Let me tell you – when it comes to heart-attack inducing snacks, American fast food has got nothing on Indonesian street food.
Our (incredible) vacation came to an end this weekend, and the stress of the real world started to creep in a day early. To ward it off, extreme measures needed to be taken.
So, as most Americans would do, we sought out the greasiest, unhealthiest, most gluttonous meal available (after our massages, of course).
Friends, meet martabak.
Now, let me gift you with a short description of the creation process. First, a sweet dough is used to make a base that resembles a very thick pancake. The bottom is smothered in butter, sugar generously sprinkled over the top. When this first step is complete, the toppings are added. The pancake is turned pizza-like with a thick layer of chocolate sprinkles and saturated with condensed milk.
The vendors folded the pancake/pizza into a sandwich looking item, slathering butter on once more, just for good measure.
Said (very sweet) pizza/pancake/sandwich is finally cut into pieces and put into a box for safe keeping.
And you get all of this for dollar menu prices. Needless to say, we didn’t quite know what we were getting into. I could barely pick up a piece of the dessert without it slipping out of my fingers, much less finish even half of a piece of the ridiculous indulgence!
BUT, next time you have stress to work through, a messy break up, a bad day or any other comfort-food-requiring situation, feel free to come visit me in Indonesia and I will find you a martabak stand!
Just Go. 
Ohhhh man, I am so glad you found this! My friend brought this back to my apartment once…I could not even finish a small piece of it. Then I ordered it again for some reason when I was visiting this totally random island Tanjung Pinang. Me no likey.
On the topic of comfort food though…on a Sunday morning, you must start hitting up the 5-star hotel buffets. They are out of this world…and relatively cheap. Some are more expensive than others, but I think Le Meridien might be affordable.
Another thing you need to eventually experience is Hot Planet….mostly because of the name. However, they serve pretty decent pancakes…and it’s called HOT PLANET! Also in that complex, at least a few years ago, was a Roti Boy. You should try their pastries. They are yummy. Finally, Hot Planet is in downtown Jakarta (perhaps there is more than one location) but in any event, if you are going to visit the National Museum or Monas, you should visit the location on Sudirman (looking at a map now though, this street changes names many times. In the area that you want, it is Jalan Mohammad Husni Thamrin), one of the main drags through Jakarta. Behind this Hot Planet/McDonalds/department store complex is a road called Jalan Haji Agus Salim. On this street, you will find many many shops selling in delicious fruit shakes. At one point there was also a Lebanese restaurant on this street that was pretty yummy.
Martabak… Yumm 🙂