Pondok Laguna - Jakarta Seafood

Having traveled to Jakarta fairly frequently over the past year, I've had a chance to eat at some of their local favourite food haunts and one of these good seafood places is Pondok Laguna. The address is Jalan Batu Tulis Raya No. 45, Gambir, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10120. It is not difficult to get to the place; all the cabs know the place fairly well.

Pondok Laguna Jakarta

As you can see from their signboard, the fish is a popular dish at Pondok Laguna. We ordered two types of fish dishes, the 'flying fish' or deep fried fish prepared in such a way to display a 'flying stance' (see picture below) and the normal (but just as delicious grilled fish). Personally I like the grilled fish compared to the deep fried version but the deep fried version is the traditional Jakarta style cooking, a must-try when you are in Indonesia. When the fish is deeply fried, it is a bit harder to taste the freshness of the fish (or maybe I'm just too particular).

Pondok Laguna - Flying Fish

Pondok Laguna grilled fish

Of course, other than fish dishes there are many other seafood variety available. We had the grilled prawns and I like both the size of the prawns, as well as how the prawns are seasoned / prepared for grilling. For Singaporeans who took pride about our local crab dishes, do give their black pepper crabs a try. Those who like spicy crabs will love this dish.  In term of spiciness it is a tad too spicy for me, but I guess that could be the effect of taking too many different chilli dishes that night, including sampling from that chilli paste presented on a small stone dish.

Grilled Prawns

Rice is served local style where you scoop as much as you need from the basket, and yup other than those dishes described above, we had other stuff as well (some fried tofu(?) and vegetables). We completed the dinner with the desserts - an ice ball with thick coconut milk surrounded by avocado, coconut flesh and atap seeds. Sweet, sinful but completely worth it. So for those looking for authentic local fare in Jakarta, pop by Pondok Laguna and try out their seafood. 

Pondok Laguna - dessert