesia.  It is one of the best foods that Indonesia has to offer–very small chunks of tender meat skewed onto bamboo sticks and grilled over an open flame, basted with a salty sweet marinade and served with a tasty peanut sauce.  However, I have yet to find the best version of satay in the local area where I spend most of my time, Menteng.  There is a rather upscale restaurant named Sate Khas Senayan (Special Senayan Satay) which has very good meat served in air-conditioned comfort.  This place as outlets all over Jakarta, and is popular with the businessman/politician crowd.  But the sauce there is too bland, too smooth and refined and processed for my tastes.  On the other hand, there are two little roadside stalls, Pondok Sate Pak Heri and Rumah Makan Jaya Agung that have the perfect sauces, a bit more chunky and thick with sweet soy sauce, nice little roughly-chopped shallots and pickle on the side, but the meat is not as good.  They are certainly more authentic, given that they use whatever part of the goat/cow/chicken that they can, but the meat is undoubtedly tougher and chewier.

    So I’m asking the internet.  Internet people, what is the best place in Menteng (preferably in the Jalan Sabang area) for satay?  Remember, my two real goals for satay are (1) tender juicy meat and (2) authentic, not-too-processed sauce.  I like all types of satay, including beef, lamb/goat, chicken, and "parts."  Suggestions appreciated in the comments below.

    (I have put the title in this post in Indonesian to attract Indonesians googling randomly who can advise me properly on this question.  Saya menerjemahkan judul post ini ke bahasa Indonesia untuk menerima pengunjung Indonesia yang nasehatnya amat diperlu.  Orang internet, restoran/rumah makan mana yang menyediakan sate yang paling enak di Menteng (khususnya dekat wilayah Sabang)?  Yang paling penting adalah: (1) dagingnya lunak, dan (2) saos kacangnya sedap dan agak kasar, tidak diproses hingga halus-halus.  Bisa sate kambing, sapi, ayam, apa saja.)