Rian Farisa

Quikskoop™: Mie Ayam Yono

There was a time when I used to work and live nearby Jalan Jendral Sudirman, one of the busiest business districts in Jakarta. I forgot when and who took me first for an early dinner with a bowl of mie ayam. I guess it was because of an office gossip about a certain hawker that sells delicious mie ayam right across the street and I did enjoy it a lot when the gossip furthermore unveiled itself to become a clear truth!

Since then, it’s pretty much a routine trip there after my office hours with my wife. Well, at least until I started to become a full-time journo and live quite far from there. Mie Ayam Yono’s appearance is actually like other mie ayam hawkers you often encounter anywhere – a stall made from wooden panels set horizontally with a sign that tells everyone that it sells mie ayam, serves it with meatballs or dumplings, and so on. While the real difference is actually the taste, although the composition would revolve somewhere around yellow noodle, cooking oil, soy sauce, and of course, MSG. Afterwards, seasoned and spiced diced chicken alongside other mystery ingredients will be poured upon the noodles, hence the term mie ayam.

Taste-wise, I favor Mie Ayam Yono over many other side street hawkers, although I must warn you of other consequences. Since Mie Ayam Yono and the rest of his comrades are regularly stationed on the side of a really busy street, that means the air quality around where you sit to enjoy your evening meal will be polluted heavily and there’s no doubt that many will stick on the food. So basically, I posted this article because of my sentimental side and that the whole health issues never really inflicted me seriously – although it may if I keep continue eating there on daily basis.

I guess I should bring this up to show that TGA also concerns with health issues. I mean, you should too and sooner would be better, right?

So, to avoid these places would be wise, however there may be a time when you’re hungry enough to stop by and have it your way once in a while, or if you just simply curious? Hopefully it won’t hurt to do it like only once to see why I say that it’s different than the rest! 😀

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MIE AYAM YONO

Halalness to be confirmed

Unsuitable for vegetarians

Address: In front of Chase Plaza building, Jalan Jend. Sudirman Kav. 21, Jakarta – Indonesia

Opening hours: Everyday, around 5 pm – finish

Spend: IDR 10,000 / bowl

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Rian Farisa

Rian Farisa stars himself in a flick about how a culinary correspondent living a life full of adventures as if he will live forever. At the end of the day, he lives to retell the chronicles of his swashbuckling daring gastronomic adventures like a bard singing his tales of beautiful faraway lands. Since gastronomy consists of complex aspects and that is where his passion lies, he decided to unravel how businessmen, hawkers and luxurious restaurants alike, serve their dishes for the patrons. Whether they only serve for the advantages in taste or only the surroundings or whether they really throw anything for the sake of customer’s satisfaction, he shall be solely the only one who can tell and in the name of this noble profession, justice shall be done!

10 responses to “Quikskoop™: Mie Ayam Yono”

cindykn

September 23, 2013

Forget the health concerns, that bowl of mie ayam doesn’t look good. Noodles that are “different from the rest” and usually homemade/self-made tend to have smoother, straighter edges.

This crinkly-edged noodle is commonly found in many (if not most) streetside mie ayam noodle sellers, so they probably just buy the typical commonly available noodle from the market instead of making their own. Maybe it’s because streetside vendors don’t have the time/manpower to make their own noodles. Or they have to buy factory mass-produced noodles to lower production cost, as they can only sell their noodles cheaply (typical streetside cost [harga kaki lima]).

From past experience, the texture of these crinkly-edged noodles is usually not that good, some are even reminiscent of rubber bands. Even those that don’t taste like rubber bands still don’t taste good. As for the extra-brown chicken pieces, it looks all too familiar as well. It’s a good bet that it’s super tough and dry and unpleasantly salty from too much kecap. The only thing that can be “different from the rest” is the sauce for their noodles. But who cares about the sauce or the soup that comes with it, because noodles is more about texture than actual (sauce) taste,

Reply
1. Rian Farisa (The Gastronomy Aficionado)
  
  September 25, 2013
  
  Well put, mate. 🙂
  
  By the way, any particular kaki lima that you visit frequently or trust from the quality of its ingredients or with the way they cook?
  
  Reply
cindykn

September 25, 2013

I haven’t tried too many kaki lima places, but there is good bakso outside Sekolah Kemurniaan Greenvil. They make their own bakso and they don’t need preservatives as they always sold out. Bakso daging and bakso urat are good, but bakso tahu I don’t really care for.

As for noodles, I am not aware of any good kaki lima vendors, because I don’t think they make their own. Mie Orpa has the best noodles in Jakarta. According to most people, it is the most expensive mie ayam in Jakarta (and probably in Indonesia!). Which is a damn shame, since many noodle places in Lampung sell equally good or better noodles at much cheaper prices. Two more notable places In Jakarta: Bakmi Tan has an interesting tough chewy texture, Mie Pinangsia is on the softer side.

Bakmi GM is the blacklisted place for me. Over-priced and over-salty. The chicken pieces are rubber hard and dry and taste of only kecap, not chicken meat. The noodles has the worst texture, it is too soft that one could say it’s soggy.

Reply
1. cindykn
  
  September 25, 2013
  
  Slight mistake: it’s actually bakmi pinang sari, not pinangsia.
  
  Reply
Lala

November 1, 2013

You gotta try the mie ayam hawker at the end of Jl. Ciranjang, right before it branches out to Jl. Wolter Monginsidi. It’s right across One Wolter Monginsidi building (Helen’s Cake). Next to gado-gado seller. I think there’s number 99 on the cart.

For me, this mie ayam is to die for. Once you have tried it, please do write it here. I wanna hear your opinion.

Reply
1. Rian Farisa
  
  November 2, 2013
  
  Will definitely give it a try someday, hopefully soon! And write about it, of course!
  
  May I know its opening hours?
  
  Reply
  1. Lala
    
    November 4, 2013
    
    From around 9:30 am till it’s finished at about 2pm. To be safe, come around 10:30-ish.
  2. Rian Farisa
    
    November 5, 2013
    
    Great! Noted with thanks!
Lala

April 17, 2015

Hi Rian,
I’m wondering if Mie Ayam Yono runs several carts around Setiabudi?
Because I saw 1 Mie Ayam Yono cart behind Setiabudi Building.

Reply
1. Rian Farisa
  
  April 17, 2015
  
  Hi Lala,
  
  It’s been around two years ago since I last had Yono on the front of Chase Building. That was before the MRT construction that shrinks the pedestrian walk in several parts of Sudirman considerably, so there’s a good chance that Yono might be forced to relocate somewhere else.
  
  If you can get the opportunity to ask. please update me. Kangen juga soalnya. 😀
  
  Reply