Jakarta is hot, polluted, overgrown, overflowing and dirty. Yet it is tasty, alive and friendly. A concise edition of the capital is on display every night in Jalan H.O.S. Cokroaminoto, just outside Menteng Plaza, where the flavors of Indonesia’s kampung meet the Jakarta melting pot.

During the day Jalan H.O.S. Cokroaminoto is a busy main road that connects Kuningan and Menteng via Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said. Normal Jakarta stuff - traffic jams, pollution and ubiquitous parking attendants. At nighttime, dozens of stallholders wheel their food carts onto the pavements to join the few permanent warung. Pollution is still present, terus-kiri-kanan are still shouted at drivers, and during the weekend – due to the queue of onlookers peeping at the waria wiggling a hundred meters up the road – traffic jams are likely. Still, it all adds to the folklore.

It is a fair point to say that mum would not approve of the hygiene standards, but it is also fair to say that she would enjoy the buzz, love the food and be ecstatic about the price. Food is abundant, varied and cheap, and a blend of students, artists and workers cheerfully chat, eat or simply practice “the noble Indonesian art” of nongkrong (hanging out).

“It is pretty cool place to hang around, I come here every weekend” says Ajie (25) a student. Armely (29) an NGO activist agrees. “I am here at least once a month. Yes, the place is very chilled; the food is ok and very cheap. This is the real Jakarta, much more fun then cafés in Kemang or posh restaurants. Bule - white westerners - don’t know that, and they are missing out.”
By the way, those worried about being subjected to endless “hello-mister-what-is-your-name-where-do-you-come-from-how-long-have-you-been-in-Indonesia” kind of interrogations, should not. The Menteng crowd is used to bule and chatting goes beyond practicing English.

Menteng is not the same to all, night-crawlers for example use it as the equivalent of a post-clubbing kebab shop: “I only came here if I had a big night out and I need to put some food in my stomach before going to bed,” Erianto (27) adds.

Those that stopped counting Bintang at 2am better watch out because the skillfully handled oil-spluttering wajan – wok - make the pavement greasy and slippery and walking outside the well-worn areas could be the ticket for a bumpy ride.

To Yanti (25) and friends, Menteng is a sort of primordial drive-in. “I like the food and I know that it is open until 5am everyday except Sundays and it is safe. But it is too dirty and I like my new Mercedes … I can have everything brought over to my car, a full dinner, an avocado juice with chocolate perhaps? Marlboro Putih? Tidak masalah, not a problem”.

In the warung, cooking becomes something of a performance with each bragging about it. Andre (16) from West Java has been working here for a year “I sell the best satay in the area, I make about Rupiah 250,000 a night, but I only work for a friend so I don’t get to keep it all. Here is a good place to work there is never any trouble and people came back”.

The food is delicious but simple. Nasi and mie goreng (fried rice and noodles) are at the centre of every Indonesian diet and unsurprisingly most warung dish them out. Nasi putih (steamed rice), nasi uduk (cooked in coconut milk) and nasi lontong (a kind of rice cake) are a natural accompaniment to dishes like: satay (chicken, meat or shrimp grilled on a stick), ikan and ayam bakar (grilled fish and chicken with salad), rendang (curry in coconut milk) and gado-gado (mixed vegetable in peanut sauce). It goes without saying that generous splashing of kecap asin or kecap manis (salted or sweet Soya sauce) and sambal (chilly sauce) are an integral part of the culinary experience.

Those a bit peckish can get hold of a soto ayam (chicken soup), siomay (similar to gado-gado minus the rice) roti bakar (grilled bred with various toppings) bubur ayam (rice porridge with shredded chicken), martabak (meat or vegetable filled pasty) or the king of Indonesian snacks, its majesty the gorengan. No one in the right frame of mind can claim that gorengan is a healthy food. In truth the various tempe (bean curd), pisang (banana) singkong (cassava) and ubi (sweet potato) are drowned in such a huge quantity of old oil that in comparison McDonalds is a clean, organic and healthy food. But it tastes real good!

Pseudo health freaks can eat at home or stick to fruit juices while (passively or actively) smoking one kretek after the other. In the meantime everybody is serenaded by the wondering bands of young amateurs that (enthusiastically) jump from person to person offering “vintage” music.

Lepi (26) and Hery (24) are a band “We know all the Indonesian pop songs. Do you know Cucit Rowo? People here listen to us, they love it! Weekends are great, there is a crowd and we make up to Rupiah 100,000 each”. They think they are good, but the hard fact is that they cannot play guitars, keep a beat or even sing. Still tipping is a must and it is all in good spirits.