This will go down as one of our more memorable urban dining experiences: sate Padang (skewers of grilled beef and pressed rice cake doused with spicy, peanut-free sauce), eaten to the tune of a traveling kuda lemping troupe's gamelan as evening falls on Jakarta's Taman Fatahilla.
According to a number of Jakartans I spoke with last week, five years ago this square in front of the Jakarta History Museum (and the lanes that spoke from it) was far from the sort of place you'd want to find yourself in the evening - unless, that is, you were involved in illicit activities. Jakarta's got a long way to go if it really intends to preserve its built heritage, and Fatahilla is still a bit on the gritty side, but it's become a legitimate gathering place of sorts for young people and families and out-of-towners.
A great spot to while away a couple of hours, sample some street treats, and bask in the warmth of a Jakarta-style welcome.
