IDN: Nasi Campur Akiong

Aromatic roasted pork belly!

I was craving for a nice Chinese nasi campur when I was in Indonesia in July. The Chinese Indonesian nasi campur is one of the dishes I've been craving for (yes, even now). Without further ado, I'll introduce to you what it's all about.

Nasi Hainan Set Rp 26,000 (~S$3.75)

Before I begin the review, nasi campur literally means 'mixed rice'. I shall quote from Wikipedia which gives a nice summary: "For Chinese Indonesians, the [term] refers to rice with an assortment of Chinese barbecue. It also refers to nasi hainan, a dish of Hainanese chicken rice. This dish is normally served with sayur asin, a sour clear broth of pork bones with fermented mustard greens." Suddenly I remember those days when I had to did a lot of quotations for English Literature essays in JC. Haha... :P

Nasi Hainan - Taste: 6/10

Sayur Asin - Taste: 7.5/10

I found the nasi hainan lacked sophistication. Even though it only radiated a faint aroma of the usual Hainanese chicken rice, it still tasted slightly better than a plain rice. Pika's advice: You can opt for plain rice and pay a bit less! :P

The sayur asin, on the other hand, was pretty good. It was a refreshingly sour treat, and they were pretty generous with the amount of fermented mustard greens. Too bad they didn't put pork ribs in the soup.

Chinese Barbecue - Taste: 7.5/10

The siew yoke (roasted pork belly) was the highlight of the day. The thin and crispy skin, together with the succulent meat melted in my mouth, although I'm going to admit that the skin layer of the pork belly the other day was too thick. The lap cheong (Chinese sausage) was uniquely tasty. I don't know how to put it in words but it was just different from any other lap cheong I've eaten before (and to be honest, I actually hate lap cheong). You have to come down and try it yourself! :) The ngo hiang (pork rolls) was pretty good too as it was crispy. On the other hand, the char siew (barbecued pork) was a tad too sweet for me, and the roasted duck was a bit tough, possibly due to overcooking.

Pork Satay Rp 15,000 (~S$2.20)

Taste: 5.5/10

Okay, the five skewers actually came first before I even ordered the nasi hainan set. Usually I can eat lots and lots of pork satay, but Akiong's was way too sweet. In the end I only ate one skewer.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7/10

Ambience: 5/10

Service: 6/10

Overall: 6/10

When I have the time, I'm going to hunt for the best nasi campur in Jakarta and/or around the region!

Nasi Campur Akiong

Jalan Mangga Raya Blk. X No. 19

Duri Kepa - Tanjung Duren

Jakarta

Indonesia

(Opening hours unknown - Anyone knows?)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)