Sedap Malam restaurant opened nearby

One of my favorite seafood restaurants in Jakarta is Sedap Malam, which means "delicious night." That sounds a bit kinky, but then again, seafood is supposed to be sumptuous and tempting. The original restaurant is located on Batu Tulis Raya street, the area behind the Presidential palace.

I used to go there with my parents and we would order the sweet black pepper sauce crab.

Now a chain has opened near where I live, which means I don't have to go too far to have some delicious seafood. = 

Garlic shrimp

That's kangkung (Chinese spinach / morning glory) on top

Coconut and orange punch

The famous crab with sweet black pepper sauce

Bean sprouts

In Indonesia I ate: Patin fish cooked inside bamboo

The first time I ever heard of ikan patin (iridescent shark or shark catfish) was on a business trip to Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Back then I wasn't able to taste this local delicacy because I was too busy taking care of my boss.

Then a few months later, on a culinary tour with a couple of friends, we went to a Kalimantan restaurant somewhere in Bogor (West Java) and we ordered ikan patin. What makes this Kalimantan dish so famous is that the catfish is stuffed inside a bamboo with all the spices along with it, then grilled. The bamboo would probably fit a human arm, so this fish is quite large in size. 

Once the cooking's done, the fish would be taken out of the bamboo, laid out on a banana leaf plate, and then ready to be eaten. I know catfish isn't to everyone's taste, but I quite enjoy it. The meat is tender because it is cooked inside the bamboo, which also allows the chili sauce and spices to permeate all over the fish. Really delicious.