Foodchella in Jakarta.
Last weekend a bunch of us (my colleagues and I) sneaked away for a little food trip in Jakarta and trust me, it was not at all little. Many of us have the misconception that people travel to Jakarta for business but the city is also very much catered for leisure travelers - especially foodies. Lucky for us, we had abang Naz who frequents the city and is a discerning epicurean. He also had a mini-van arranged for the eight of us which made moving around a lot easier, but fret not there's always GoJek for smaller groups.
Our first stop right after touch down was Rumah Makan Surya where we had an authentic and fuss-free padang meal. The beef rendang, perkedel and telur dadar stood out the most for me. A coffee run was next on our list, mainly to combat the food coma from lunch. We found ourselves at Giyanti Coffee Roastery, and it was tucked in an ulu (secluded) corner but the entrance led to a nice space that was very instagrammable. They roast their own beans and honestly their coffee was one of the best I've had in a while. Despite their location, I hear it gets crowded on weekends in the evening so come early!
Another place that is worth visiting is Kota Tua, part of the original Oud Batavia (Dutch settlement in Jakarta.) Within this kota is Cafe Batavia, located in a colonial building that dates back to the 1830s and has gone through many lives. I felt like I was walking into the set of a pre-war movie especially with the cigarette smoke that filled the first floor.
Across the kota was where we had lunch at the Kedai Seni Djakarte famous for their sop buntut (oxtail soup) and soto betawi (coconut milk & beef). However, I was more impressed with their sate ayam that was prepared Javanese style - the char on the meat and peanut sauce were both on point. Speaking of sates (or satays,) Naz opened our eyes and mouths to the various types of Indonesian sates. My favorite was sate padang, I don't know what the sauce was made of but it was flavorful and fiery. Best part was how cheap they were because we ordered it from a roadside warung!
The only right thing to do after all the food that we ate was to head for a detox session and what better way than jamu? Traditional jamu sellers are normally ladies wearing kain kebaya with a basket on their backs containing jars of "secret potions" peddling by the roads. Since we're not all the adventurous type, we found a modern alternative - a cafe called Suwe Ora Jamu. They have quite an extensive menu with ingredients such as tamarind, turmeric, fermented rice, roselle and reed. Jamu virgins will love this place, I promise.
When desserts came there were two honorary mentions in my opinion - the pandan custard egg tart at Fook Yew and the Black Boss Skippy at Martabak Boss. Folks on non-carb diet, these were definitely worth cheating for. That said, please order to share or the sugar rush will hit you faster than you can handle. Gosh, I miss the egg tarts so bad... look at the oozing custard, did you know they were baked-to-order?!
Before our flight back to Singapore, a few of us opted for a final cup of joe and Naz brought us to one of his must-go cafes - Lucky Cat. It was very different from Giyanti but pleasant in its own way. I liked how there were plants everywhere, there was even a real tree growing in the middle of the cafe! Coffee here was a little light for my taste but still good. Something that caught my eye was our neighbor's baby blue drink in a Mason jar which I discovered was their signature sea salt latte (already on my list for the next visit!)
Despite this being a trip with colleagues, I must say that it went quite smoothly. Big thanks to Naz for doing most of the work! I don't think this would be my last vacation with these few, maybe it's time to round up the usual suspects and plan the next one.
x
