J
em>Jakarta keeps its history alive in many old buildings that are now being reused and preserved as restaurants and cafes. In these places, visitors can enjoy the atmosphere, taste and nostalgic memory of old Batavia, brought together in a unique experience.
(JP/Utami Kusumawati)
Kunstkring Paleis
Located on Jl. Teuku Umar 1, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Kunstkring Paleis hosts a café, gallery and restaurant operated by the Tugu Hotels Group since April.
The building was built in 1914 as Heutsz Boulevard, where local and international artists gathered to talk about art.
The building was designed by Dutch architect P.A.J Moojen in a classic style with dark wood panels and doors, large windows and balconies. Along the way, the building had been used for many purposes including a bar.
'Kunstkring Paleis means 'palace of the art community'. That's why we've opened an art gallery, located on the second floor, to hold art exhibitions,' marketing executive Galuh Trisjanto told The Jakarta Post.
Café Batavia
The building of Café Batavia was formerly the Dutch governor's house and located in the Old Town area in West Jakarta.
The building, which was built in 1805, became a restaurant and opened to the public in 1993. Even though the function of the building had changed, the management of the restaurant preserved this building of heritage.
The restaurant presents various Asian and Western foods and drinks such as gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce), nasi uduk (fragrant rice), soto betawi (beef and coconut milk sauce) and the iconic Batavia Punch.
Newseum Café
'The name refers to a café and news museum where people can come and share news on anything here,' the café's event coordinator Yatie Rahzen told The Jakarta Post.
Newseum Café was built by artist and former culture journalist Taufik Rahzen in 2008 to commemorate National Press Day, she said. The café is located on Jl. Veteran, Central Jakarta, next to the old ice cream shop Ragusa.
In the 19th century, the area, known as Citadelweg, was formerly a shopping district and housing complex for the upper class.
Yatie said that as an appreciation for his previous job as journalist, Rahzen created a journalism museum in the back room of the building. In that room, people can see archives of journalistic writings such as Marco Kartodikromo or Tirtoadisuryo, she said. Besides journalistic pieces, visitors can also find many paintings and archaeological exhibits in the café.
(JP/Utami Kusumawati)
Oasis Restaurant
Built in 1928 as the private residence of Dutch millionaire E. Brandenburg van Oltsende, the Oasis has classic Dutch architecture using teakwood, checkered black and white tiles, high ceilings and Austrian crystal chandeliers as its main characteristics.
According to marketing manager Y. Suryasaputra, the building was used as restaurant by Tirtokusumo, the owner of a mineral water company, in 1979.
'This building has many stories, which is why the owner didn't want to change anything about the building,' he said.
In the main dining room, he said, there was a colorful stained glass window designed by Dutch artist Robert Deppe in 1936. The stained glass depicts a horseman and was dedicated to the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Many important figures have visited the restaurant on Jl. Raden Saleh Raya in Central Jakarta, such as the late, former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Australian politician Bill Hayden and former US president Bill Clinton.
Cemara 6 Gallery
Located on Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto, Gondangdia, Central Jakarta, the gallery - built during the Dutch colonial era - was founded by art critic, poet and philosopher Toeti Heraty Noerhadi Roosseno in 1993.
To this day, the place hosts discussions, art video presentations, poetry readings and art exhibitions, and is famous as a place where many writers like to talk about the arts.
The gallery, according to its website, has been organizing and participating in international art exhibitions in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Bosnia Herzegovina, Japan and Canada.
It also displays the work of both local and international artists. ' JP