iEat Lao Hoe

Test of time

Ibu Linda is the 4th generation to inherit this house; her family has lived here since 1901. In the 1980s, she started selling homemade dishes in front of the house but quit when it was time to focus on raising a family. After Ibu Linda retired and her kids moved out, she reopened her small restaurant. Two family favourites—Laksa noodle soup and Mie Belitung (prawn noodles)—became the restaurant's signature dishes. "All flavours come from natural products," Ibu Linda says. "We don't use preservatives or additional flavourings in our food."

Tempo doeloe

Even though Lao Hoe literally translates to 'old people', this humble eatery is very popular with the young crowd. The old-school interior is a tempo doeloe ('the old days') throwback. Elegant wooden furniture, charming tiled floors and simple decorations give you a flavour of what daily life back in the 20th century was like for the Tionghoa, the Indo-Chinese.

Our favourites

The place is famous for its Laksa Bogor (Rp. 27.000), thick coconut curry with chicken, glass noodles, egg, and rice cakes topped off with fried shallots. Expect an explosion of flavours; basil is the secret ingredient. Also worth trying is the Mie Belitung (Rp. 27.000) is a rich serving of thick noodles, tofu, crispy peyek udang (deep-fried shrimp crackers), bean sprouts, cucumber, kentang (potato), shrimp and krupuk emping (chips made of a melinjo, a bitter nut).

Fried cempedak

Tasty fried snacks are also on offer here. Fried cempedak (Rp. 15.000) is a must-try! Cempedak is a type of jackfruit that is quite rare; it can only be found in the market at the beginning of the rainy season. This snack wraps the fruit's soft texture and sweet taste in crunchy flour dough. It goes perfectly with a cup of coffee!