Most people in Jakarta loved to hang around in shopping malls and that is the reason why there are so many shopping malls in this city of Jakarta. There will be plenty of food outlets and a main food court in almost every mall. People will have their meals at these food outlets because of the convenience, reasonable prices ( though some food outlets are expensive) and tasty food. But I feel that the food sold in many of these shopping malls taste almost the same and it is very boring. The food that I ate in these shopping malls are either too salty, too sweet or taste flat. Perhaps it is because these food are meant to be cook very quickly to serve the consumers.

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Normally I will try to find better quality food whenever I am in Indonesia. Quality here does not imply higher prices than those charged in restaurants or food outlets in the hotels or malls. Some of the better quality food in fact cost less than what I pay while eating at the beautiful shopping malls.  So whenever I have the time, I will visit these warungs ( small businesses selling food ) which are small restaurants or food outlets. You can normally find them along the streets. Some of these warungs are located on the busy main streets, while others you need to find them as they are located on minor roads. Many of these warungs are simply small family owned businesses and they serve authentic local Indonesian food. To me, these restaurants are the real deal. It is almost like eating food cooked by your mum or grandmother at home.

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The cost of eating at these warungs are lesser than those restaurants in shopping malls or in hotels. Always ask for their in house specialty dish when you are there. However be prepared to have a less cosy or comfortable environment in some of these warungs. Well if you are there for the delicious food, a table and some chairs will suffice. There is no need for some fancy decoration on the walls or pretty waitresses in smart uniform to serve you. The atmosphere in these warungs are definitely more informal and casual; and I liked it because it is more relaxing. Normally you will also get to see the boss there who will be there either taking your orders, serving or even cooking the food.
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There are many small restaurants in Jakarta serving a variety of food, snacks, deserts and drinks. Some of them served pretty good coffee and tea, in fact better than Star Bucks or Coffee Bean. And I loved the traditional Indonesian cakes and deserts to go along with my tea. So many young people in Jakarta loved to hang around in slick coffee joints in the mall; but for me I prefer the small family coffee shops in Jakarta. In other words, what is important to me is the food – it has to be delicious, good quality and taste like home food.