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Although not big on sights except for a few structures of Dutch colonial architecture and religious temples, Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, is big on appetite. No single ethnic group exists in this city. The Chinese, Javanese, Minangkabau, Toba-Batak, and many other ethnicities, brought in thousands of their native dishes into this city, dubbed the third-largest in Indonesia. From the sweet Javanese food, to the succulent Batak grilled pork, the savory Chinese noodles, the spicy Indian curry, and the sizzling Padang delicacies, the food trip never stops, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Medan's culinary variety is matched by its diversity of architectural styles. The old City Hall, the Titi Gantung (bridge over railway), the Central Post Office and the city's icon, the Water Tower, are examples of traditional architecture rendered in Dutch colonial fashion. There are also the Maimum Palace or Istana Maimun (Sultan's Palace) and the Great Mosque or Masjid Raya, which are samples of the city's Islamic influence, while Vihara Borobudur, Vihara Gunung Timur, and Shri Mariaman are temples that respectively represent Buddhist, Chinese and Hindu architecture.