Back in his younger days, Pak Budi strolled around from his place somewhere in East Jakarta to as far as Matraman on foot carrying satay, ingredients, and the grilling equipment. Back then pushcarts were not yet a familiar friend for hawkers and perhaps still considered as a luxury.

Many years since then, his extra mile with hardship and conviction gave him the reward. His satay shop in Pondok Bambu is frequented by many day in and out from lunch until dinner. His transaction now numbers in thousands of skewers every day and yet one day, I still saw him cracking open the shallots by himself with his staffs.

Well, let us now head straight to the food. To be fair, the taste can be considered on par with other famous establishments around the town but to my liking, I still consider some satay shops from Bandung or the sate klathak from Yogyakarta as the better half of Pak Budi’s.

Nevertheless, the sate goreng is a must-try! Sate goreng itself is a “reduction” of the usual tongseng with less liquid but still kicks in quite a formidable flavor. The usual satay is a good try as well with good juicy meat still found on every bite of it.

So, whenever you are in East Jakarta, be sure to drop by, say hi to Pak Budi, and enjoy his satays!

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SATE TONGSENG PAK BUDI
Halal-friendly
Unsuitable for vegetarians

Address:
Jalan Pahlawan Revolusi (Pondok Bambu), Jakarta – Indonesia
T: +62.21.8660.2157

Opening hours: Daily, 10am – 10pm

Spend: IDR 25,000 – IDR 50,000 / person