Jakarta, IO – Melawai, South Jakarta, has in recent years become known as the capital’s “Little Tokyo”, due to the predominance of Japanese hospitality businesses in the area. It’s where people who love Japanese dishes dine and buy their groceries, whether they are Japanese expatriates living in Jakarta, local Jakartans, or residents of other cities and countries visiting for the experience.
One of the newest places where local foodies go for authentic Japanese dining is Ramen Echigoya. “Echigoya is popular among locals nowadays because of word-of-mouth: people recommend it, including it in their list of ‘must try’ Japanese culinary spots in Little Tokyo,” Maria, an office worker in SCBD and food enthusiast for the Jakarta area, explained to us.
When we arrived for our review at a bit past high noon, the restaurant was full, and we are slated as number 5 on the waiting list – even though it only opens for lunch at 11.00 a.m. and closes by 14.00 p.m.! So there we were, standing outside, in front of this popular spot right in the heat of a Jakarta afternoon. We decided to amuse ourselves by checking out the posters for the most popular ramen dishes in the menu.