Indonesia is rich of tourism places and delicious food. The place and food is a unity, as every place offer its own menu. Here, I want to talk about duck meat not in the restaurant but on the street food stall. It is a guide for backpackers to find a place to eat in Yogyakarta.

Some place offer different way in cooking duck such as fried, roasted as setae or curried. A few days ago, I have the opportunity to taste fried duck at two different places: Bebek cak Koting and Bebek Mbah Wongso.  Those two-food stalls are specialized in cooking duck that is called ‘bebek’ in Bahasa Indonesia.

Well, let us go to the first place at Bebek Cak Koting. The place is on Jl. Dr. Sutomo, Lempuyangan, Yogyakarta under the Jembatan Layang or flyover. The menu here is fried and roasted duck. I prefer fried duck at that time. The price is IDR 16,000 for the duck and IDR 2,000 for a plate of rice. The fried duck is tasty enough, as I can taste its spices. In addition, the meat is soft inside and crispy outside. The crispy fried flavored flour is completing the taste. Dish of raw vegetables like cabbage, basil and cucumber accompany the duck and chili condiment gives a biting taste. Overall, it has good taste but higher price.

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The second place is Bebek Wongso at Jl. Godean before the Giant Supermarket. The duck size is similar to the first place but it has lower price, for only IDR 9,000 and similar price for the rice. The taste is less tasty than the first duck, as it more salty. The meat is not softer than the first food stall. Overall, the first stall is better in taste. However, this stall has a plus. It gives more vegetable for the dish. The dish consists of papaya leaf, basin, cabbage and cucumber. The chili condiment is also better in taste.

I suggest Bebek Wongso for backpackers that price does matter, as it has lower price but not too bad for the taste. If you spend IDR 25,000, you will get two fried duck, a plate of rice and two glass of ice tea.

The King of Jogjakarta or commonly called the Sultan has secret cuisine. The kind of cuisine can not be found at any restaurant. The restaurant that holds the secret recipe is only at Gadri Resto Jogjakarta. The place is located at JL. Rotowijayan no.5 Kraton, Yogyakarta, near the west gate of Kraton (Sultan’s Palace) Jogjakarta.

When the tourists are finished observing the historical places at the Kraton surrounding like Museum Kereta (Sultan’s Horse Wagon Museum), Ngasem Bird Market and Tamansari, it is the time to satisfy the tongue with the historical tasted cuisine. Why it is historical tasted cuisine? The answer is that the recipes are the heritage of the Sultans. The foods are what the Sultans love to eat. The recipes are only known by close relative of Sultan.

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The building of Gadri Resto was built on 1917, when Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX ruled. Now, it is owned by KGBPH Joyokusumo, a relative of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. Joglo, the original shape of Javanese roof is the identity of the restaurant. Javanese classic style becomes the style of decoration. The photographs of the Sultans that hanged on the wall bring the more classic feeling. This is one of unique restaurants in Indonesia.

The Resto serves traditional cuisines such as nasi blawong (blawong rice) that is accompanied by daging lombok kethok (chili beef), ayam goreng laos (galingale fried chicken), telor pindang goreng (fried pindang egg), the other menus are sate sanggar, pudding manuk nom, perawan kenes (steamed kepok banana which is tied with pandanus leaf and clipped with bamboo stick) and jave beer. Those simple and traditional cuisines give unique experience for the tongue and it can only be enjoyed at the resto.
Blawong rice which is the favorite of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono VIII, is the most secret recipe, as nobody knows the formula. The ingredient’s formula is delivered directly from inside kraton, and then the resto mixes it with the rice.

Sate (setae) sanggar is made from beef that is boiled in the ingredient before baked on the charcoal. The beef is clipped with bamboo sticks before baked. The good taste of the ingredients and the soft of the beef give more satisfaction for the tongue.

Call Gadri Resto at +62274-373520 or Fax: +62274-380145