I have already waxed lyrical about how good the Chinese-Indonesian fusion food in Glodok is, but with Shao Kao Gajah Mada I really think I have found a gem.
From the outside it is very uninspiring, but once you get in you’ll see the huge array of Shao Kao AKA Kou Rou skewers that they have available. It though does not end there, with them not only also having a baller menu, but also beer. This is one of the few places in Glodok you can get your beer on.
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What the Shao Kao Gajah Mada?
Shao Kao is a Chinese BBQ restaurant concept that started in Jakarta and specialises in Chinese-style skewers, with the Gajah Mada outlet bringing the same concept to the heart of Glodok. The idea is pretty simple: take the Chinese street BBQ concept of skewers cooked with different seasonings and sauces and put it into a proper restaurant with a huge selection of food and drinks.
The Gajah Mada branch is part of the wider Shao Kao chain, which has several outlets around Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia – yes its a chain, but they do shit well.
The Menu at Shao Kao Gajah Mada
This is proper Chinese-style BBQ, but with a few sexy twists thrown in. Basically there’s a huge selection of skewers, you’re given a box and you put what you want onto it. Then there’s the menu menu, which offers actually a whole heap of stuff, such as noodles and the like.
There’s also a very Chinese drinks “specials” list, buy 4 get 1 free type crap. I, as you can see, got 4 big bottles of something called Draft, that was not draft, it was a big bottle. They also have a dessert menu, although the server asked me about dessert at the SAME TIME I was ordering mains. Very Chinese and as such quite annoying. I got beer, I did not get dessert.
Sample menu at Shao Kao Gajah Mada in Glodok
Beef skewers
- Beef — IDR 9,900 / US$0.60
- Beef bacon — IDR 11,000 / US$0.67
- Beef tendon — IDR 9,900 / US$0.60
- Beef tongue — IDR 19,250 / US$1.17
- Beef meatballs — IDR 10,450 / US$0.63
- Spicy Sultan meatballs — IDR 25,300 / US$1.53
- Beef sausage — IDR 31,900 / US$1.93
Chicken skewers
- Chicken — IDR 8,800 / US$0.53
- Chicken skin — IDR 7,700 / US$0.47
- Chicken wings — IDR 13,200 / US$0.80
- Chicken intestines — IDR 7,700 / US$0.47
- Quail eggs — IDR 8,800 / US$0.53
- Chicken nuggets — IDR 9,350 / US$0.57
- Chicken mantou — IDR 9,900 / US$0.60
Pork skewers
- Pork — IDR 8,800 / US$0.53
- Pork wonton — IDR 12,100 / US$0.73
- Sweet pork satay — IDR 13,200 / US$0.80
- Pork belly — IDR 15,400 / US$0.93
- Smoked pork bacon — IDR 17,600 / US$1.07
- Pork tongue — IDR 12,100 / US$0.73
- Pork cheek — IDR 15,400 / US$0.93
- Plain pork satay — IDR 12,100 / US$0.73
- Pork ear — IDR 12,100 / US$0.73
Seafood skewers
- Salmon meatball — IDR 11,550 / US$0.70
- Squid meatball — IDR 11,000 / US$0.67
- Squid — IDR 14,300 / US$0.87
- Prawn — IDR 13,200 / US$0.80
- Prawn pancet — IDR 17,600 / US$1.07
- Dara clams — IDR 13,200 / US$0.80
- Squid roll — IDR 14,300 / US$0.87
Vegetable skewers
- Garlic — IDR 5,500 / US$0.33
- Broccoli — IDR 7,700 / US$0.47
- Corn — IDR 8,800 / US$0.53
- Enoki mushrooms — IDR 11,000 / US$0.67
- Baby potatoes — IDR 6,050 / US$0.37
- Spiral potatoes — IDR 11,000 / US$0.67
- Water spinach — IDR 6,600 / US$0.40
- Shimeji mushrooms — IDR 13,200 / US$0.80
- Shiitake mushrooms — IDR 22,550 / US$1.37
- Plain mantou — IDR 8,800 / US$0.53
Main dishes
- Fried noodles with chicken — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
- Fried noodles with beef — IDR 46,200 / US$2.80
- Fried noodles with seafood — IDR 46,200 / US$2.80
- Fried noodles Shao Kao — IDR 50,600 / US$3.07
- Yang Chow fried rice — IDR 46,200 / US$2.80
- Bacon fried rice — IDR 50,600 / US$3.07
- Spicy pork belly rice — IDR 55,000 / US$3.33
- Beef and broccoli rice — IDR 55,000 / US$3.33
- Seafood fried kway teow — IDR 46,200 / US$2.80
- Singapore fried kway teow — IDR 46,200 / US$2.80
- Sapo pork feet — IDR 105,600 / US$6.40
Snacks
- Szechuan fried chicken — IDR 50,600 / US$3.07
- Fried squid — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
- Crispy Szechuan tofu — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
- Crispy corn — IDR 17,600 / US$1.07
- Fried enoki mushrooms — IDR 24,200 / US$1.47
- Fried chicken skin — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
- Crispy bacon — IDR 41,800 / US$2.53
- Crispy pork belly — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
- Shao Kao fried pork — IDR 44,000 / US$2.67
Beer
- Bintang — IDR 29,700 / US$1.80
- Guinness — IDR 38,280 / US$2.32
- Heineken — IDR 35,640 / US$2.16
- San Miguel Light — IDR 34,320 / US$2.08
- Sapporo — IDR 59,400 / US$3.60
- Corona — IDR 76,560 / US$4.64
- Prost Jumbo 620ml — IDR 42,240 / US$2.56
- Kuda Putih 620ml — IDR 39,600 / US$2.40
Dessert
- Peach Gum — IDR 33,000 / US$2.00
- Guilinggao — IDR 38,500 / US$2.33
Despite being a BBQ though, food is cooked in-house and in a kitchen rather than on a BBQ at table, or outside.
The food and the ambience at Shao Kao Gajah Mada
I’ll start with the ambience! The 1st floor is non-smoking. The 2nd floor is the smoking area. Weirdly I sat on the 1st floor, which was very tame. The second floor though was where it was at. Mountains of food and people knocking back beer like nobody’s business. Loud and very “Chinese BBQ”. It is also worth noting that this is one of the few places in Glodok where you can actually drink that isn’t a girly bar, ergo it’s popular. I heard a decent smattering of Bahasa, Mandarin and English.
Now to the food, the BBQ offers an extremely wide selection, comes quickly and for the most part is excellent. Also worth noting is that they have pork. I had missed pork. As always the chicken is overdone, but that’s a China thing. BBQ-wise you can select spicy or not spicy. This to a degree matters little as of course there is sambal on the table. They also offer great sate and other sauces. I had the beef noodles from the menu and it also was baller, perhaps the best I have had since Shenzhen (link).
So, yeah, good at everything and the best Chinese BBQ in Glodok is Shao Kao Gajah Mada in my humble opinion. In fairness too I am an expert on these things, they don’t call me The Street Food Guy for nada.
Where is Shao Kao Gajah Mada?
Shao Kao Gajah Mada
Jl. Gajah Mada No. 182 3, RT.3/RW.5
Glodok, Taman Sari
Jakarta Barat, Jakarta
Indonesia
Telephone: +62 21 6597 472
Instagram: @shaokaopik
Opening hours: 5pm–2am daily
So, yeah, Shao Kao Gajah Mada is great….
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