Who doesn’t love Indonesian food?
“What is Medan? I’ve never heard of that.” — is the reaction I get from many when I said I was heading to the capital of Indonesia’s North Sumatra province. Though it’s the third largest city in Indonesia, it’s somewhat of a spot that is less travelled. Ditch that Bali or Jakarta itinerary, Medan is one of the most underrated travel destinations in Indonesia and if you love food, it’s definitely the place for you and your tummy.
Ask a Medanese, “What is there to do in Medan?” and you’ll get an answer similar to when you ask a Singaporean — “Eat.” With age-old traditions and streets bustling with food stalls, the city will give Singapore a run for it’s name as food city.
1. Bihun Bebek
The best place to have Bihun Bebek, or duck noodles, would be at Bihun Bebek Kumango. The bowl comes with generous chunks of meat (including optional offals) on a bed of vermicelli. The bihun is springy and chewy, and comes topped with fried garlic to add to the flavour. The soup is the best part of this dish; It is broiled for hours in duck bone and as the shop owner says, “Better than Ippudo!” If there is only one thing you can eat here, I would say definitely do not leave without eating this bowl of delicious bihun.
2. Freshwater Lobsters
Well this is not technically in Medan but a trip to the North Sumatran region is just not complete without visiting Lake Toba, which is just outside of Medan city. Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world, where the scenic view will make it all worthwhile. You can grab some freshwater lobsters (barbequed or fried) and dine by the lake on a chillax day. My party of five had six lobsters and three big fishes for under S$40! While you are at the Lake Toba region, don’t forget to ‘shower’ under the beautiful Sipisopiso waterfall or soak in the hot springs at Mount Sibayak.
3. Sate Padang
Sate Padang is meat on skewers drenched in thick gravy. Unlike our local version of satay, this Medan dish comes with rice cakes (lontong) if you wish, and the option of curry sauce or peanut satay sauce! I personally loved the curry sauce and the choice to have skewered intestines too, it created a flavour bomb. You can find this along with other amazing eats along the food street Jalan Selat Panjang.
4. Goreng Pisang
Yes, yes, you might say, “Singapore has goreng pisang too,” but have you ever had it like this? The fried banana dish is topped with a mountain-load of cheese and chocolate. The locals there seem to love this combination, and I never knew how heavenly it was till then. The gooey cheese and melty chocolate combination completely transformed ordinary fried bananas. This was at Pilastro Cafe, which is a fusion of modern and Medan. The joint serves great coffee, delicious liquid nitrogen ice cream along with local snacks like the goreng pisang!
5. Murtabak
It might have the same name as the meat and onion prata dish in Singapore, but Murtabak in Medan is more of a dessert. The base is a thick pancake, with ingredients ranging from cheese to peanuts to oreos. Again, cheese and chocolate was the recommended flavour. They have also ‘revolutionised’ more base flavours, like pandan, red velvet and more! One of the most famous names in the scene is Murtabak Yurich. Piping hot, crispy, chewy all at once — our peanut pancake pales in comparison to this dessert.
6. Tok Tok
You can find all the food fit for a great mid-day, mid-meal snack along Jalan Kalimantan. One interesting dish is Tok Tok, and perhaps is one for the more exotic taste bud. It is named after the sound of knocking on wood as peddlers ride their food carts on bikes around the city. The dish contains an assortment of pig intestines, pig’s blood and pig skin drenched in thick, sweet and spicy gravy. Singapore food joints ceased selling pig’s blood following the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (Pig Virus) in Malaysia in 1999, but there are many fans of that delicacy out there and you shouldn’t miss this!
7. Snake Meat
This one is probably the most scary-sounding on the list, but snake meat is really nothing to be intimidated by. Fried snake meat (python, they say) is something you can find along Jalan Semarang food street, along with a plethora of other delicious food. It sort of tastes like chunks of eel, fried to golden-brown crispiness and perfection.
8. Curry Bihun
Rumah Makan Tabona is a curry place that locals frequent and swear by. You can have your curry with the option of either chicken, beef or innards, with either bihun (vermicelli with great chewy texture!) or white rice. The addictive curry soup has less viscosity, and hence you can slurp the entire bowl without feeling overwhelmed.
9. Ifumie Goreng
You would be able to find this noodle dish at almost any food joint in the city. Ifumie Goreng (fried ifumie) and Indomie Goreng (fried indomie) are basically noodles fried with egg, vegetables, fishcakes and more, the difference between them just being the noodle type. Indomie is everyone’s favourite dry instant noodle, while Ifumie is flatter noodles. You really can’t miss this staple.
10. Avocado Coffee Float
Macehat Coffee is hailed as the leading coffee shop in Medan, and is a great place to try some good local coffee roasts. One of their most popular drink is the avocado coffee float, which has avocado blend, chocolate ice cream, sprinkles and comes with a shot of espresso. The unique flavours make it a local favourite.
The best place to have Bihun Bebek, or duck noodles, would be at Bihun Bebek Kumango. The bowl comes with generous chunks of meat (including optional offals) on a bed of vermicelli. The bihun is springy and chewy, and comes topped with fried garlic to add to the flavour. The soup is the best part of this dish; It is broiled for hours in duck bone and as the shop owner says, “Better than Ippudo!” If there is only one thing you can eat here, I would say definitely do not leave without eating this bowl of delicious bihun.
