Jakarta Street food is obviously not the kind of meal to serve an official state guest, but it was a choice that Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita went with after he hosted a meeting with Australian counterpart the Hon. Steven Ciobo, who was apparently impressed by the food.
Enggartiasto took Ciobo, the Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, who is known for his willingness to explore different cuisines, to eat lunch at a street-side seafood restaurant Wiro Sableng 212 in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
After dining, Ciobo, talking to reporters said the meal was ‘beautiful.’ His favorite dish of the day, he said, was a chargrilled pomfret and stir fried dewa leaves with green chili.
“It was absolutely delicious. It was such a beautiful meal and the flavor is very authentic in Indonesia,” he said, as quoted by the Jakarta Post.
The two ministers who were both accompanied by a few of their respective country delegates, were also served chargrilled crab, crab with salted egg, grilled prawns, fried squid, stir-fried beansprouts with salted fish and stir-fried kangkung.
For Ciobo, it was his third visit to Jakarta this year. In his previous visit he visited a small family-owned noodle shop, he said.
“You know, the best way to have a good understanding of a culture is to sit down and to eat the local food,” he said.
The minister visited the city to talk with Enggartiasto on the negotiation progress of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).