Food tips for 'fresh' expats and tourists in Jakarta

Here are some tips from an experienced Jakarta 'food traveller' on how to prevent sickness caused by unhygienic food in Jakarta (while still being able to enjoy the wide variety of food available in this city).






There are 2 simple basic 'rules': 

1. Stick with restaurants in malls, at least for the first few days, weeks or even months. After that, try small portions in food courts in decent malls and if you really feel like your stomach can handle it, try small portions of street food. You can find pretty original food in malls, so this does not have to ruin your 'food fun'.
2. Only go to restaurants that are quite crowded and if you really want to be safe, the ones with some foreign customers that look like they have been in Indonesia for a while. The good thing is: these are probably the best restaurants anyway, because the others are often empty for a reason :-)

However, I have heard quite some stories of people who got light food poisoning or diarrhea after eating in restaurants that are considered 'clean'. So, here a few more tips and tricks.

A few more things that could limit the risk of getting sick:

• Do not eat raw vegetables. I found a small worm several times in my lettuce/cucumber, in regular mall restaurants, which shows that they apparently do not clean their veggies properly. 
• Skip ice tea with irregularly shaped ice cubes. They might have used dirty tap water instead of mineral water)
• Be careful eating chili sauce and other sauces from small bottles/boxes on the table. They are often on the table for a long time in quite high temperatures (ideal temperatures for bacteria to multiply), they are often not closed properly, and refilled without cleaning).- Clean your utensils (spoon, fork, chopsticks, etc.) with a tissue before use. They are not always washed properly.

I would also recommend to have a typhoid vaccination (I had mine at MRCCC Siloam). I have heard quite some people who got typhoid (or 'typhoid symptoms', doctors here are sometimes a bit too enthusiastic in their diagnosis).

Anyway, I have to say that I have not had many problems while I have had countless nice meals in all kind of places in Jakarta. So, don't worry too much, enjoy the great food in Jakarta and just be a little bit aware :)