My Favorite Street-Side Satay

The street-food satay that’s always been a favorite of my husband and me is “sate cekgu”—this satay comes in two varieties that you absolutely must try. It’s been around for a long time, and yeah, there’s no denying it’s delicious and full of flavor.

It all started with experimenting with street food, which turned into an addiction—it’s now one of our favorite satay options.

Last Saturday night, my husband and I took the time to stroll around a small neighborhood near our house. At first, I’d only planned to accompany my husband to get a haircut at one of the barber shops in the area. After his haircut, my husband suggested we look for some street food there. Of course, I didn’t say no. After wandering around for quite a while, we finally decided to eat satay from a street vendor we hadn’t visited in ages. That satay spot has actually been a regular stop for us ever since it first opened. As it happened, the place wasn’t too crowded that night, so my husband and I stopped right in.

After the server gave us the menu—we already knew exactly what was on it by heart—my husband decided to order directly from the satay vendor, who was busy preparing orders.

There are several satay options here—chicken satay and beef satay—but there are only two sauce toppings. Padang-style satay and peanut sauce And you can mix both padang and peanuts—that’s fine, too. It’s served with lontong, which is a distinctive feature of this satay. As for Padang-style satay, I’ve actually tried making it before here, though I used meat instead. The taste is truly extraordinary—it’s impossible to resist; it’s that delicious and rich in spices. For our meal, we ordered chicken satay with peanut sauce and Padang-style satay. For drinks, I just ordered mineral water, and my husband ordered pineapple syrup.

I ordered the Padang satay. I used to dislike Padang satay at all, but now it’s become my favorite. Ever since I first tried this Cek Gu Padang satay, the flavor has been completely different—the MSG isn’t overpowering, and the savory and spicy notes are perfectly balanced. What I like most is the rich, incredibly smooth sauce, which is always served piping hot.

The portion is quite generous, in my opinion—five skewers of satay with plenty of lontong and an abundance of sauce—so this hearty serving is sure to leave you very full.

My husband ordered the peanut sauce satay. The flavor of this peanut sauce satay is clearly different from the satay I previously reviewed at Sate Sagobi. The peanut sauce at Sate Cek Gu is thinner and is already mixed into each serving. The sauce is poured directly over the satay and lontong, giving it a very distinct flavor.

My husband’s taste in food tends to lean toward sweet, savory, and spicy, so peanut sauce satay is his favorite. However, he also often orders it with Padang-style sauce mixed with the peanut sauce. That makes it taste much better, in my opinion.

The prices here are really cheap—for less than $1, you can enjoy this satay. For just IDR 10,000, you get a serving this big. It’s only open from 4:00 PM to midnight, and the place is very easy to find—it’s located at Simpang Rangkaya, North Aceh, Indonesia. If you’re an Indonesian visiting Aceh, don’t forget to stop by this small but rapidly growing town. I’m sure you’ll really love the food here.