The man known by foodie travellers as the ‘Street Food Chef’, restauranteur and lauded chef Will Meyrick knows where to find Jakarta’s best eats. And now, he’s sharing his hot tips:

Where to stay

Kempinsky Grand Indonesia. The hotel is deeply linked to Indonesia and Jakarta modern history, built in the early ’60s, recently renovated, with an amazing private art collection offered by Soekarno himself. And it’s in the centre of the city.

Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.1, RT.1/RW.5, Menteng, Kec. Menteng, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10310

Best street food

Jakarta offers a diverse street food experience since a lot of people migrated from different regions to the capital. And my advice is to follow where local people go. For those who are afraid to eat at the street hawker, I can recommend ‘Rumah Makan Ampera’. They have a decent buffet selection of Sundanese street food. It’s worth to try their ‘Pepes’, which is an Indonesian cooking method where food is wrapped in a banana leaf, then steamed cooked, boiled or grilled on charcoal. Kota city and Block M are extraordinary warungs and hawkers. But Jakarta is also renowned for asinan (pickled vegetable or fruit dish) Asinan Betawi H.Mansyur Kamboja is probably one of the best places to try some.

Jl. Taman Kamboja No.10, RT.8/RW.11, Rawamangun, Kec. Pulo Gadung, Kota Jakarta Timur, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 13220

Best fine dining restaurant

Oku is an amazing Japanese restaurant inside the Kempinsky Hotel. Helmed by Chef Kazumasa Yazawa, who is an inspiration for me with his approach on Japanese cuisine which combines a modern take on Japanese dishes combined with traditional flair. All their sashimi are flown in from Tsujiki market in Tokyo, which I recently visited for my YouTube channel. Another influence for Billy Ho.

Best casual restaurant

When in Jakarta, you can’t avoid going to the mall. In some of them, you can find a “Ramboelan” restaurant. There are a bunch of them in the city. A great find, with a posh choice of Indonesian classics. Try their nasi bakar tongkol asep cabe hijau, which is rice cooked with skipjack and green chilli sambal in a banana leaf.

Best bar

I recently tried Porque No, a small casual rooftop bar. This place reminds me of my childhood, as the food served here is tapas, originally from Spain, but also found in Portugal where I was born. You must try the “Salmojero”, an Andalucian tomato dip with crumbles of Serrano ham, apples and eggs. Nice atmosphere, simple, good beverages, and not that expensive for Jakarta De RITZ Building LT. 5, Jl. HOS. Cokroaminoto No.91, RT.3/RW.5, Menteng, Kec. Menteng, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10310

Best place to party

For clubbing, I know that Dragonfly is still one of the leaders in the entertainment industry. Jakartans, expats and executive meet together, while some world renowned Dj plays their tunes… but if I have to choose one…Leon, Goldstein and co. is probably THE place at the moment. A speakeasy bar with a huge drink and craft cocktails selection and nice food. If Mama San were only a bar, it would look the same! Jl. Wijaya I No.25, RT.6/RW.4, Petogogan, Kby. Baru, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12160, Indonesia

Must do while in Jakarta

Kota Tua, for the heritage of the Dutch colonial era. Because the central place is sometimes overcrowded, I suggest to visit Kali Besar, where you will find the Toko Merah, probably one of the oldest buildings in Jakarta, built by the Dutch some 300 years ago.

And of course, Thousand Islands, the perfect island getaway, just within a 30-minute boat ride away from Jakarta. Pulau Bidadari is the perfect spot: traditional Dutch architecture with the Fort Martello, and scrumptious fresh seafood!