There’s something to be said about Pondok Safari’s resolve. The streetside eatery—tucked in the quiet side of Grogol, West Jakarta—has resolutely weathered through the city’s ever-changing dynamics since 1984, serving Cantonese-style Makassar staples throughout the years even before the urbanites became familiar with the food.
“Back then, it was rare to find [Cantonese Makassar] cuisine in Jakarta,” recalled Vonny Gani, who left her hometown for the metropolitan and established the eatery with her husband, Afang Gani, when they were still in their 20s and 30s. “We settled here [in Grogol] because it’s close to the Trisakti campus, and we received a lot of university students as our customers. Some of those old regulars still come here today, even though they’ve moved someplace far away like BSD or Serpong.”
Named after the now-closed Taman Safari zoo in Makassar where Vonny used to work, Pondok Safari still occupies the same modest and unassuming two-story building since it first opened over 40 years ago. The dining area takes up the first floor and stretches to the back, divided into two by a small storage space in the middle. It appears clean and newly painted in white, but subtle details like the worn-out ceiling—which has clearly gone through multiple fixes, clued in by the uneven tone of its white hue—to the old-school painted wall clock (written with, still clearly legible, “Congratulations for the opening of Pondok Safari” in Indonesian) serve as a testament to the eatery’s age and fortitude.
The lively chatter of college students is long gone, replaced by the gentle movements of people around the neighbourhood who have grown accustomed to the ritual of dining here—packing up their usual orders to bring home to their family without even having to look at the menu anymore. And Vonny, who grew up in her family restaurant’s kitchen and is now in her 60s, no longer cooks due to her health condition. But Afang steadfastly continues with the assistance of his sisters, still whipping up big portions of the same ol’ Cantonese Makassar classics with his massive wok.
There’s the classic Mie Goreng Kwantong, a plate of fried noodles submerged in a thick chicken broth and topped with fried fishcakes and, when requested, pork offals. But of course, a visit to a caomien eatery—as they call it in Makassar—won’t be complete without digging into a rich plate of Nasi Goreng Merah: a savoury, tart and smoky fried rice hued in striking red and paired with a generous compilation of lap cheong, scrambled eggs and pork cooked various ways. And if you want to enjoy the meal the way Makassar locals do, drench both dishes with drizzles of key lime juice.
Stories like Pondok Safari aren’t exactly unique in Jakarta. But it’s exactly through people like Vonny and Afang, who introduce pieces of their hometown while quietly persevering throughout the years, that makes the culinary scene in the city so interesting and enjoyable to explore.