Food Container

lately there has been quite a number of unique food courts poppin up in town, like pasar santa and food fighters to name a few. they serve a wide variety of food and drinks under one roof, and the tenants are mostly comprised of start ups or independent brands. it slowly grows into a favorable phenomenon since the jakartans always LOVE to try something new and unique aside of the common dishes they usually eat. i recently stumbled upon a new joint that is located in lebak bulus area, and it apparently also presents a fun culinary destination concept with lots of mouth watering treats to try. that being said, welcome to food container!

food container isnt that hard to spot. it is located right by the roadside with a container-like appearance that lives up to its name. when i walked inside i was greeted by 23 different tenants with their own specialties. the 'brain' behind food container, wiyanna, apparently used to hold culinary festivals or events at malls or local bazaars. "as food aficionados, my husband and i aim to create a permanent culinary destination that is also supported by creative sellers in this industry. hence food container's visitors will meet many kinds of dishes that they wont find in any other food courts in general," she said.

you can pick your seat and a waiter will hand out the menu to your table. its good that the menu already covers each existing tenant so all you gotta do is confirm your choice and few minutes later your selections will arrive straight to your table. since the place is rather hot and humid (food container utilizes open aired space with fans instead of ACs), then it will be perfect to start your culinary journey with some cold and refreshing beverages that you can find at food container drink corner. the yellow painted booth offers a variety of drinks from flavored tea, juice, up to the bartender's special mixes such as green container (soda and melon syrup), strawberry sensation (milk, soda, and strawberry syrup), and container lychee (yakult, lychee syrup, and jelly toppings). the colourful appearance makes the experience even more exciting!

 

(Suwar Suwir)                                     (Mr. Panda Dim sum)

now lets shift to the 'heavier' course. if indonesian food is a staple meal for you, then there are a number of booths that you surely dont want to miss. one of them is suwar suwir that serves authentic local cuisines with traditional sambal selections. their signature menu includes suwir combrang (a combination of shredded chicken with the fresh and exotic sambal combrang) and suwir matah (a combination of shredded chicken, onion, chili, and sambal matah with a variety of spices that make this particular dish rich in taste). all menus are served inside a go-to box that is so simple you can carry it everywhere. for other local food alternative, you can also try out nasi kentjana that offers traditional rice dishes such as nasi bogana, nasi campur bali, nasi kuning cakalang, up to nasi liwet solo, and not to mention their unique dessert, pisang janda, a sweet treat served with condensed milk and cheese. it feels perfect when you enjoy it with a glass of wedang uwuh or wedang ronde, a classic traditional drink to warm up your body.

 

(Ichitori)                                           (Nasi Kentjana)

moving on from local cuisines, you can explore unique dishes from other countries as well. for japanese food lovers out there, you might have heard about ichitori for a while now. yup, the brand has been floating in local culinary scene quite often because ichitori often participates in numerous bazaars and festivals. some of their signature menus are mushroom karaage, chicken karate, and toriyaki, all comes with generous toppings. there's also ultradon, another booth that serves japanese food, especially donburi AKA rice bowl with various topping selections like mushroom, chicken, beef, or dory fish, served with their tasty homemade sauce.

meanwhile if youre looking for western food selections, theres no need to worry. just head over to curly, which previously has opened its booth at pasar santa. theres no way you would want to miss their highly recommended signature menu, curly's cheese steak. its a sandwich with 60gr meat, onion, mushroom sauce, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese that melts in your mouth. fantastic!

 

(Pipa Bite)                                          (Martabak Dunia)

it feels incomplete to visit food container without getting your hands on the delightful desserts they got in store. head over to pipa bite for unique pastries with sweet fillings (cotton candy ice cream, anyone?), warung mamacha (they serve this roppan-style bread with a bunch of toppings like marshmallow, ice cream, and cereals), or offle (waffles with varied topping selections that you can pick yourself). but if you come along with some friends, then it would be perfect to order something sweet in sharing portion, right? if thats the case, martabak dunia might be your main option. its basically just like any other martabak, but what sets it apart from the rest is their uncommon toppings that are named after the countries they identify with; such as thailand (durian), italy (bolognaise), USA (cookies & cream), and china (chicken floss). pretty impressive i might say!

all in all food container successfully provides a remarkable experience for culinary hunters or simply anyone who's looking for a new atmosphere to spend their weekend with friends or family. with all the goodness that it offers, i wish all the good luck for food container in the future!

Food Container
Jalan Lebak Bulus Raya No. 30A, Jakarta Selatan 
Opening hours 10 AM-10 PM
Average spending: Rp 100.000/person

Instagram: @food_container

(photos by: Sofyan Effendi)