[Jakarta] What does Roti Baso and Soto Mie have in common?
Well, they all are served in Henis, a well-known brand for “Roti Baso Ayam” in Jakarta.
Who would have thought that a bakery, would be famous for its Soto Mie as well?
“Roti Baso” which translates to “meatball bread” is one of many popular varieties bread in Indonesia, easily found in almost every bakery store.
There are usually two varieties available, the Baso Ayam (chicken) and Baso Sapi (beef) which consist of usually minced/grounded chicken or beef seasoned with spices and sweet soy sauce.
Baso Ayam usually tends to be sweeter side, while Baso Daging is on the savoury-peppery side.
I have been patronizing Roti Henis since many years ago, usually purchasing these goodies via a small counter inside a mall.
The process made me assume that they are homemade, then shipped out to these counters to be sold.
Little did I know that, they actually had a bakery store.
Strange, I walked into a fully functioning restaurant, with not a single bread in sight.
Turned out that there are two stories, the lower level dedicated to a restaurant while the upper level is the “bakery”.
Still curious with the bakery, I went upstairs only to find a small counter on a side selling their famed Roti Baso Ayam in boxes, along with local Indonesian snacks and traditional kueh.
The Soto Mie (IDR45k, SGD4.50) is Henis’ signature dish.
Portion-wise, it was as pretty-generous, filled with a huge chunks of beef slices, crispy risol (spring roll), potatoes and topped with emping (melinjo crackers).
The broth was rich and flavorful, with a hint of sourness, enhanced with a few dashes of sambal.
Love their chewy egg noodles too.
The Mie Goreng (IDR40k, SGD4.00) was filled with aromatic wok-hei, with generous filling such as prawns, beansprouts, meatballs and fishcakes.
Simple yet flavorful. Loved that they using “flat noodle” instead of the round and thick ones.
The Nasi Goreng (IDR40k, SGD4.00) was almost perfect, fried with meatballs, prawns, added with sliced chilli skin that totally added that “oomph”.
Grains were were not lumpy as well, easily one of the best I tried in town.
Ask any Jakarta people which is the best Roti Baso around, and the majority should reply “Henis”, even though there are many copycat versions around.
The famed Roti Baso (IDR10k, SGD1.00 per piece) had sweet and generous fillings – finely-chopped minced chicken seasoned with some spices and sweet soy sauce.
Even though sometimes I find it slightly on the sweet side, they are freshly made, with almost consistent standards across the years.
It is such a common sight to see hundred boxes stacked on top of each other waiting to be picked up at their stores (counters at malls or at their bakery).
It is so famous that these boxes can be resold at much higher prices online, yet people are willing to purchase them.
Unofficially, Henis Roti Baso has become Jakarta’s souvenir gifts for travelers and local alike.
Henis Bakery & Restaurant
Jl. Raya Mangga Besar No 27, Jakarta Barat, 11180
Tel: +6221 629 6501
Opening Hours: 7am – 9:30pm (Mon – Fri, Sun), 7am – 9pm (Sat)
Google Maps – Henis
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* Written by DFD͛’s Jakarta Food Correspondent @iknowhowtoeat who loves exploring NEW food places in both Indonesia and Singapore. DFD pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
