Ajam Lombok Ijo

Jl. Gajah Mada 158
Semarang

Ajam Lombok Ijo is basically traditional fried chicken served with green chilies. It's very crowded, especially during lunch or dinner hours. The prices are cheap and reasonable. Thus, making this eatery the number one choice for people with restricted budgets.

Entering the restaurant, patrons will be forced to leave the present time to the past era. The writings of the menu are all based on old edition of Indonesian language. There is no air conditioner here, but the sprays of water actually toned down the heat.

I went here with my husband and we quickly ordered their best selling food. The food came out really fast and fresh.

1. Es Sedjuk (cool ice)
This was basically orange juice, selasih (basil seeds), and sugars. The orange was freshly squeezed and the sweetness was not overpowering. This drink was perfect for the hot day!

2. Balado Terong (eggplant with sambal)
The eggplant was tender and not greasy. The key to this dish was in the sambal. The sambal was made of red chilies, shrimp paste (belacan), sugar, and kaffir lime juice. It was spicy and sweet and complimented the tasteless eggplant with a kick!

3. Tempe penyet & sambal terasi
The sambal was similar to the Balado Terong, but not as sweet. Again, the lime juice here held everything together. The tempe (made of soybeans) was crispy and perfectly cooked.

4. Ajam Goreng Lombok Ijo
The dish included fried chicken, green chilies, boiled cassava leaves, and cucumber. The chicken tasted good, but since they used 'male' chicken, the size was really small compared to the free range chicken. The boiled cassava leaves were tasteless. The green chilies were OK, although they could have made it better.

Overall, with only Rp. 7500 (about USD $0.75) per chicken piece (leg quarter or breast with wing), I would come back to this place at any given time.
It's very cheap, so I won't complain. :)