Fairy Mahdzan: Scrumptious Solonese Chicken Rice in Megaria

This is me at a McDonald's in Thamrin-Jakarta which had a screening contraption installed right at the entrance. Authorities were taking precautions against idiots who have nothing else better to do but bomb American franchises in the city (as occured in Makassar just after Hari Raya 2002)

Scrumptious Solonese Chicken Rice in Megaria

by Farah 'Fairy' Mahdzan

(11-Jan-2004) | Readers Say

Just behind Megaria Pempek in Central Jakarta, there is a chicken rice shop that I like to frequent when I'm in the area: Ayam Bakar Khas Solo Megaria. I paid it a visit a few weeks ago and was pleased to find that it was one of the few eating places that was already operating that Sunday morning. Even more pleasant was the small amount of people who were already in the restaurant. Usually the place is packed to the brim!

On the way to the restaurant you'll see the Studio 5 6 cinema theatre not far off. It's cheap to watch a movie here, about ten thousand rupiahs. I've only been in it once and wasted 90 minutes of my life watching a really cheesy horror flick called Kafir last December. I never quite forgave the looney friend who brought me there to see it!

The seating arrangement in Ayam Bakar Solo consists of long benches and tables. This setting never fails to remind me of the canteens I've eaten at during my school days.

I'm always tickled by the fact that we actually have to jot down our own orders when we eat in Indonesia. Menu ordering is done this way so that the restaurant folks are free from being liable for taking down the wrong orders.

Indonesians love kecap manis and sambal. You have to admit, they add zest to one's food! I'm rather fond of the ABC brand as well, somewhat preferring it over Malaysian Maggi.

Our orders made it and here's what I had that morning: siomay with pecal (peanut sauce). It's got dumplings, cabbages and tofu. This dish reminds me very much of Malaysian yong tau foo.

The nasi ayam here is certainly one of the best I've ever had. The chicken is barbequed with its special Solo seasoning, and its accompanying sambel (chilli paste) is to die for: simply hot and delectable! There is nothing special about the rice, it's just plain, unlike the oily rice that's often associated with Malaysian nasi ayam. The chicken made up for it however!

In a rare act of health conscience, we decided to drink teh tawar instead of teh botol to cut back on our sugar intake. It's the perfect drink to have right after a rainy morning!

WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT Scrumptious Solonese Chicken Rice in Megaria:

#30. Good day! Wakh mungkin sudah kelamaan ya baru nulis tanggapan disini. Sy cuma ingin cerita, bhw saya telah mengenal restoram ini sejak tahun 1984! since I was still in Junior high school (SMP). Sampai sekarang bila saya ke Jakarta (Kebetulan skrg sy kerja diluar kota) selalu sy sempatkan singgah di restoran ini. Tempatnya, dari dulu sd skrg, tetap sederhana. Semoga tetap jaya. Makanannya uenak, silakan coba sendiri.
Posted by rahadian on 10-Oct-2007, 12:21 MYT

#29. Waaaa... jadi kepengen makan ayam bakar sambil lesehan di Solo..
Btw, di KL juga ada loh.. Ayam Bakar Wong Solo, kalo gak salah sih di daerah Ampang. Ini kayaknya sih franchise dari Indo juga.. cuman soal rasanya sama apa enggak... gak tau deh.. Soalnya aku juga belom nyobain seh...
Posted by chichi on 8-Feb-2006, 11:39 MYT

#28. Macam tak percaya, dalam kerinduan nak makan sambal, terjumpa satu bungkusan tertulis "Sambal Oleng" Product of Indonesia di atas packet plastic yang membungkus nya.

Yang membuat tak percayanya, I dapat benda ni di salah satu Mart di Zug, Swiss.

Just imagine, dalam kesejukan salju dapat makan sambal goreng
Posted by Azys on 29-Apr-2005, 17:02 MYT

#27. nice
Posted by vonicaon - Website on 7-Jan-2005, 08:54 MYT

#26. VIKI: Banyak tempat yang enak buat makan2, datang aja ke KL and find out.
Posted by Fairy on 8-Oct-2004, 12:00 MYT

#25. woy loe orang kerjaannya makaaaan mulu... !!!
mbak fairy klo di KL tempat makan paling enak & sedap dimanaaa??
Posted by viki on 7-Oct-2004, 02:04 MYT

#24. Dinna, I have to agree, there is just something extra special about Indonesian soy and chilli sauce, lagi sedap!
Posted by Fairy on 28-Jan-2004, 02:24 MYT

#23. believe it or not? i live in malaysia my entire life but my mom never use any malaysian brand's soy sauce or chilli sauce. she always use sambal ABC and kecap cap bango.. i can't live without them. i even have a bottle of sambal ABC and kecap here, in the states. anyway, speaking of watching movie in indo, my worst experience is watching this sundanese movie with my cousins. back then i couldn't understand a single word while my cousins were laughing their head off. it was supposed to be a hilarious movie. unfortunately, my sense of understanding was horrible (still horrible).
Posted by dinna - Website on 28-Jan-2004, 02:12 MYT

#22. now i was pretty sure i left a comment... what happend man? niwae... love chicken rice.
Posted by hazrul - Website on 23-Jan-2004, 01:13 MYT

#21. uuu.. there's another nice chicken place,, called "wong solo".. i think they now have a cabang in jakarta...
Posted by NiNda on 22-Jan-2004, 01:38 MYT

#20. so nice, i wish i can travel to indonesia one day too.... especially jogja and bali.

and i wont forget all the food fairy mentioned here too !

سلا ;مت تاه ;ون باه ;رو
Posted by ShinShin - Website on 21-Jan-2004, 04:29 MYT

#19. hi fairy,

kamu kl ke jkt lagi cobain tanya ama temen2, apa mereka tau gak makanan namanya 'Nasi Gandol'..aku suka makanan ni tapi sulit mau carinya di jkt, asli mana udah lupa..
Posted by jazzmate on 19-Jan-2004, 13:58 MYT

#18. Ah elu Dhe... ngawur!
Posted by Fairy on 19-Jan-2004, 11:01 MYT

#17. Ayam bakarnya masih enakan yg di Bulungannnnn.. Fai, kalo ke Jkt bilang2 dunks.. khan gw pengin ketemu seleb Malay huekekeekks
Posted by Adh3 - Website on 19-Jan-2004, 02:00 MYT

#16. Hhmm...makanan2 favoritnya Fairy...emang bikin Mmmhhh...laper and ngiler.
Posted by Roedi on 18-Jan-2004, 03:01 MYT

#15. Wah ternyata ketinggalan dua postingan nih.

Fairy ke Jakarta? Wah padahal Megaria itu gak (terlalu) jauh dari kantorku. Kalo soal ayam bakar sama pempek sih gak comment lagi deh. Emang top!

Nah, kalo Fairy tau, di sebelah Megaria (antara Megaria dan ALFA), ada Bakso Malang Cikini yang uenakk. Mungkin di antara Bakso Malang terenak yang ada di Jakarta.

Jadi, kalo masih di Jakarta (dan doyan sama yang namanya Bakso Malang), cobain deh.
Posted by umar - Website on 15-Jan-2004, 17:26 MYT

#14. aku suka ke megaria, makan mpek-mpek trus nonton film india di studio 5 atau 6

Posted by shanty - Website on 15-Jan-2004, 11:22 MYT

#13. wah kalo mau siomay (baso tahu - sundanese) dan makanan enak lainnya mah, ya tentu aja di bandoeng! hehe..tetep promosi..
Posted by bagas on 14-Jan-2004, 17:05 MYT

#12. Wah jangan marah donk Ryan, ntar cepat tuaa hehehe.

hiddenhate ya itu pas hujan. Hmm sejuk, enak minum teh hanget.

kurtney, thanks for the tip. Jogja Jogja. Kangen juga. Quaint place.
Posted by Fairy on 13-Jan-2004, 19:35 MYT

#11. koq gue ngga diajak???heh heh.....
Posted by ryan - Website on 13-Jan-2004, 19:27 MYT

#10. Since u like solonese nasi ayam, u may wan 2 try 'Wong Solo' but it's in Yogya lah.. Chicken is tender, very aromatic, mcm BBQ sauce and bumbunya benar2 terasa. Jadi lapar nih.. ngeces..ngeces..
Posted by kurtney on 13-Jan-2004, 18:57 MYT

#9. waaaaah !
saya pernah makan di tempat itu tuh !
tahun kemarin ketika buka puasa
bersama sama teman kantor
aduh udah gitu persis
itu habis hujan kan ?
hehehe

saya waktu makan :

- pecel ayam (atau nasi ayam)
- es teh manis
- es campur

habis itu pulang kekenyangan
hehehehe

Posted by hiddenhate on 13-Jan-2004, 18:07 MYT

#8. Cerita ttg Indonesia kali ini lebih fokus ke makanan2 favorit saya, gitu lah Mbak.
Posted by Fairy on 13-Jan-2004, 15:49 MYT

#7. Mmmmh, yum yum yum ......
Wisata makan nich kayanya ya, Far?
Btw, mampir ke 'rumah' I finally can make my own 'Tempe'
Posted by SyL - Website on 13-Jan-2004, 15:25 MYT

#6. Wah Jeroen, you go to Indonesia often and you don't even remember what you eat? What a shame! I think Indonesia's got some of the best tasting food in the world.

Indah, iya saya senang nasi ayam Solo. Uenak buanget.
Posted by Fairy on 13-Jan-2004, 15:06 MYT

#5. Enaknya.....yummmyum ...
Posted by Elle - Website on 13-Jan-2004, 14:48 MYT

#4. Yeah, that's a nice dish of food. However I never remember the name of the food I ate, this looks kind of familiar to me though.
Posted by Jeroen - Website on 13-Jan-2004, 14:36 MYT

#3. mbak ferry suka sekali sama nasi ayam solo ya

Posted by indah on 13-Jan-2004, 14:13 MYT

#2. oh my god u've made me drool even more!!! & i'm actually on diet...uwaaaaa!!!!
Posted by nonie on 13-Jan-2004, 14:01 MYT

#1. wahh! pagi² lagi dah makan nasi ayam.. kelassss gituh! well, somewhere kat pantai timor (tganu or kelantan.. lupa dah!) ade jugak nasi ayam dimana nasinya.. nasi putih biasa.. tapi ayamnya *yummy yum* merinated with their own seasoning bila terasa jer kat dlm mulut nie.. wahh! sedapppppp bangat..! dan selin dari salad, timun & sos.. ada dihidangkan sekali keropok!
Posted by eLLieZ de`HearT on 13-Jan-2004, 13:52 MYT

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