The beauty of Bangka-Belitung turns out not only for the pristine beaches and the laid-back atmosphere. One must not neglect the culinary power these mysterious islands have in hand. If you’re thinking only about fish and seafood then you clearly have not seen all.

At first I was thinking, ‘Really? Another meal after hotel breakfast?’, but it had been specified in the itinerary as ‘a must visit’. Preparing for the inevitable, I portioned my hotel breakfast meagerly, becoming prudent all of a sudden, preparing an extra room in my tummy and head for Mie Belitung Atep. It’s not a long ride to the center of Tanjung Pandan where this establishment resides.

The place doesn’t look much actually. It’s more like a small shop than a restaurant but with enough seats for everyone. But make no mistake since if you happen to find a tourist bus stopping in front of Mie Belitung Atep then you’d better hurry inside and grab your seats!

If it’s about mie or mee or noodle then I was thinking the one I had back at Tung Tau Kopitiam in Bangka with its mie kuah ikan (fish soup noodle) but I was wrong in the end. I still cannot comprehend what to make with the broth since it was made thick with local sweet soy ketchup but it’s not that sweet actually. People add the sweet soy ketchup later when the dish already served but if you sip the original taste then you’d remember the soup from lomie dish but much less sticky.

The preparations for the noodle are quite simple in this famous establishment visited also by celebs and politicians. They only boil the noodles in a soup filled with small shrimps. Afterwards she served the noodle on the plate, topped it with small cuts of boiled potatoes, bean sprouts, fried tofu, bakwan (fried and diced flour), and then finally to be filled with the soup and shrimps. Lastly, emping crackers do the final trick.

It was divine and it’s nowhere to be seen in my entire life before! Truly, it was an original masterpiece because all those odd ingredients match up! Well, that sets themselves as the sole representative of Belitung culinary world in noodle dishes genre. So about Belitung? You bet! I’m gonna return there not just for the lovely beaches but for Mie Atep  as well. Wifey, are you coming?

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MIE BELITUNG ATEP

Halal-ness to be confirmed

Some menu suitable for vegetarians

Address: Jl. Sriwijaya no. 27, Tanjung Pandan, Belitung

Opening Hours: All day from early morning up to 9 pm or around 10 pm.

RSVP: 0719 – 21464

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Atmosphere: This feels like a casual Chinese food eatery anywhere.

Ambiance: Loud every day. Mie Atep never ran short of customers.

Service: A no non-sense hawker type eatery. You’ll get yours as fast as they can, if not for tremendous amount of visiting customers.

Pricing: IDR 30,000 – IDR 40,000 for two