Mie Belitung Atep

Mie Belitung Atep is the name most locals give when visitors ask where to try the island's signature noodle dish. The shop on Jalan Sriwijaya has been serving the same recipe for decades: thick yellow noodles in a sweet, shrimp-based gravy, topped with prawns, tofu, boiled potato, cucumber and crunchy emping crackers, all presented on a daun simpor leaf.

The menu is short. Beyond the noodles there is nasi tim ayam (steamed chicken rice), and most people wash it down with es jeruk kunci, the island's sharp little kumquat-style lime. A bowl of noodles costs roughly Rp22,000 to Rp25,000, the service is quick and the food is halal. Some visitors find the gravy sweeter or milder than expected, so add sambal to taste.

Practical tips: it opens from about 07:45 to 20:00 daily and is busiest at breakfast and lunch, especially at weekends and during school holidays. It is cash only. The shop sits in the centre of town, a short walk from the Batu Satam monument, so it pairs easily with a coffee at one of the nearby kopi shops. Street parking is available along the road.