Consider your holiday incomplete if you only have the story about bakpia but not the rest of Yogyakarta’s authentic delicacy. By that we mean, of course, its bakmi Jawa!
The Foodie Magazine paid homage to one of the best in the city, Bakmi Jawa Harjo Geno.
Indonesians are naturally born noodle lovers and now living close to a Javanese family made me somehow amazed at how they became so crazy when it comes to noodles, or to be exact, bakmi Jawa.
As a delicacy highly suitable, and mostly only available, for dinner, bakmi Jawa is indeed a enjoyable feast for the eyes from it first start being cooked and then presented on the your dinner table. Everybody knows that a good bakmi Jawa has to be cooked by using charcoal and thus when combined altogether with the chicken broth and duck egg, you will know that it is a good, different take on noodles.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty much straightforward such as with the use of chunks of chicken, cabbage, and scallions. However, the cool thing about bakmi Jawa is that you can order it with full broth or half of it, as the Javanese would call it ‘nyemek’. I personally prefer the latter as for some reason, I cannot stand idly watching the soupy noodle with growling stomach. I opt for the latter so that I can eat immediately!
Instead of just chunks of chicken, you can always ask to add chicken liver and even prawn into it, as I actually discovered when visiting one of the most famous in Yogyakarta owned by Pak Harjo Geno.
Clearly, Yogyakarta is the right place to start seeking for the authentic and peerless bakmi Jawa hawkers. Pak Harjo Geno is the second generation owner and the rest of The Genos has bakmi Jawa businesses in several places around the city as well, however if you ask who is the direct descendant for the business, then this specific outlet on Jalan Parangtritis is the answer.
Cooking from the inherited refurbished pushcart since the 70s, Pak Harjo came to prominence when he was asked to cook bakmi Jawa for the late president Soeharto in 1996. As to why he was chosen of course it was clearly due to his highly delectable best-kept secret family recipe that keep The Genos running the business for decades until this very moment.
But at the end of the day, the debate continues still as to which one becomes the best in Yogyakarta. However I have to assure to try this one if you haven’t and see whether Pak Harjo Geno’s bakmi Jawa will become your number one.
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BAKMI JAWA HARJO GENO
Halal-friendly
Suitable for vegetarians
Address:
Jalan Parangtritis (nearby the turn to Prawirotaman), Yogyakarta – Indonesia
Opening hours:
Everyday, TBA
Spend: IDR 15,000 – IDR 20,000 / person
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Featured in THE FOODIE MAGAZINE December 2014 edition
Download it for free here via SCOOP!
Photography by Dennie Ramon
RIAN FARISA 
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