JAKARTA, June 10 — Trends in the hybrid food scene in Jakarta come and go at an alarming pace. After New York cronuts — croissant and donut — and Sushi Burrito — jumbo-sized sushi shaped like a burrito — the latest hybrid food trend to hit the capital city comes right from down under, and appropriately tries to turn instant noodle on its head by serving it up as donuts.
Recently, “Donut Papi” (Dad’s Donuts) in Sydney collaborated with Indofood Australia to produce a limited edition of fried noodles’ donuts. Making a pun on one of its most popular varieties, “Mie Goreng” (fried noodles), they released a bestseller called “May-Goreng” donuts at the end of last month.
Donut Papi’s instant noodle donuts are made with Indomie, an instant noodle brand that has been around for generations in Indonesia and is so popular it stands as a shorthand for any variety of instant noodle.
It is also hugely popular in Nigeria, where the company runs their largest factory outside of Indonesia.
In Jakarta, you can get your fill of Indomie donuts from these three bakeries:
TOT AW
TOT AW stands for “totally awesome” and is an online food store that sells Indomie-based creations, including donuts.
One of their owners said he used to have a donut bakery and had always tinkered with a savoury alternative to sweet donuts. Their take on the Indomie donuts is inspired by childhood memories of their moms stuffing as much Indomie as she could into their lunchbox until it became almost like a pressed cake mould.
TOT AW has six different flavours of Indomie donuts. The fried exterior is crispy, its noodles chewy and the familiar taste is comforting. In addition to the basic seasoning packets, TOT AW also adds secret ingredients to amp up the flavours.
The bakery earns around Rp 4 million per day just from these new-fangled donut creations.
Order a day in advance, as owner Edi and his team of bakers make only 120 Indomie donuts per day.
Contact: 08988998687 (WhatsApp) || @tot.aw (Instagram)
Opening hours: 10am-5pm (Monday-Saturday)
X Coffee
Don’t be fooled, the white layer on top of X Coffee’s Indomie donuts is not glazed sugar, it’s cheddar cheese. Indonesian cheese tends to be sweeter than its Western counterpart, but the tinge of sweetness mashes up well with the savoury instant noodles.
X Coffee uses one whole Indomie packet for each donut, resulting in a dense cake. Owner Karina started selling these donuts late last month, and they’ve already boosted sales at her bakery. She said 60 percent of her customers order their donuts on Go-Jek (motorycyle taxi) and the rest are walk-ins.
An extension of Hotel NEO, the cafe has a small but cosy space. Make sure to call in advance to secure a spot so you can enjoy your donuts in peace.
Address: Hotel NEO Tendean-Jalan Wolter Monginsidi No.131, Senopati, South Jakarta.
Contact: 0217226688 || @xcoffee.id (Instagram)
Opening hours: 8am-6pm
Donat Mie Viral
Twenty-year-old Jeremy and his girlfriend Cleri recently moved from Bekasi, West Java, to open their new instant noodle donut stall. On the day of their grand opening, which was just last weekend, Jeremy got into a motorcycle accident but he pushed on and opened the day after. He’s still limping but sometimes he forgets his pain since his new business is doing well. In his kitchen, Jeremy constantly shuffles between checking his stove and taking in orders on his smartphone.
Making a donut from instant noodles is not as easy as heating them up in a pan. Jeremy and Cleri had to keep changing the flour to seasonings ratio to make sure the dough won’t overpower the stuffed noodles.
What sets aside Jeremy’s instant noodle donuts from his competitors is his use of Korean instant noodles (specifically the spicy Samyang brand) and his willingness to use other brands as well when the customer orders them.
“Whatever instant noodle you want, we will make it for you,” Jeremy said.
Fortunately, the Samyang donut is nowhere near as spicy as the original instant noodle packet. Mozzarella cheese and smoked beef dial down the spiciness and make the donut more than filling.
“People still think of donuts as a snack. I want people to think of it as a main meal; eat one of my donuts and you’ll be more than full,” Jeremy said.
Jeremy targets to open more than 10 stalls around Jakarta by next month. “I know it’s a trend now but I want to try to make these donuts into a staple,” Jeremy said.
Contact: 087 889 004 781 (WhatsApp) || @donatmieviral.djakarta (Instagram)
Opening hours: 3pm-9pm (hours will change after Ramadan) — Jakarta Globe
