Over the last weekend, I took a short 'makan' trip to neighbouring Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia. 'Makan' is malay/indonesian for eating, and that is what the trip is all about to the unofficial food capital of Indonesia.

Jetstar launched additional evening flights on some Fridays of each month (according to the flight schedule, it is not all Fridays) to Medan, and the flight departure time at 2035hrs is perfect for me to catch after a day of work. Adding the discounted fares available during Jetstar's frequent sales, it was a no-brainer to book. Return was a one-way flight via Silkair as it is the only evening departure back from MEdan, and fares are not too pricey either.

Checked in online and self-printed the boarding pass. However as my return flight was not on Jetstar, I had to proceed to the document check counter to have my documents verified.




FIDS at Terminal 1.




Jetstar uses self check-in kiosks and bag-drop.




Departure gate at C25.





22 September 2017
Jetstar Asia
3K 287
Singapore (SIN) - Medan Kualanamu (KNO)
A320
9V-JSB
Economy Class
Flight Time: 1H00M


Boarding commenced slightly late due to late aircraft arrival from the previous sector.






Aircraft was one of the oldest in the 3K fleet and had the thick-cushioned seats but with minimal legroom and recline. Cabin was clean and did not show its age though.








Seated at 17A. View from window.




Inflight magazines and sales.






It ended up a pretty full flight. Pushed back and we had a quick taxi to Rwy20C for departure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF2aMWMPElQ


Climbing out of SIN






Buy-on-board and duty free sales was offered with not many takers on this short flight. As with most Jetstar flights, crew were generally casual and friendly.




A short cruise later, we descended into Medan and landed on Rwy23 on schedule even though we departed late. Jetstar had padded the sector time at 1h30m though usual flight time would be around an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJaqmSglB0M


Medan's new Kualanamu airport is huge and we taxied for quite some time to the gate.




Disembarked. Note the cool rainbow-changing coloured control tower in the background.




A short and no-frills flight on Jetstar at very affordable prices. Definitely no complaints as long as flight is punctual.

As there were no other international arrivals at the time, immigration and customs was rather efficient. Kualanamu airport terminal is huge and spacious, unlike many other Indonesian airport terminals.




However, due to the significant distance of the airport from the city, it too nearly an hour's cab ride to reach the hotel. We would be staying at JW Marriot, which surprisingly was very reasonably priced for a 5-stars property. Rooms are a bit ikd but well maintained.






Walked to the nearby Merdaka Walk for supper.




Supper consisted of starter dishes, Nasi Goreng and Beehoon Goreng.








Old City Hall at night




Views of Medan city from the hotel








Hotel has an infinity pool.




Brunch at Asie Bebek Beehoon (duck bee hoon). This is one of the most eat places in Medan, and the duck beehoon is really delicious! Do go early as they were sold out by 11am.






Walking around town. Apart from a few temples, mosques and historical buildings, there are not much sights in Medan city itself. Most tourists would go to Lake Toba, which we did not have enough time to do so for this trip.










Popped into Macehat Coffee, a very popular cafe in Medan.




On the weekend afternoon, the cafe was so crowded that we decided to take away instead. The signature Avocado Coffee Float and fried cassava were awesome!










Walked to nearby Bolu Meranti pastry shop to buy its famous swiss rolls and ambon. Only bought a cheese roll and an ambon, but other shoppers were buying boxes like crazy!




Dinner was Nasi Padang at Sederhana restaurant, across from Marriot.




Followed by after-dinner fruits at Ucok Durian. This is definitely the durian wonderland for the king-of-fruits lovers!








On the last day, we had brunch at Selat Panjang. Unfortunately, as the action only starts in the evening, only a few stalls were opened. However, we still had very delicious Hokkien noodles and Medanese-style chicken rice.








Tjong Ah Fie Mansion




And the famous Tip Top restaurant with a long history. Had a bite there as well.

I'd go just to pick-up some bika ambon!

We took Grab back to the airport, which was at half the price of a regular taxi. Flight departures info.




Unlike most other Indonesian airports, there was no need to show a confirmed ticket to enter the terminal building or check-in area. However, there is still a security check prior to entering the building. Check-in at the SilkAir desks was underway and the wait was short.






Boarding pass issued.




Very spacious check-in hall.






Grabbed dinner at one of the airport indonesian restaurants. The food was good!






And not to forget an A&W float before the flight as well!




Security was quick and we went into the domestic departure hall.




The immigration, international security and intl departure hall is further down the hallway. There were no queues at all for the sole international departure at the time.




The sole international lounge which all airlines use for their premium pax.






Departure gate was changed from Gate 1 to 2.






The aircraft arrived about 15min behind schedule.





24 September 2017
SilkAir
MI 237
Medan Kualanamu (KNO) - Singapore (SIN)
B737-800
9V-MGI
Economy Class
Flight Time: 1H16M


Boarding commenced.








Economy class cabin and seats






Boarding in progress. The purser and a female crew were in Business class, while 3 male and a single female crew were serving in economy. Quite a rare sight to see so many male crew on a SilkAir flight.




Seat pitch was decent for the short flight, but not much more than the LCCs.






Out the window




Inflight magazine and duty free. Starting this month, SilkAir has enhanced the wifi streaming IFE Silkair Studio's contents by increasing the entertainment selection. Movies were also more up-to-date compared to previously. Newspapers and blankets were also offered, while pillows were available in the overhead bins.








SilkAir also has its own verison of Hello Kitty! Wet towel were distributed.




Door closed and safety video played. The flight was fairly full.




Starting the taxi




Takeoff from Rwy23 slightly behind schedule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyYr_hLDkAA




Refreshment service started soon after.




After having so much to eat, I just pre-ordered a fruit platter for the flight. It came with a cup of water. Coffee/tea and other beverages were also offered.






The standard offering was just a tasteless and forgetable egg sandwich.




Lavatory was stocked with the necessary amenities only.




View of cabin as crew were clearing away the meal trays. Service was friendly and very efficient on this short-haul.




Purchased the SilkAir Hello Kitty from the inflight shopping. Was also handed a complimentary aircraft plushy, which is usually given out to young kids.






Descending and flying along the southern coast of Singapore.




Landing from the north onto Rwy20R, 15min behind schedule.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ8SMe45AcQ


Taxi to and parked at Terminal 2.






Disembarking




A very comfortable short flight on SilkAir with excellent full-service offerings. Thanks for reading this short report.

Nice report, sir.

I've written similar comment on your same report in other website.

I frequently visit Medan, my mom's hometown. Let me suggest interesting places in Medan to "makan":
- "Soto Sinar Pagi". The favorite "soto" of my mom's family, especially my late grandpa. It's one of legend food stalls in Medan.
- "Lontong Kak Lin". Medan-style lontong curry and lontong with "pecel" sauce.
- "Tabona". A restaurant selling curry bee hoon.
- "Ondo". Offering traditional Bataknese food, such as "babi panggang" (roasted pork), "saksang" (pork dish with blood sauce).
- "Ola Kisat" Babi Panggang Karo (BPK). Selling traditional roasted pork from Tanah Karo. You can come here while on the way to Berastagi or Tongging.
- Indian-style "Mee Rebus" at Kampung Madras, Medan's "Little India". Available only at night.
- Jalan Semarang. Also night only. Here you can eat Medan's best kway teow, while my mom's family usually come here to eat "chee cheong fun".
- "Padang Sidempuan" Restaurant, selling "ikan salai" (smoked fish). It's originally from Padang Sidempuan, a city in South Tapanuli, around 400 km from Medan.

That's my must-try list of Medan foods. Someday if you visit Medan again, you can come to these restaurants.

If you have more time to spend, please visit other interesting cities in North Sumatera. Pematang Siantar, Parapat, and Berastagi are in my recommendation list.