Café Batavia at Kota Tua.
Jakarta, a city where the phrase 'horrendous traffic' takes on a whole new meaning. If you think Bangkok traffic is bad, wait till you get to Jakarta, its an absolute nightmare! Having said that, I had an amazing weekend. Who knew one could have such a brilliant time?
Jakarta is a city with over 20 million in population with a long history as a trading port since the 4th century. It is one place you should visit at least once in your lifetime. It's a melting pot of cultures, food as well as a good shock to your system. And I do mean a complete shock!
Just like any other city, Jakarta has some really amazing cafés, bars and restaurants. Most of them are situated within malls so it's relatively convenient to have dinner, pre-drinks and then hit the clubs. Some of their clubs are also situated within the vicinity of malls, which makes it all the more convenient.
Jakarta is a city with over 20 million in population with a long history as a trading port since the 4th century. It is one place you should visit at least once in your lifetime. It's a melting pot of cultures, food as well as a good shock to your system. And I do mean a complete shock!
Just like any other city, Jakarta has some really amazing cafés, bars and restaurants. Most of them are situated within malls so it's relatively convenient to have dinner, pre-drinks and then hit the clubs. Some of their clubs are also situated within the vicinity of malls, which makes it all the more convenient.
There isn't much high-rise buildings that fill up the sky, but Jakarta will have it's skyline evolving in the next few years.
Even on weekends, traffic can be bad, but definitely much better compared to weekdays. Taxis are relatively cheap and an easy way to get around the city. Blue Bird (Blue Bird Group) is one of the best and trust worth cab companies to use. It's super comfortable too. Within the group there are also Silver Bird and Gold Bird that are the companies premium taxi service. They use slight bigger vehicles and do expect to pay more for these Silver and Gold class cabs. Apart from Blue Bird, there is also Express that is equally as good.
Not all cab company's are good as their drivers might not know the area well and some of them will take you for a ride around the city just to jack up the meter. Also, some are known to tamper with the meter so be warned.
I stayed some where in the south of Jakarta that was out of the way from all the main hotspots in the city. The only mall closes to where I was in Tebet is Kasablanka hence a lot of commuting to the area’s around.
Not all cab company's are good as their drivers might not know the area well and some of them will take you for a ride around the city just to jack up the meter. Also, some are known to tamper with the meter so be warned.
I stayed some where in the south of Jakarta that was out of the way from all the main hotspots in the city. The only mall closes to where I was in Tebet is Kasablanka hence a lot of commuting to the area’s around.
Little shops and workshops like these line up most of the streets.
There are not many walking streets with restaurants and bars apart from Kemang. I missed out on this area as I was told by many that the traffic getting in and out is bad, even on the weekends. I didn't want to waste the little time I had heading to Kemang so I stayed within Central Jakarta and headed to the cafés and bars here.
I was rather impressed with Jakarta. As my first time into the capital, I came with no expectations at all, as I haven't heard much about the capital. My drive from the Airport took about 40-minutes in which I took the opportunity to take in the scenery. I notice that the city did not have many high-rise buildings and it was a rather gradual build up to the city scrapers. But I can see development taking shape and not long from now, Jakarta will have many high rises. For now, I think it's rather nice just the way it is.
I was rather impressed with Jakarta. As my first time into the capital, I came with no expectations at all, as I haven't heard much about the capital. My drive from the Airport took about 40-minutes in which I took the opportunity to take in the scenery. I notice that the city did not have many high-rise buildings and it was a rather gradual build up to the city scrapers. But I can see development taking shape and not long from now, Jakarta will have many high rises. For now, I think it's rather nice just the way it is.
Kota Tua.
First stop in Jakarta was Plaza Senayan. A high-end mall decorated with brands like Dior, Hermes, Vertu and the likes, it also comes with very trend cafés. One such is Monolog. It’s an ultra modern-cozy café serving up good coffee and food. Just across it is De Luca, an Italian eatery, which I was told serves a good wine list and food.
I haven’t seen my friends for ages and one of them for more than 6 years! As expected, our stop at Monolog lasted hours. A quick evening kip and we were off to dinner at Samarra, an Indonesian restaurant along Jalan Kebon Sirih Raya in the Menteng district. I am still kicking myself for not taking my camera along, as this place is just stunning! The food is great and not to mention the interior… its perfect for a romantic dinner and the theme is a mix of Arabian décor with Indonesian traits. Almost everything we ordered was fabulous and as always the variety of Satay in Indonesia is vast, and they were all good!
Samarra is not a popular spot with the cab drivers so it worth to mention Nasi Goreng Kebon Sirih to the driver as this little warung is just a stone’s throw away from the Samarra restaurant. I love this restaurant… Absolutely love it! From here the next stop was Hotel Kosenda for after dinner drinks.
I haven’t seen my friends for ages and one of them for more than 6 years! As expected, our stop at Monolog lasted hours. A quick evening kip and we were off to dinner at Samarra, an Indonesian restaurant along Jalan Kebon Sirih Raya in the Menteng district. I am still kicking myself for not taking my camera along, as this place is just stunning! The food is great and not to mention the interior… its perfect for a romantic dinner and the theme is a mix of Arabian décor with Indonesian traits. Almost everything we ordered was fabulous and as always the variety of Satay in Indonesia is vast, and they were all good!
Samarra is not a popular spot with the cab drivers so it worth to mention Nasi Goreng Kebon Sirih to the driver as this little warung is just a stone’s throw away from the Samarra restaurant. I love this restaurant… Absolutely love it! From here the next stop was Hotel Kosenda for after dinner drinks.
Monolog is a swanky café serving up good coffee, scrumptious cakes and hearty meals.
Again, I’m kicking myself for not having my camera with me. Hotel Kosenda is a boutique hotel not far from Samarra restaurant on Jalan Wahid Hasyim. This place looks a little Scandinavian to me with the use of wood but on the ground floor there is a restaurant that I’m told is noteworthy called Waha Kitchen. We, on the other hand headed up to Awan Lounge on the rooftop. It’s not a high-rise building given that the rooftop is on the 9th floor but the Jakarta skyline is still noticeable.
As I have mentioned before, Jakarta’s skyline is not all too compact like some of its other neighboring countries therefore you can enjoy the city views from this rooftop. It’s chilled out, good music and the drinks are not too bad. I wouldn’t rate their cocktails an all time high but they are still good. One worth ordering would be the lemongrass mojito. This place also serves a selection of food and opens till 2am on weekends.
Awan Lounge is a lovely spot. Feels like I’m on a rooftop garden, unwinding my week with good music, drinks and ultra comfortable-lazy couches. Talk about a fabulous way of ending your day!
As I have mentioned before, Jakarta’s skyline is not all too compact like some of its other neighboring countries therefore you can enjoy the city views from this rooftop. It’s chilled out, good music and the drinks are not too bad. I wouldn’t rate their cocktails an all time high but they are still good. One worth ordering would be the lemongrass mojito. This place also serves a selection of food and opens till 2am on weekends.
Awan Lounge is a lovely spot. Feels like I’m on a rooftop garden, unwinding my week with good music, drinks and ultra comfortable-lazy couches. Talk about a fabulous way of ending your day!
Café Batavia's interior is simply beautiful; Over 200-years-old the building has wonderful old school charm and character.
I went out like a light bulb. No sleep prior to flight, leaving home at 4am and running around a new city, I was beat.
Sunday was rather interesting. We had lunch at Ocha & Bella, an Italian restaurant nestled on the ground floor of Morrissey Hotel. The interior & exterior of this place is really cool and the food, bellissimo! Again, food was fantastic. Think I’m exploring Jakarta on a gastronomical level and for once, I absolutely love it!
Sunday was rather interesting. We had lunch at Ocha & Bella, an Italian restaurant nestled on the ground floor of Morrissey Hotel. The interior & exterior of this place is really cool and the food, bellissimo! Again, food was fantastic. Think I’m exploring Jakarta on a gastronomical level and for once, I absolutely love it!
Italian at Ocha & Bella is simply gorgeous!
The old part of the city or Kota Tua was the only place I visited. There might be other places to visit in Jakarta but it’s all too few. The only place I thought was note worthy was this Kota Tua as it still has some old buildings from the Dutch Batavia era. This might be the only time I’ve seen many locals in mass, enjoying the weekend and just walking around the square. There is a museum here to visit; unfortunately we were a little to late to go in, so Café Batavia it was.
The food in Café Batavia isn’t worth it so a drink would do you good and the interior is something everyone has to check out! The building itself is over 200-years-old and it’s covered in pictures of famous people. Now the toilet on the first floor is worth a trip as the photographs in there are pretty cool. I never take pictures in toilets but this one, I couldn’t help it, I had too… it was pretty interesting.
Walking out on the street especially in this square at Kota Tua, be prepared to be stopped by locals for pictures or just a chat, especially if you don’t look Asian.
The food in Café Batavia isn’t worth it so a drink would do you good and the interior is something everyone has to check out! The building itself is over 200-years-old and it’s covered in pictures of famous people. Now the toilet on the first floor is worth a trip as the photographs in there are pretty cool. I never take pictures in toilets but this one, I couldn’t help it, I had too… it was pretty interesting.
Walking out on the street especially in this square at Kota Tua, be prepared to be stopped by locals for pictures or just a chat, especially if you don’t look Asian.
Chef hard at work!
Lucy in the Sky was where we headed for dinner. Within this area, there is The Potato Head and a few more other trendy bars and restaurants. It’s not far from Pacific Place, the ultra high-end mall. The drinks at Lucy’s are good and the food is not too bad either. Their interior is pretty nice and cozy but I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures using my camera! A camera phone, under dim lighting, out in the dark doesn’t do any justice. I have no idea why they don’t allowed pictures to be taken with a DSLR.
In a nutshell, Jakarta is an explosion to your senses. Food is one thing but the difference between one to another is amazing. The rich are ultra rich and the poor are really poor. The vast difference is obvious. If they can afford to have Galleries La Fayette and other high-end brand outlets in the city then there must be a market. Along some street, little shabby shops and workshops stand side by side. The poor begging on the streets followed by a Bentley driving down it is something bizzare. The traffic on the other hand is crazy. My senses were taken for a whirlwind ride of calm, stress, smog, peace and an explosion of taste, sights and sounds.
In a nutshell, Jakarta is an explosion to your senses. Food is one thing but the difference between one to another is amazing. The rich are ultra rich and the poor are really poor. The vast difference is obvious. If they can afford to have Galleries La Fayette and other high-end brand outlets in the city then there must be a market. Along some street, little shabby shops and workshops stand side by side. The poor begging on the streets followed by a Bentley driving down it is something bizzare. The traffic on the other hand is crazy. My senses were taken for a whirlwind ride of calm, stress, smog, peace and an explosion of taste, sights and sounds.
Little pop-up stalls greet you as you make your way to the Kota Tua Square.
Places worth checking out:
- Monolog (Plaza Senayan) – Great café serving good coffee, food and pastries.
- De Luca – Good wine list and Italian food with a cozy interior.
- Samarra – The best place for an Indonesian gastronomical feast and doubles up as a place for a candle light dinner.
- Awan Lounge @ Kosenda – Awesome rooftop bar, set within a garden with lounge chairs and drinks. The music and vibe is brilliant and you can enjoy the city’s skyline.
- Ocha & Bella - Great ambience and wonderful Italian food. Trust me when I say you won't be disappointed.
- Café Batavia – Beautiful colonial Dutch era building set in the Kota Tua, makes quite a romantic setting for one to absorb and process what makes Jakarta, Jakarta. The Kota Tua itself is a place you should visit and stop by the café for an evening tea.
These tuk-tuk's don't run the street as much as they do in Thailand.
Jakarta may not be everyone’s cup of tea but its safe to say I would be back for another long weekend of madness.
I owe this awesome weekend to these people. Difa & Matt took us to the best places in town and without Americo, this weekend wouldn't have happened; Thank you!
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