This time, we decided to try something we’d never done before. It’s a pretty popular spot—my husband and I specifically chose this place not only because we’d never been there before, but also because we’d noticed it was always packed, and as it happened, it was fairly quiet yesterday, so we stopped by.
Choosing an affordable spot was part of our simple, small celebration. My husband isn’t that romantic, but I know full well that our finances have been in a real mess lately, which is why our celebration was just going out together on a Saturday night and enjoying dinner. That was enough—this place was far better than anything else, in my opinion, with our stomachs full and us enjoying dishes we’d never tried before.
Mie Gacoan Outlet in Lhokseumawe
Mie Gacoan is a fairly popular brand of noodles in Indonesia; it’s a trademark of a well-known company in the country. Mie Gacoan itself is a restaurant-style spicy fried noodle dish made from wheat flour noodles that are almost identical to the instant curly noodles sold in stores. At this Mie Gacoan outlet, there’s a wide variety of menu items—not just noodles, but also a diverse selection of snacks.
The place is quite nice—spacious, clean, and neatly organized. Upon entering, you must first order the items you’ve chosen. After paying, you’ll receive a receipt and a token to pick up your food once it’s ready in the kitchen.
Their kitchen is very spacious and open-concept; they efficiently prepare customers’ orders. It felt like only a minute had passed since we chose a table when the alarm went off. We immediately picked up our food and found a comfortable seat.
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As for the seating area, it’s very comfortable, with both outdoor and indoor options. The atmosphere is cozy, clean, and well-organized. What I liked most was the lighting—it’s quite good; just look at the photos—even at night, they’re very bright, and it really makes enjoying the food even more exciting.
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I’d already arranged the food on the table; the system here is very self-service. I returned the serving tray because the server told me to return it right away.
We ordered their best-selling items here—of course, two servings of Level 2 Gacoan Noodles, rambutan shrimp, cheese shrimp, shrimp spring rolls. We also ordered two glasses of cold drinks: iced tea and orange juice.
Mie Gacoan
We ordered two servings of Mie Gacoan at level two—we didn’t dare to go any higher on the spice level since it was our first time trying it. The noodles are very simple: just regular fried noodles with spicy sambal, topped with finely shredded steamed chicken. It comes complete with fried dumplings and dumplings filled with chicken meatballs.
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The noodles are straight, thin, and unique—they taste a bit like instant noodles—but the spicy, savory flavor comes from the “devil’s sambal,” which is coarsely ground and cooked. I think the noodles were simply tossed with that spicy seasoning. As for the toppings, I loved them all—they had a unique, crispy, savory flavor, and the meatballs inside weren’t hard at all.
The overall flavor is perfect. The only thing I didn’t like was that the noodles were cold; if they were hot, this would probably be even more delicious. Since these are egg noodles, even a serving this size is enough to leave you super full.
Well, as for the price, one serving of Mie Gacoan costs only IDR 12,500. I think that’s pretty cheap, and the portion is quite filling—plus, there are plenty of toppings.
Shrimp Dumplings
This is one of my favorite dumplings, and it's quite affordable. A serving of three costs IDR 11,500. This dish consists of shrimp mixed with chicken, wrapped in tofu skin, and then fried until perfectly cooked and delicious.
The texture is chewy and the flavor is very savory, with the natural sweetness of the shrimp blending together. What I love most is the fresh taste, like a freshly fried snack. Even though it's cold, it's still delicious. In my opinion, this is their number one snack. They come with a sachet of chili sauce, so every snack must be dipped in the sauce for an even more delicious taste.
Cheese Shrimp
Cheese shrimp is a fried shrimp dish. The shrimp are ground, then mixed with flour, filled with melted cheese, and then fried again in flour. The price is the same as shrimp dumplings, IDR 11,500.
This is very affordable, even though the taste is exactly like those at the famous cafe. Panatas is always busy, tastes delicious, and the price is quite affordable.
Rambutan Shrimp
Rambutan shrimp is a snack made primarily from shrimp, but I think it also includes chicken, as it's flavorful. It's not entirely shrimp, as it's also evident in the texture of the dough. The rambutan shrimp are coated in long, sliced wonton skins, and the outer layer is what gives it its name, due to its curly, rambutan-like shape.
Overall, it's delicious. I love all the flavors in this dish. It's savory, with a brothy flavor, but not overpowering. I think the outer layer of the wonton skin is what makes it so deliciously crispy and savory.
Drinks
The drinks were pretty simple—I just went with the standard iced tea and orange juice. They tasted just like you’d expect—sweet, of course—and the prices were still pretty reasonable: IDR 5,000 for the iced tea and only IDR 6,500 for the orange juice. We intentionally ordered just soft drinks since we’d already had plenty of food.
Maybe next time we’ll order different drinks—there are still some that have me curious. Below is the menu selection; my husband accidentally took a screenshot of the entire menu on the screen while we were ordering.
There are so many options on the menu, so we decided to order the most common items first since it was our first time here. There are also set menus, which are definitely more affordable. It all comes down to personal taste, but in my opinion, this place is very budget-friendly, and for a first-timer like me, the food here was already delicious. The most important thing I loved about my dinner here was that all the snacks were absolutely delicious—I give them five stars and highly recommend them.
For those of you who want to visit, the outlet is located in the city of Lhokseumawe, Cunda, before the Cunda gas station and the Lido Graha hotel.
