Shopping Malls in Palembang

There are 3 main shopping centres or malls in Palembang.
Let me tell you how the Palembang people (locals) call them and teach you how to tell them apart (mainly by the supermarkets)! ;)

1) "PIM" (pim) -- Palembang Indah Mall

Supermarket: Hypermart

This is the mall with more well-known brands: Bodyshop, Breadtalk, ACE Hardware etc.
2 famous cafes for coffee: *J.Co donuts & Excelso.

At basement levels, you can find shops selling DVDs and games.

2) "PS" (pay-as) -- Palembang Square

Supermarket: Carrefour

*Roti Boy (boy, do I miss its coffee buns!) and *A&W!

There's a bookshop and a big arcade "Amazon" for kids and the young at heart. :)

3) "PTC" (pay-tay-say) -- Palembang Trade Centre

Supermarket: Diamond

Will update more information about the shops soon.

Miss your wanton mee or minced meat noodles? Go Mie Aloy!

All dressed up and ready for our breakfast of noodles at the well-known eatery "Mie Aloy". A short 5 minutes walk from our stay at Hotel Wista.

Or why don't we ride a "becak" (pedicab) instead?

Mie Aloy: The closest you can get to "Yong Tau Foo" in Palembang. Put a little chilli sauce on your noodles, squeeze a lime, give it a good mix and slurp away!

Kids are entertained by the aquarium. :)

A favourite breakfast choice among locals too.

Bon Appétit!

Late Night Supper: 2 kinds of Murtabak

#1 "Murtabak Spesial": Roti prata with egg, minced meat & onions... to dip in curry!

一看就饿！It smells so fragrant that it is very hard to not finish it at one go! We use a piece of kitchen paper to soak up the oil to try to make it more diet-friendly before eating, hee hee!


#2 Thin & Crispy "Murtabak" Pancake: 1/2 Chocolate Sprinkles & Peanuts, 1/2 Cheese, drizzled with Condensed Milk.

Goodbye waistline! (^.^)/~

Geláre: Best Ice-cream Cafe in Palembang!

My wish came true! An ice-cream cafe finally opens in Palembang! :) And it's Geláre!!

Verdict: Tastes as excellent as served in Singapore!

Yummy waffle with 2 scoops of ice-cream: "Cookies & Cream" and "Mocha Chip".
 I'm not sharing; get your own!

The cafe serves pizzas too but we much prefer the thick crust and freshly baked tasty Milano's Pizza served at Hotel Wisata (at Jalan Letkol Iskandar), especially the Super Supreme pizza!

Mie Celor (Boiled Egg Noodles in Coconut Curry Gravy)

~ A satisfying "Mie Celor" for breakfast ~ *Pat pat tummy*

This eatery is a compulsory visit when I visit Palembang! Mie Celor tastes similar to the Malay Mee Rebus but its gravy is richer in coconut milk and has prawns.

The eatery is located at the corner of a market, near to PIM (Palembang Indah Mall).
It is small and the busy market outside can be dirty, so just eat and go (not the kind of place for chit-chat).

For beverages, to be safe, order the bottled or hot drinks. I normally order "Teh Tawar Panas" which is plain hot tea (no sugar, no milk) whereas my kids order "Teh Botol" which is the popular bottled sweet jasmine tea from Sosro.

We also buy the big round curly krupuk that is sold separately... for dipping into the creamy gravy as we eat the noodles. Ooo, I'm salivating as I type!

A&W at PS/Palembang Square (the mall with Carrefour Hypermart)

Hey Singapore, don't cha miss A&W? ^_^ (The Indonesians pronounce it as "Ah Way").

Get your root beer floats! My family crave for their soft-served ice-cream cones and fish burgers too!

Home-cooked Tekwan, healthy & delicious!

Nothing beats a bowl of home-cooked Tekwan for a light lunch!

Tekwan is boiled/steam pempek (Palembang's famous fishcake) in soup made with crab stock. Served with rice vermicelli, turnip strips and black fungus. Garnished with spring onions and fried shallots. Enak! (Delicious!)

Each family has their own traditional (some even secret!) way of cooking pempek,
so don't reject if a friend invites you to try their home-cooked dishes. :)

Beringin: The cleanest & nicest looking Pempek shop in my opinion.

Palembang = Pempek!

You MUST try this most famous dish of Palembang! It is served boiled/steamed, grilled or fried.

Pempek dough is a mixture of fish + tapioca flour + water + salt. Tastes similar to a chewy fishcake.

The best tasting (& expensive) pempek uses "belido" fish, which swims in the nearby Musi river.

There are many popular eateries selling pempek but for a start,

if you are looking for the cleanest, biggest & brightest eatery, try "Beringin".

(This photo was taken on a cloudy day, so please pardon the bad lighting. :p)

Irresistable "Pempek Telur Goreng" (Fried pempek filled with 1 whole duck egg inside)

Just like opening a good durian, SHIOK ah! Very enjoyable! (I'm a durian lover lah.) 

To be eaten with sweet & spicy "cuko" (chilli with garlic, sugar, salt, vinegar) sauce.

My favourite! "Pangsit Ikan Goreng" (Fried pempek with prawn filling)

Other popular dishes include "Tekwan" (pempek in crab stock) and "Model" (soup with pempek with tofu beancurd inside). An interesting boiled/steamed pempek is called "Pistel", filled with minced young papaya and tastes a bit like popiah/spring roll filling.

Serious pempek eaters recommend eateries "IP" (pronounced as "Eee-Pay") and "Aik" (pronounced as "Egg"). Locals visit these 2 eateries not only to eat but to also buy & send the home-made pempek overseas to their family & friends! :)

I Love Krupuk! "301" Crunchy Crackers Heaven!

Instead of chocolates, wouldn't it be lovely to receive this heart-shaped krupuk (fish crackers) for a change for Valentine's Day or as a declaration of love? ^_^

This shop is called "301". There are different shapes, sizes and flavours of "krupuk" (kru-puk), which means crackers, to choose from.

Here are some words or flavours that you may come across.
"Cumi-cumi" = Squid
"Ikan" = Fish
"Goreng" = Fried. Most of the crackers are deep-fried.
"Bakar" = Baked, for a healthier choice. These crackers are usually a little salty.

My favourites are the baked star-shaped crackers for my kids, the round thick white fish cracker, the mousy tail looking cracker and the oblong "Getas" fish cracker. I usually buy 2 packs each: 1 for myself, 1 to share.

The shop assistant can pack them into a cardboard box for you to check-in at the airport.

Recently, my sister went Padang on a humanitarian trip & brought back a packet of very spicy finger-licking good tapioca chips -- "Kripik Balado Shirley". I'm very excited to find it being sold at "301" too! Look sis, I no need go Padang already! Yipee! \(^_^)/


Oh, remember to keep in the crackers in an air-tight container after you open the packet; otherwise they will not be crispy.

Happy Snacking!